The API kits are notorious for showing up to .25 ammonia and given the time the tank has been up, I believe that to be error so I wouldnt worry about that (plus, your fish are still kicking...).
To try and clear some things up, the possibility of low nitrates (which I don't believe are 0 but it's possible) and low intensity lighting absolutely will NOT kill corals in two days (or two weeks in reality). You wont starve to death in two days, neither will your corals. With that said, the constant exposure is a problem. Doesn't mean it was solely responsible for the rapid decline, it just didn't help. Running something like the 20-30% mentioned earlier on a 8-12 hour photo-period will likely be fine. When corals are stressed, increasing the intensity by a good margin is almost never helpful; they typically recover better in lower lighting situations (one less thing to adjust to).
In regard to test kits, I couldn't have hated the Hanna calcium checker any more than I did. That test kit is a tedious pain in the butt, offer it up for a trade or sell it. I've had the most repeatable results with the Red Sea Pro kit for calcium (I have shaky hands so I gooned up the Salifert drops many times). Most (me included) are happy with the results the Salifert magnesium kit provides (though this is probably the least important of the commonly tested elements). The Hanna alkalinity checker is super easy to use, I wouldn't trade it for anything. The Salifert nitrate kit is easy and consistent. Your Hanna phosphate kit is fine for now (the ULR is a better choice if you go SPS dominant at some point but the low range is fine for a mixed reef). Don't worry about the pH, it is what it is and you cant do much about it (I pay zero attention to mine); the CO2 levels in your home will largely dictate your pH.
To try and clear some things up, the possibility of low nitrates (which I don't believe are 0 but it's possible) and low intensity lighting absolutely will NOT kill corals in two days (or two weeks in reality). You wont starve to death in two days, neither will your corals. With that said, the constant exposure is a problem. Doesn't mean it was solely responsible for the rapid decline, it just didn't help. Running something like the 20-30% mentioned earlier on a 8-12 hour photo-period will likely be fine. When corals are stressed, increasing the intensity by a good margin is almost never helpful; they typically recover better in lower lighting situations (one less thing to adjust to).
In regard to test kits, I couldn't have hated the Hanna calcium checker any more than I did. That test kit is a tedious pain in the butt, offer it up for a trade or sell it. I've had the most repeatable results with the Red Sea Pro kit for calcium (I have shaky hands so I gooned up the Salifert drops many times). Most (me included) are happy with the results the Salifert magnesium kit provides (though this is probably the least important of the commonly tested elements). The Hanna alkalinity checker is super easy to use, I wouldn't trade it for anything. The Salifert nitrate kit is easy and consistent. Your Hanna phosphate kit is fine for now (the ULR is a better choice if you go SPS dominant at some point but the low range is fine for a mixed reef). Don't worry about the pH, it is what it is and you cant do much about it (I pay zero attention to mine); the CO2 levels in your home will largely dictate your pH.
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