I do monthly water changes. Don't test often at all. I add a teaspoon of buffer along with water changes and pH always reads 8.3. When i used to test, i thought my test kit was broken. Never showed a trace of ammonia or nitrites. Nitrates always held < 10 which it is hard to decipher between 0 and 10. This is my 46g reef tank i am talking about and set it up about 4 years ago. Setting up my new 150g tank, my ammonia test started going off. Then i realized my test actually worked. I thought i was going to do a FO tank with no LR. Wanted to try something different. Did the research and realized how important LR is and filled my filter full of it. Still no real LR in the display but every bit of the display becomes alive. The bacteria and pods spread off of LR. About 30lbs of LR. A week or two after that, my ammonia cycle was gone and never shown another trace. Sorry to write a book here but i would say the most important test are pH and nitrates. This is for an established tank. Once they mature and are not overstocked, you won't get another cycle. Like i said before, its like an ecosystem. It all balances itself out. Now i do dose a few things. 2 part calc, alk mix, iodine, elements, and S&M which i only dose to the reef cause of coral. These ingredients are already mixed in marine salts. I use instant ocean which has smaller traces of these ingredients are in heavier doses in reef crystals.

Let me add one other thing. RO water is a must. I took a lot of trips to wal mart filling 5g jugs for my tank. I went out and bought a RO/DI system after years. Then got a bigger tank. Tap water and conditioner just doesn't cut it from what i hear. Never tried it in my tanks.

Awesome man.. that tank looks great, love the wall mount, looks like a plasma screen. I like how the tank is decorated and the fish selection also, almost looks like a salt tank.