In general, you need a refractometer. Cheap, for an instrument, accurate, and fast. You can test fast and on the fly and know it's right.
You need two thermometers of different sorts. Belt and suspenders. I use the Coralife Digital, and a strip thermometer stuck to the glass. Thermometers, like heaters, can fail. Also use your fingers. Touch your tank glass as you pass. Learn what it should feel like.
When getting water tests, go for individual tests, not kits of four and five---they don't use up at the same rate. ANd go for a precise numerical result, not colors, where possible. 1) You should continue to use the nitrate test weekly, and keep it way, way low, as in at least under 20, and with sensitive corals, nearly unfindable. It is a color-match test. 2) You need an alkalinity test. Salifert gives a numerical result, and you want it between 7.9 and 9, generally. I keep my at 8.3. Everybody should test weekly.
If you have stony coral or clams, you also need the calcium and magnesium tests, again, numerical. Salifert gives numbers. Calcium should be 420, mg about 1350. If mg gets under 1200, the alk and cal will plummet. So if you're out of balance, dose mg first, and get that up, before correcting the other two. Do NOT dose cal and alk within 8 hours of each other, because they'll precipitate out in a snowstorm. Always wait 8 hours after dosing to test, because the dose takes time to do its thing.
A phosphate test can be useful, but if you have hair algae, just trust you have too much, and use GFO to get rid of it. Eventually you may want this test.
In general, your water changes handle absolutely all the trace elements in the right doses. And don't mess it up. Anytime you're tempted to add a 'miracle potion' or dose something because you read an article on, say, strontium---don't. Read the label on that potion, for one thing. The one that promotes coralline? big dose of magnesium. Well, yes, set your mg at 1350 and you'll have all the coralline you like. Just remember this ironclad rule: if you're going to dose a chemical element into your tank---BUY A TEST FOR IT and know what a proper level for that element is. Test your water first and see if you're short of it. In general, NEVER DOSE ANYTHING YOU DON"T HAVE A TEST FOR, and first test to see if you already have the proper level. If you don't, then is time to come back to RC and ask how to fix that level.
You need two thermometers of different sorts. Belt and suspenders. I use the Coralife Digital, and a strip thermometer stuck to the glass. Thermometers, like heaters, can fail. Also use your fingers. Touch your tank glass as you pass. Learn what it should feel like.
When getting water tests, go for individual tests, not kits of four and five---they don't use up at the same rate. ANd go for a precise numerical result, not colors, where possible. 1) You should continue to use the nitrate test weekly, and keep it way, way low, as in at least under 20, and with sensitive corals, nearly unfindable. It is a color-match test. 2) You need an alkalinity test. Salifert gives a numerical result, and you want it between 7.9 and 9, generally. I keep my at 8.3. Everybody should test weekly.
If you have stony coral or clams, you also need the calcium and magnesium tests, again, numerical. Salifert gives numbers. Calcium should be 420, mg about 1350. If mg gets under 1200, the alk and cal will plummet. So if you're out of balance, dose mg first, and get that up, before correcting the other two. Do NOT dose cal and alk within 8 hours of each other, because they'll precipitate out in a snowstorm. Always wait 8 hours after dosing to test, because the dose takes time to do its thing.
A phosphate test can be useful, but if you have hair algae, just trust you have too much, and use GFO to get rid of it. Eventually you may want this test.
In general, your water changes handle absolutely all the trace elements in the right doses. And don't mess it up. Anytime you're tempted to add a 'miracle potion' or dose something because you read an article on, say, strontium---don't. Read the label on that potion, for one thing. The one that promotes coralline? big dose of magnesium. Well, yes, set your mg at 1350 and you'll have all the coralline you like. Just remember this ironclad rule: if you're going to dose a chemical element into your tank---BUY A TEST FOR IT and know what a proper level for that element is. Test your water first and see if you're short of it. In general, NEVER DOSE ANYTHING YOU DON"T HAVE A TEST FOR, and first test to see if you already have the proper level. If you don't, then is time to come back to RC and ask how to fix that level.
