Newbie here: How often should I test my fish tank for pH, Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate levels?

Well honestly, the PH doesn't matter much and messing with it only causes more problems. The idea that PH matters is pretty much a false one, unless it truly is out of wack (meaning it would not even measure on either of your kits). Fish are very tolerant of PH, and those numbers you may see on the profiles of fish are just an estimation of the PH in their habitat, not what they need to survive.

For Ammonia and nitrite you'll want to measure it every few days through the cycle to ensure no large spikes that will hurt the fish. As the cycle nears it's end you can start testing for nitrates, which the presense of is a sure sign your tank is completing the process.

For a healthy, cycled tank you really only need to measure ammonia and nitrite if there is a problem, or if you need to do some major tank work, like a full cleaning or a complete filter media replacement (neither are recommended), since these can deplete your bacteria.

It's a good idea to measure the nitrates before and after each water change at first, that way you know if they are rising faster than you are changing the water, and you can adjust your routine accordingly. Down the road, when you have more comfort in what's going on your tank, testing all these things will become something you do only once in a while, or if you notice something funny going on in the tank.

If you have 4 goldies I'm assuming you have an adequate tank size, of at least 50+ gallons as goldfish require 10-15 gallons per fish. I also recommend a filter that handles double the capacity of your tank. I have four goldies in a 55 gallon with a 110 gallon rated filter. Without an adequate tank and filtration system you are setting yourself up for ill and dying fish. Is your tank cycled? A cycling tank should be tested every other day. A cycled tank can be tested once a week. All fish owners should have a drop test kit on hand for pH, ammonia, nitrites, nitrates and hardness/softness. Goldfish require cooler water of 60-75 F. They require alkaline water, which is the pH and since a 7.0 is neutral they require a pH of 7.2-7.8. You'll need to make sure you get a kit with a 'high range' pH test for this. The ammonia needs to be 0 ppm, nitrites 0 ppm and nitrates less than 20 ppm. If any of these are off it can cause stress, illness and even death. The only way to correct water quality issues is with water changes...50% emergency changes in extreme cases with 20-25% daily or every other day until the problem is corrected. You can also use Kordon's AmQuel Plus to detoxify any ammonia or nitrites in the water so that the fish do not get ill but use this with caution in a cycling tank because you will be neutralizing it and not allowing the nitrogen cycle to complete. Good luck.

Good kit! Well worth the money. :-)

Once the tank is mature, you'll have to check the quality every week - or at the first sign of any problems. If you have sensitive fish, I suggest you carry out water testing for ammonia and nitrite every day (but you shouldn't have any sensitive fish if you're a fishkeeping newbie).

As for how long it lasts, if you check it once every day, the ammonia test will last 2 and a half months. Just replace the individual tests as and when they run out, rather than the whole test kit.

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EDIT// In response to what the person immediately above me said, that's not strictly true. Ammonia and nitrite should ALWAYS be 0 in a mature tank, it DOESN'T vary from tank to tank. Nitrate and pH do, because they depend more on the area you live in (for example if you live in a hard-water area or in an area which have high levels of nitrate in your tapwater, then obviously, it's going to vary from someone who lives in a low nitrate or pH area).

If you are just starting your tank I would check the nitrates, nitrites, and ammonia ever day or two. Once your nitrogen cycle is complete you can begin to check every parameter once a week or at every water change( like the monthly gravel vacuuming or just topping off your water). Oh and just a reminder if you don't already have a dechlorinator you need to pick a bottle up.

Good luck

The very best thing to do is to do this at least once a week, even better if you can do it twice a week and keep this information in a journal type thing.

Ph, nitrate, nitrite, ammonia, etc levels vary from tank to tank, so when you keep a log of this information you will be able to see a fluctuation in any of these which could potentially stress the fish. By seeing these fluctuations, you can detect a problem before it gets to the point of illness, stress, or death of your fish.

It's always good to test about every couple days when you are correcting any of the levels and every 1-2 weeks for maintenance.

It depends on what type of fish tank you have, cold water, tropical or marine. As a coldwater fish keeper, (3ft. x 18" x 12" tank) I just change the water from the tap every 2-3 months and have never bothered with all that "fandango" stuff. Some of my fish are 12 years old. They are just ordinary comets, sucking loach and weather loaches.

every 2 weeks with the water change, and dont worry about it running out.. you are set for a long time, and there not that expensive anyway...

you can change the water every week but if $ arent a problem by a water purifier

i never did and the goldfish lasted 16 years

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