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How to Check Your Tank's Nitrogen Cycle

 When monitoring your tank water, any ammonia in the water is too much. Because you get the ammonia level down does not mean you are out of the woods. Too much nitrite and nitrate in the water is not good for fish, either. To check the tank's water quality as regards to ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels, you will need to use a test kit.

 Test kit choices include powder tests, liquid tests, and strip tests. All of these tests are "colorimetric" meaning you compare how the sample water compares to a color chart. You can buy electronic monitors for pH and oxygen level but you are stuck testing ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels the old fashioned way. When buying these tests, consider you should test your tank water at least once a week (most experts advocate every other day or daily).

- Dry Regent/Powder Tests

 With dry regent or powder tests, you take your tank water, pour it into little test tubes, add test powders for each test type, mix powder into the sample water, and then compare the test tube water with a color chart to see what the level is for each chemical monitored.

• Pros. Cheap.
• Cons. Powder is messier than liquid tests or strip tests. You'll need to keep track of your test tubes. Watch the expiration dates for the powder; using reagents after their expiration day may result in inaccurate test results.
• Cost. Aquarium Pharmaceuticals puts out a FasTestT Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate, and pH test kits. Cost is $9.49 for the Ammonia kit, $7.49 for Nitrite from Drs. Foster and Smith; each kit includes 20 tests and you can buy refills at a reduced price after you get the initial set up.

- Liquid Tests

• Pros. Easier to pour than powder tests and faster dissolving. Cheaper than strip tests.
• Cons. More to mess with than strip tests. More expensive than powder tests.
• Cost. Red Sea Mini Lab makes liquid tests for ammonia ($12.25 for 45 tests), nitrite ($10 for 80 tests), and nitrate ($12.25 for 60 tests); these are available from MarineandReef.com.

- Strip Tests

• Pros. Strip tests are easy to administer. You dip the strip into the water and you'll get your results in seconds. You do not have to worry about chemical mixing or keeping your test tubes.
• Cons. More expensive than other tests.
• Cost. A pack of 25 strips will set you back $13.99 (Drs. Foster and Smith package of both 5-in1 test kit and ammonia dip test strips). MarineandReef.com sells the Lifegard 6 Way Test Strip (25 for $19.80) includes tests for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate.

How to Improve Your Tank's Nitrogen Cycle

 We want to focus on biological filtration equipment as well as limiting waste ending up in the tank in the first place. Ammonia levels come straight from fish waste, uneaten food, and rotted plant material. To cut down ammonia, concentrate your efforts on reducing the sheer bulk of waste in your tank (feed fish less, keep dead or dying plants out of the water, and improve the mechanical filtration systems). To help the nitrogen cycle in the tank, consider having as many biological filters as you can work into your aquarium's design. For saltwater tanks, protein skimming is a must. Help things out with frequent water changes.

 

Electric Blue Jack Dempsey

Tank at Approx. 1 Month

130 gallon tank with Powder Blue Tang, Heniochus, Blue Tang, Yellow Tang, Sailfin Tang, Clown Fishes, Niger Trigger, Striped Damsels (avoid damsels - they're a pain!), Green Chromis, Green Serpent Star, Electric Blue Hermit Crab, Cleaner Shrimp, Lots of Hermit Crabs, and a Blue Lobster.

Porcupine puffer, puffed up.

jeffs reef tank 11 06