🧪 Water Testing¶

Water parameters are tested at least twice a week using the following setups:

1. HANNA probe¶

Used for water temperature, pH, conductivity, and TDS recordings. To begin measurements, turn on the tester by holding the /MODE button until all LCD segments briefly display, followed by the battery life indicator. Once in measurement mode, select the desired mode—either pH, EC, or TDS—by pressing the SET/HOLD button. For pH measurement, immerse the electrode in the solution and gently stir. Wait until the stability tag disappears before reading the pH value on the top line of the display and the temperature on the second line. For EC or TDS measurement, place the probe in the solution, again stirring gently to minimize interference. Once the stability tag is no longer visible, the EC or TDS value will appear on the top line, with the temperature shown below. Further instructions on use can be found here. Rinse probe with tap water in between recordings. Store the probe with the cap filled with sufficient amount of storage solution in it.

2. Oxygen probe¶

Oxygen should be tested with the Milwaukee probe. Make sure to turn the probe on for at least 15 minutes before testing water. To take measurements, stir the probe in water until the reading is stable. Rinse probe with tap water in between recordings.

The probe should always be checked for any imperfections on the membrane (bottom part of the probe). The membrane is quite delicate and should always be smooth and without air bubbles underneath it. If this is not the case it should be reinstalled or replaced with an intact membrane and re-calibrated.

Further instructions can be found here.

3. API test kit¶

used for taking readings of Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate levels. Fill in 3 test racks of 6 clean test tubes with 5mL of tank water using a dropper. Next do the following tests for a rack:
- Ammonia: Add 8 drops of Ammonia test solution #1 followed by adding 8 drops of Ammonia test solution #2. Cap and shake for 5 sec. Wait 5 min for color change and compare with reference sheet.
- Nitrite: Add 5 drops of Nitrite test solution. Cap and shake for 5 sec. Wait 5 min for color change and compare with reference sheet.
- Nitrate: Add 10 drops of Nitrate test solution #1. Vigorously shake the Nitrate test solution #2 for at least 30s. Now add 10 drops from Nitrate test solution #2. Cap and shake for 1 minute. Wait 5 min for color change and compare with reference sheet.
Further instructions can be found here

Record all values in the husbandry sheet. For noting conductivity readings, multiply the recorded value by a factor of 1000. Save a copy of the husbandry sheet at the end of each month as PDF and .xlsx files named “FishHusbandry_YEAR_MONTH.pdf/xlsx”, Ex: “FishHusbandry_2024_06.xlsx”. Now erase all contents from previous months to make a fresh google sheet for the month. Upload the previous month's data in the lab shared drive.