Necessary Tests in Test Kit

[shannen74]

Howdy,

My husband is soon to be setting up an octo tank, and as a gift, I am gonna buy a test kit for him. I know that octos are especially sensitive to what is in their water, so I thought maybe someone here could give me a list of the tests he will need. I have heard that Salifert are really good, and I found a link for their package deals: AquaDirect.com is for sale | HugeDomains

Would the "everything" kit be total overkill? Or would it be smarter to get, say, the "reef system" and add in a few?

Thanks in advance for the advice!

Shannen

 

[Colin]

Hi, welcome to tonmo.com

Yeah the 'everything' kit is overkill, there are some of them that you wont need, or at least doesnt warrant buying the whole kit as a local aquatic shop can do some tests for you...

if its for an octo tank then forget about the carbon, boron, calcium, iodine, magnesium and strontium. As long as regular partial water changes are done then these elements will be there in sufficient amounts for an octopus. Also rememeber that most test kits have a 6 month life from opening.

the best ones to get are copper, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH and maybe calcium...

Cheers
C

 

[Nancy]

Hi Shannen,

Since you're being so nice and buying your husband a gift, maybe you should consider a pH meter rather than a pH test kit. I find my pH meter very handy, easy to calibrate and it saves some time.

I'm sure you'll both find it fun keeping the octopus - please post some photos of it here on the message board for us all to see!

All the best,

Nancy