Water tests.

[Ralph823]

Hi all, i decided to make this post because I cant find any info on this particular question.

I test my water at home one a week with API and Salifert tests and use them to compare with each other, I also test my water at the store every other week to compare to my at home tests. Since I am at the office from 9-6 it's hard to fit the store tests in my schedule. my question is, If I take a container of water out of my tank as a water sample how long do the parameters remain accurate in the sealed container? since most stores close at 7 and it takes me almost an hour to get home when I leave at 6 maybe I have time to swing by an LFS on the way home with a sample container I collected in the morning before work.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Hi all, i decided to make this post because I cant find any info on this particular question.

I test my water at home one a week with API and Salifert tests and use them to compare with each other, I also test my water at the store every other week to compare to my at home tests. Since I am at the office from 9-6 it's hard to fit the store tests in my schedule. my question is, If I take a container of water out of my tank as a water sample how long do the parameters remain accurate in the sealed container? since most stores close at 7 and it takes me almost an hour to get home when I leave at 6 maybe I have time to swing by an LFS on the way home with a sample container I collected in the morning before work.

pH will change too fast to be useful to test at a store.

Alk and calcium will be OK through the day.

 

[Ralph823]

pH will change too fast to be useful to test at a store.

Alk and calcium will be OK through the day.

Thank you. I assume Mag Nitrate and Phosphate would also remain the same thought the day correct?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Magnesium certainly will, but I also doubt it is even worth measuring. More likely a wrong value will cause problems than a right one will help anything.

Nitrate and phosphate are probably OK. Keep it out of direct sun (algae growth may consume them).

 

[Ralph823]

Magnesium certainly will, but I also doubt it is even worth measuring. More likely a wrong value will cause problems than a right one will help anything.

Nitrate and phosphate are probably OK. Keep it out of direct sun (algae growth may consume them).

awesome thanks

 

[MnFish1]

awesome thanks

Curious why nervous about the test in the first place - the reason I ask - LFS - many - may not be the most compulsive test performers. - i.e - no reason for you to believe them as compared to your 2 tests

 

[GARRIGA]

Curious why nervous about the test in the first place - the reason I ask - LFS - many - may not be the most compulsive test performers. - i.e - no reason for you to believe them as compared to your 2 tests

LFS might rush it due to other needs. I'd find one with an API Aqua Spin. Seems those are relatively accurate and if purpose solely to confirm home results then likely more then good enough plus you don't take up the employees time who'd likely rather be making sales or tiding up the store. Recall back in the day how testing customer water was loss loss proposition due to cost of chemicals and most importantly one's time.

 

[Ralph823]

LFS might rush it due to other needs. I'd find one with an API Aqua Spin. Seems those are relatively accurate and if purpose solely to confirm home results then likely more then good enough plus you don't take up the employees time who'd likely rather be making sales or tiding up the store. Recall back in the day how testing customer water was loss loss proposition due to cost of chemicals and most importantly one's time.

That's what I usually do, Most LFS around me tests with either API/Salifert or the Aquaspin, I compare to the aquaspin because i know they're more accurate compared to than at home tests with drops and powders that leave much more room for human error.

 

[Ralph823]

Curious why nervous about the test in the first place - the reason I ask - LFS - many - may not be the most compulsive test performers. - i.e - no reason for you to believe them as compared to your 2 tests

its not necessarily that I am nervous, since most of these at home tests are either liquid drops or powders that have to be measured by eye there is a lot of room for human error; therefore, I use my at home tests as an idea so that I know that I am around where my parameters should be or I am off and need to make adjustments. I go to stores with the aqua spin tests just because they give me more of an exact number than what my tests can.

For example API PO4 will read 0/.25/.5/1....10 which is fine because as long as API reads 0 I know I am between 0 and .25 but if I want to know if I am at 0.00 or 0.24 I will go get the aqua spin

 

[Ralph823]

Curious why nervous about the test in the first place - the reason I ask - LFS - many - may not be the most compulsive test performers. - i.e - no reason for you to believe them as compared to your 2 tests

I say every other week because that usually when I do my water changes and I like to know exactly where my parameters are so I can decide exactly what % water change I do if any at all. in one of my tanks I can go 6 months before I decide to do a water change because it has been up for almost a decade and as long as the dosers keep dosing and the fuge keeps fuging there is no reason to do a change. however, on others such as my newer 180 with a messy tang gang it wouldn't be unheard of for my phosphates to creep up to 1.5. I've had this happen after introducing finicky fish since I try about everything to get them to eat causing nutrients to spike. when I'm dealing with a tank like this that I need to feed extremely heavy I like to get an exact number on my Parameters every other week to make sure I am not overdoing the feedings and if I am I want to know exactly what my numbers are at to know exactly how to approach fixing it.

my PO4 was at 1.5 last week because I introduced a CBB that wasn't eating and tried every food on the market to get it to eat (P.S. it eats everything now.)