How frequently to test is a tricky one as there are too many variables to give a definative answer!
Suffice to say, that with a mature well balanced aquarium, testing need not be as frequent as a new aquarium, or an older one into which you've introduced a change ie: new fish,plants,filter etc.
Once your aquarium is established, you will become used to the frequency of testing required to keep your specific aquarium and fish happy and healthy.
New Aquariums
In a new aquarium, there are not enough of the bacteria to cope with the waste load and toxic ammonia can rise to dangerous levels. Eventually, the bacteria increase to cope with the ammonia, converting it to another, only slighly less toxic compound - Nitrite. This too will then rise to high levels until a second type of bacteria increases and converts it to the much less toxic Nitrate. This process can take several weeks.
In a new Aquarium we recommend that you add only a few hardy fish at first and feed lightly to minimise wastes. Test water regularly and perform water changes to reduce the levels of ammonia and nitrite if they become dangerously high - this means, remove a third of the water from the Aquarium, and replace with fresh water - this as the effect of diluting the ammonia and nitrite and reduces the toxicity of the water to your fish.
The useful bacteria that your acquarium needs are attached to surfaces, so removing water should not slow down the maturing process. If possible, obtain some gravel, tank decor, plants or filter media from a mature tank. This will introduce some of the necessary bacteria and may reduce or even eliminate cycling time.
The aquarium is considered 'mature' when ammonia and nitrite have reduced to zero, and nitrates have begun to rise. At this point it will be necessary to begin a regular program of water changes to keep the level of nitrates low (aim for less than 50 mg/l, less than 25 mg/l is better).
How to I test the water?
The most common way of testing the major parameters is to use a chemical test kit. Depending on the kit chosen, these comprise of a chemical reagent which you add to a small sample of the aquarium water you have taken. The chemical reacts with the specific compound you are measuring and changes the colour of the water. This colour is then compared with a colour chart, or colour wheel to determine the concentration of the parameter you are measuring. While low in price, the limitation of test kits is the incremental range of the test kit and your eyes! We don't all see colour the same way!
A more sophisticated way of measuring your water is to use a colorimeter, which uses sophisticated electronics to measure the colour that has developed in the sample and then converts it to a digital readout to a high degree of accuracy.
You will find both types of measuring equipment on our web site, and the choice is really down to how much you want to spend versus how accurate you want the result to be.
