When testing your water there are several things that you need to know about your water in order to maintain a healthy tank. First your salinity levels should be about 1.021 and 1.023 is what most people recommend. You don't want to much salt because it can speed up the breathing process which is very deadly to your fish, and you will have to clean up more salt build-up in your filters. Too little salt also can kill your fish. Also you want to keep a pH of about 8.2-8.3 is what most recommend, and is a safe level to keep it at. Ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates are another good thing to be keeping track of. After your cycle you would want to have your ammonia levels down as much as possible to keep your fish healthy. The levels should be 0 but if you have a little more than that it doesn't matter much because there will always be ammonia present. Your nitrite and nitrate levels also should be down to about 0 and if its at about .25 its still okay, but anything above that can be harmful. The next thing you will want to know is what temperature to be keeping your water at. It is said that most people prefer about 77 degrees F. If you have your temperatures fluctuate to much it can cause stress to your fish and they can get diseases, so make sure your heater or chiller is very stable. If you live in a hot area your water may be too hot requiring that you have a chiller.

salinity level: 1.021-1.024

Invert salinity: 1.023-1.025

(Inverts enjoy a bit higher salinity)

pH: 8.2-8.3

Alkaline: 7-10dkh

Temperature: 75-79 F° (24-26°C)

Nitrite: zero

Nitrate: zero

Ammonia: zero

Phosphates: 0.03ppm

Calcium: 400-450 ppm (for reef tanks)