Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Checklist for the new pond

Just use the same test kit you used for the aquarium. The biggies now are alkalinity, pH (depending on time of day the sample was taken) and maybe hardness.

Unless you want to test for heavy metals and pesticides - then you have to send the sample out, but make sure the testing lab can test low enough trace amounts to have a valid test. Typically those aren't an issue. In a new pond, you could test for everything else, but until you start getting biomass in there, it really isn't that big of a deal.