brown diatoms to green algae question

An experienced reefer can tell a lot by looking at the
tank, but I sure would not want to be without the test kits.

Wayne Sallee
Wayne's Pets



Steve wrote on 7/1/2006 5:45 AM:
You talk about test kits quite a bit and have got a
pretty full set, and yet mostly they are not very helpful. I've just
set up a tank that's doing OK and have only a Ca and nitrate kit,
period. Don't use them much now. Doing water tests and finding them
normal tells you not a lot. That is because many of the things you
need to measure can't be measured with basic kits. With respect to
your algae growth none of us really have a clue why it's growing, if
tests were the definitive answer then you wouldn't have any algae, as
you say your water is officially "good" . So I'd take the experience
so far as a clear indication of how little basic tests actually tell
you. You need to know about organics in reality, and we can't measure
those at home. Those are what the skimmer gets rid of. Or water
changes if you do it that way.