Testing Water

Testing water is a must for all aquariums.

Since you cannot physically see water chemistry, it is very important to check it routinely.

When you fist set up your saltwater aquarium, testing the water every day is needed to monitor the water maturation process.

Water chemistry will change as you begin adding fish.

After this sensitive period, which lasted for a couple of weeks, it is very important to test your water.

I would recommend doing this at least once a week when you make water changes.

Use quality testing equipments or kits to monitor your water parameters.

The results should be written down and should be compared to previous test results.

If there has been a dramatic change since the last water test in any of the water parameters, action may be required. See the following:

If the pH is too low, conduct a water change. See Acid and pH page for more information on how to raise it.
If the ammonia, nitrite or nitrate is too high, conduct water change. see how nitrogen cycle works to understand more about this topic.
If carbonate hardness is too low, again, conduct water change and refer to Hardness and Alkalinity page for more information.
If your salinity or specific gravity is too high or too low, adjust it accordingly.

free newsletter

Grab my FREE Aqueous Kingdom Newsletter and get valuable bonuses for starting saltwater aquarium!

Do you have any saltwater aquarium topics you'd be glad to share to your fellow hobbyists?

Write your articles and contribute. read more

Want information on any specific topic regarding saltwater aquariums here?
I'd love to hear from you!

Send your topic requests here.

What is an RSS???