My coral does look great

murphdeboss

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You should be testing more than that. Those are really only applicable when you are first cycling the tank (ammonia and nitrite)

1. Ditch the API test kits, they are notoriously inaccurate.

2. Test for things that the coral needs:

Alkalinity
Calcium
Magnesium
Salinity
Nitrate
Phosphate
 
I'm not sure that all of it was a waste.... the nitrate test could be useful. I've used API tests in the past. All of this stuff is hobby grade and some variance is to be expected.

However, it does seem that other tests such as Salifert or the Hanna checkers seem to have a better reputation than API these days.

The biggest thing is that after the tank is cycled you probably won't need to be testing for ammonia and nitrite anymore.

The parameters that bluemon listed are a good place to start
 
So that was a waste to buy
Just out of curiosity, if you just bought these, does that mean you haven’t ever tested the water before today?

Just wondering what the timeline of the setup is looking like. Did you go through a cycle?
 
I’ve had the tank for about 4 months now. The previous owner had it running 2 year prior and I picked it up while it was still running. I’ve taken it to fish stores to get the water tested before and they say it’s all good
 

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