Looking for ideas on my tanks parameters

[BrianneG]

My 115 gallon tank has been up for a little over a month now. I currently have 4 clowns, 1 diamond goby, 6 snails, 12 average Joe hermit crabs, 2 red legged hermits and 3 Electric blue legged crabs. along with what I hope by now is a bunch of Copepods.
I just completed a roughly 15% water change done last night, and tested my parameters today, minus Nitrates ( I am waiting for reagents to be delivered).
I would like to consider adding some corals soon, but I have been reading that phosphates should be under 0.1 for corals and calcium be up about 440ish. What can I do to get there in my parameters?

Attached is what I tested this morning.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

If the copper is via the Hanna, it’s likely not accurate for normal reef tank water and Id stop testing. Its meant to test medication levels, not unmedicated reef water.

The phosphate is not a show stopper and I’d add some creatures.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Calcium can’t be accurate. How did you test it?

 

[drolmaeye]

Honestly everything looks good except calcium and *possibly* phosphate (as you mention). Given your salinity, alkalinity, and magnesium are all good, I would suspect your calcium is a testing error (I think that's the lowest possible result you can get with Hanna?). Maybe remeasure calcium (even with a different kit or at the LFS if you get 200 again). Also, phosphate could very well be fine depending on what test kit you are using. I think you could try a coral or two and see how it goes.

ETA: My last phosphate measurement in my display tank was 0.43 ppm using Hanna Phosphate ULR and although I would like it lower, the corals in that tank (LPS and zoas) are fat and growing rapidly.

 

[BrianneG]

Thanks for the feedback. The Ammonia was a little higher and has reduced due to the water change.
Is there another tester that you would recommend for copper and Ammonia that I should use? Or are you saying that I really don't need to test for those?

 

[BrianneG]

Calcium can’t be accurate. How did you test it?

Hanna tester

 

[BrianneG]

Hanna tester

But I can re test again, just in case I messed it up

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Thanks for the feedback. The Ammonia was a little higher and has reduced due to the water change.
Is there another tester that you would recommend for copper and Ammonia that I should use? Or are you saying that I really don't need to test for those?

There’s no reason to measure copper except when medicating, and no kits read low enough for normal reef levels.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

But I can re test again, just in case I messed it up

Something went wrong. It is never that low.

 

[BrianneG]

Something went wrong. It is never that low.

good to know I will re-test it again

 

[BrianneG]

Something went wrong. It is never that low.

Thanks Randy!! You were absolutely right, and while i was testing again I realized what I did wrong. This bonehead forgot to even add the reagent packet, so my test was completely wrong. New results had it at 553

ETA: thank you for catching thar and keeping this girl on her toes