Never test water.?

Question

I have 5 fish tanks and never test the water, I do weekly water changes and my fish never die and none have had a disease yet. So why test water?

Iv had most of them for about a year and a half.

Answer 1

I've actually read one aquarium book that agreed with you. The author's idea was that any owner should spend at least enought time each week observing the fish (after all, isn't that why we buy them?) that we should pick up on the changes in behavior as to when something in their living conditions isn't right.

And if you don't overstock, overfeed, and do the proper maintenance there shouldn't be a problem ever, right?

Nice in theory, but not always practical. Many new fish owners don't stock, feed, and clean their tanks correctly (this is something they learn by trial and error or by asking other how to do it and adapting the methods to their needs, so it can take a while for a new owner to "get it right"). And in time they may learn the difference betewwn gasping for air and begging to be fed and not throw more food in the tank every time they walk by it. Plus, in the world tody, how many families designate one person to do all the aquarium chores, versus "Honey I'm late for____, will you feed the fish/clean the tank today?" I think you get the idea here.

And there are unexpected events - the water company has a break in the line, or decides to overdose the phosphates one day, a fish dies of old age hidden in the back of the castle, the power goes out, your fish gets sick and you need to treat with an antibiotic that destroys your beneficial bacteria, etc.

I'd like to think that I'm "in tune" to my fish that I'd notice if something was wrong, but in a way that's the point. If the water quality is affecting how your fish is behaving, it's affecting the fish and causing stress. By testing the common parameters, you can see when something is going wrong before it affect the fish and can do something about it earlier.

Answer 2

You test your water on your parameters periodically for several reasons. The best reason I can think of is just because your fish are not dying and you are not seeing signs of distress now, doesn't mean everything is fine. There can be smaller amounts of ammonia, nitrite, nitrates left at higher levels, ph's not in the right range ect.. existing in the tanks. Lets use Nitrate as an example. Many articles I've read stress water change point at 40 ppm. Lets say you want to do them at 60 ppm or higher. Well your fish may not be dying or show signs of distress, but should something ever get into there, your liable to find your fish dying much faster then fish in a better balance eco system because thier immune system has been weakend over time from higher then usual nitrate exposure. It's time consuming yes, I know because I have three tanks myself and in the process of adding a fourth, but that time you take doing regular readings to check up on your systems is well worth it when it comes time to treat your fish. You'll at least rest better verifying your water chemistry is fine. It's not going to hurt anything either.

JV

Answer 3

Well, why wouldn't you? Many aquatic and pet stores will do water testing for free.
Even if conditions are perfect, in your mind, you should at least test monthly just to see the whether or not excess nitrates, ammonia and nitrites have been building up. Excess levels of the three mentioned cannot be detected other then by testing your water. When such parameters slowly elevate over time your fish well adjust to them until it is too late.
I too never really tested the water in my tanks until I had a sick severum. I did bi-daily water changes and to much of my dismay she never got better. The problem; the drinking water I was using contained 60 ppm of nitrates. I only found this out by testing the water and by then it was too late.

Answer 4

Testing water is a great way to be able to know what is wrong if something goes wrong. It could also be possible to monitor an increasing problem that may not be immediately observed by sight. (i.e. nitrate or ammonia levels) It may never be necessary if you have good luck like it sounds like you have had. The only problem is, if fish start to die or get stressed and it appears to be a mystery why: water testing generally can give you an idea what went/is wrong.

Answer 5

Think about it ..... Better yet, here is an example. Let's say you are about to take a bath. You turn your water on and fill the tub for a baby. What do you do first? 1. Test the water with just small part of your body to determine if it is safe (not too hot), or does it need to be adjusted before use (too cold). 2. Just put the child in blindly. Your grandfather just saying becareful and think about what you are about to do.

Answer 6

I've never tested water either, so i agree with you. I'll keep an eye on this question though so i can learn something though. My fish usually die of stress of a new environment or natural causes

Answer 7

if you havent had any fish die then you take care of your fish and your really lucky but you should test your water because even if your fish are alive they might not be happy even if they swim and play they might not be comfortable and water testing is more of a reassurance that everything is okay and no matter how good you take care of your fish you can still have amonia spikes.

Answer 8

I test my water when I add new fish, just to make sure everything is fine, but otherwise my tests always come out fine too.

Answer 9

I have 7 tanks and went crazy when I first started testing and waiting then testing, testing.... I stopped testing also and 50% water chg. every week. With no problems either? I'm with you , why test!!! ><>:)

Answer 10

I only test the water when they look ill but don't have fluff etc on them.