Something look wrong in your aquarium? Start with the water.
If your reef isn’t behaving the way it normally does, bring a sample of your aquarium water to The Underwater Gardener in Key West. We’ll run it on the bench, explain what the numbers mean in the context of your tank, and help you work out a sensible next step.
Water testing is a paid bench service — ask us for current pricing. Advice and service estimates are free.
What we test
- Salinity — how concentrated the saltwater is
- pH
- Ammonia
- Nitrite
- Nitrate
- Phosphate
- Alkalinity — a core part of reef chemistry and calcification
- Calcium — one of the major elements used by calcifying animals
- Magnesium — closely tied to keeping calcium and alkalinity balanced
That’s the list. We don’t run ICP, and we don’t send samples to an outside laboratory.
When it’s worth testing
- Coral looks different than usual
- Fish or invertebrates are behaving unusually
- Algae is getting difficult to control
- The water looks cloudy
- You’ve had an unexplained livestock loss
- You’re cycling a new aquarium
- You’ve made a major equipment or dosing change
- You’re about to add livestock
- You just want a second set of measurements before changing something
What to bring
A fresh sample of aquarium water in a clean, sealed container.
- Use a container that has never held soap or household chemicals.
- Rinse it with aquarium water first.
- Fill it, seal it, and bring it in reasonably soon after collecting.
The number is only the beginning
A result is far more useful when we know what’s happening in the aquarium. If you’re troubleshooting something, it helps to tell us:
- Roughly how big the tank is, and how long it’s been running
- What you keep in it
- What changed recently
- What you’re dosing, and your recent water changes
- What problem you’re actually seeing
A photo of the tank, or of the coral or fish you’re worried about, is worth bringing too.
Sometimes the answer is: don’t change anything yet
Not every reading needs a product. If the numbers and the tank’s history suggest that watching it for a few days, or retesting, is the sensible next move, that’s what we’ll tell you. Chasing a single measurement is how a stable aquarium gets destabilised.
Want to fix it yourself?
Good — most of the time that’s the right answer, and we’d rather you understood the system than bought something. Our Coral Care Guide and the pH in the reef tank write-up are reasonable places to start, and we’re happy to talk it through at the counter.
The numbers don’t tell the whole story?
Sometimes a test points at something that needs to be seen in person. We service aquariums across Key West and the Florida Keys — persistent algae, equipment trouble, an established reef that has got away from its owner, or a system you would simply like a second opinion on.
Where to find us
The Underwater Gardener
2816 N Roosevelt Blvd, Suite 1
Key West, Florida
(305) 850-9949
Current opening hours, directions and parking are on the Visit page.