Coral died in 1 day

Keep working on getting the salinity down to 1.025, I'm assuming your using api test kits... if your planning on keeping coral you should invest in better test kits, and definitely a refractometer instead of a swing arm... salifert, red sea are good test kits to get. I wouldnt buy any more coral until you have a better hold on the water chemistry.. now that you know you need to top off with fresh water, make sure you dont use tap water, you should have a container of ro/di water. (You can get that from the fish store as well)

You need to look into alkalinity, calcium and magnesium. I'd use a small cup(maybe 4oz) and every day pull a cup of salt water out and replace with ro/di to get that level back down.
 
Makes sense! Here are my numbers. I don’t test for Alk yet, so I need to get that. But I did get a refractormeter. Here are my numbers:

salinity - 1.036
PH - 8.2
Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 0-1
PO4 - .25
Temp 78-79

the only thing out of whack from my limited knowledge is the salinity for sure. Anything else?

thanks!

Your NO3 is a little low by most standards, but probably fine. Your PO4 is high. It really should be in the 0.05-0.12 range. Get that refractometer and 35 ppt calibration fluid. This is a learning experience. With your NO3 reading, your ALK should be in the 7-8.5 range once you get the test.
 

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