Test Kits ... time killers

[RedDmon]

I'm looking for a way to perform my water tests in a more time efficient manor, the current kits I use (can't think of the brand off hand (at the office)I think most are Red Sea) They just take too long. By the time I run all 8 or 9 tests I've blown nearly 45 minutes of my night.
Any suggestions about quicker test kits, or other ways to test the water?

Thanks in advance.

[cloak]

How did everything look before you tested?

Sometimes you can get caught up in those numbers...

FWIW.

[macraider]

While expensive, I've had great experience with an online service - Aquarium Water Testing .

[RedDmon]

With the exception of my Phosphates being a little high and Calcium being slightly over 500 all is well.
I'm just looking for a way to save myself some time. I like to try and test every other week, I know if I had a way to test that didn't take so much time I'd test once a week.

Any suggestions, or is this what I'm (we're) stuck with?

[seapug]

I agree with macraider. I don't think I'm capable of getting the same results twice in a row when I use test kits. I'm terrible at it. I'd take to to an LFS and pay them or send a sample somewhere they can test it with lab grade equipment.

[otrlynn]

Originally posted by RedDmon
I'm looking for a way to perform my water tests in a more time efficient manor, the current kits I use (can't think of the brand off hand (at the office)I think most are Red Sea) They just take too long. By the time I run all 8 or 9 tests I've blown nearly 45 minutes of my night.
Any suggestions about quicker test kits, or other ways to test the water?

Thanks in advance.

The first test kit I bought was an all-in-one thing from Red Sea. I found the directions tedious to read through and the tests do seem time consuming. I also hate those skinny test tubes that fall over if you stand them on the table!!! I have mostly Salifert test kits now, and though more expensive, they are faster to run. Once you have been up and running for months without problems, you will find that there is no need to do all 8 or 9 tests every time IMO. Once your tank is established, there is generally no need to keep testing ammonia or nitrite, unless you do something like add more rock or suspect a "death" in the tank. I only occasionally test for nitrate, because it is always under 5.0. I only occasionally test my pH, because I have found that if I keep my Alk and Ca in line (which I test twice a week), the pH stays pretty stable.

[Gold Stripe]

Originally posted by otrlynn
Once you have been up and running for months without problems, you will find that there is no need to do all 8 or 9 tests every time IMO. Once your tank is established, there is generally no need to keep testing ammonia or nitrite, unless you do something like add more rock or suspect a "death" in the tank. I only occasionally test for nitrate, because it is always under 5.0. I only occasionally test my pH, because I have found that if I keep my Alk and Ca in line (which I test twice a week), the pH stays pretty stable.

+1

I test Nitrate, Cal and Kh once or twice a week and test the rest once a month.

[pdhenderson]

Find the time, I ve you have time to watch your tank, which you should, you should do a test.
I always check temp,SG daily, every week I do Ca,No, and Alk, if I find something amiiss i run more tests.

In this hobby there is NO short cut.If you're too busy to do the tests, then you're too busy

[Sk8r]

I can speak re time cheats using salifert---I used to assist in a lab. You're dealing with vials and syringes. You're waiting for a color change. oK. You keep a log book, you know where the color shift SHOULD be. So instead of doing all the drip-drip-drip, you just shoot in tiny squirts, aiming to be in the range of, say, the 7's. You see a 'flash' of pink color in the blue of the alk test. Warns you the real change is coming. Ok. You're at 6.5. Slow down. Now go drop-drop-drop---bingo. Color change. You got your reading. I can run that one in less than a minute, and be right. Same with the others. Know your ballpark, mega-shoot to get into the neighborhood, watch for the 'flash' that forecasts the color change, go slow, find your point, log it, and move on.

NEVER have more than one kit open at once: too much danger of contamination. Good idea to put paper towel down to spread bits out on, so you don't get liquid reagent from the last kit onto this kit.

Practice looking for the flash and logging things so you know where you were, and you can get the alk-cal-even the mg thing down to 5 minutes for the whole lot.

[Michael]

i think the key is to just test mag, calcium and alk, religiously and nitrate once a week, buy a ph probe and test the other params now and again, i used to test everything every day and it does take a lot of time, but as the tank ages and the params stabilise tests like ammonia and nitrite are less of a worry and need to be tested a lot less than before, i take 15 mins a day now sometimes i miss a day or 2, perhaps its worth considering a rota and test different things at different times to stop your self getting fed up testing