Test Kits

[AC_Rhino]

I'm looking to get some beyond beginner test kits for my start up tank. Its been running 6 months (40g, beach sand, 40lbs live rock, 1.5 HOB protein skimmer, CPR HOB Refugium, Aquaclear 100, Fluval 204, fluval 104, heater, 2x Fluval Sea Pro lights, Coral Box QP-9 wave maker, a dozen ghost shrimp, 2 small crabs, a bunch of periwinkles, and some pulsing xenia) and I'm just now starting to add corals and I'm looking into fish.

I have two asks:

1. What I would like to get are some links to some good test kits. Right now I just have some of those multi-test strips (Nitrate, Nitrite, PH, Alkalinity, Hardness) and I know I need something a little more robust and that tests for more parameters. I look online and I see all kinds of specialized junk ... I'd really just like to get some links (amazon or some other site you prefer) to some test kits that would be good to test Nitrate/Nitrite, PH, Alkalinity ... and I think I need Calcium and a few other minerals (can you let me know which ones are best?

2. I do not intend to hook up any fancy dosing devices, calcium reactors, etc. as it is only 40g ... but if I need to add minerals (calcium, phosphate, magnesium, etc. how does one go about that? Are there water additives or water vitamins that can be dropped in or are regular water changes enough to keep these minerals coming in?

Thanks guys

 

[Bao]

Are you looking to add SPS later? or just LPS, Zoas and soft corals?
If no SPS, then you don't need to deal with calcium at all. Weekly water change is good enough. If you want, you can add some Cal to water change to bring Cal to a higher level. As for Test Kits, I always use Salifer.
https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/salifert-kh-alkalinity-aquarium-test-kit.html
https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/salifert-calcium-aquarium-test-kit.html

As for Nitrite/Nitrate, PH, Phosphate and other stuffs.. I don't think you need to worry about that for now. As long as your tank is cycled, you don't need to worry about Nitrite. Most reefers don't use those canister filters. For a tank that small without large fishes, you can just do water change. Be careful with the HOB protein skimmer, they might overflow and create a huge problem.

Forgot to add this. If you want to dose cal, try this: https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/brs-bulk-calcium-chloride-aquarium-supplement.html
and for Alk, try this: https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/brs-bulk-soda-ash-sodium-carbonate-aquarium-supplement.html

you can buy 2 dosing pumps from BRS to dose the chemical but then you would need a device to control them like Apex.