water testing

[Ronnie]

I've been told my my LPS that I need to test 1) ammonia 2) nitrates 3) nitrites 4) ph 5) calcium 6) phosphates 7) iodine 8) stronium 9) alkalinity

 

please help

what & when do I test?

[Aiptasia]

That is good advice. Red Sea makes a complete reef master test kit with all of those tests in it, with salifert reagents.

 

With a new tank, you may be performing a lot of those tests on a daily basis. The first three, ammonia/nitrite/nitrate have to do with establishing beneficial bacteria colonies and seeing when live rock is properly cured. When all three consistently read zero, you will know your tank has "cycled" and your LR has "cured" and is a safe environment for corals.

 

pH tests will tell you how acidic or alkaline the tank water is. Reef fish and corals like the same pH as saltwater, which is anywhere from 8.2 to 8.4 in most instances. The calcium test will tell you how much calcium is available to your corals for skeletal growth. Same with the strontium kit. Iodine tests for useable iodide in the water, which has a healing effect on corals and retards bacterial growth within coral tissues.

 

High phosphates are often the root cause of microalgae blooms and the kit will tell you how much phosphate is in your tank water (which is why you should use RO water for your reef tank). Tap water often contains high phosphate levels. Lastly, alkalinity tells you how much buffer your water's pH has against sudden swings.

 

A good book on reefkeeping will tell you exactly how to use each test kit and when it's reasonable to test. Once your tank is established and stabilized, you'll probably only need to test the water once a week or so.

[Reefmaniac]

The Red Sea calcium test is a major PITA. I suggest using Sera's calcium test. Very easy and straightforward.