Dosing and testing

[Jack Sparrow]

So I have a 5 gallon 1 year old tank filled with several lps and a few softies, the lps havent really grown to to much, and I havent been testing a lot(just using easy dip test strips that test to some degree nitrate, nitrite, alkilinity, and ph, probley not accurately) I am trying to take better care or my LPs and get them to grow a bit faster, what do I NEED to test for to make them grow? Can I just get a nitrate test kit or do I need both nitrate and phosphate? Can I just test calcium or do I need to test calcium, magnesium, and alkility. Keep in mind I have a good amount of easy lps, right now all I do is a weekly to bi weekly water change with reef Crystal's. Also what are some good test kit brands that wont break the bank but are accurate. Should I dose something, if so what?

Thanks

 

[homer1475]

Lets start off with this, one of the first things I learned in this hobby..... Never dose anything you can't test for!

Now as far as test kits, you'll need nitrate, phosphate, alkalinity, calcium, and magnesium, and a decent refractometer. What brand of test kits you ask, any work and they all are about the same as far as accuracy. As far as ease of use, salifert makes fairly accurate and easy to read results.

I personally like Salifert for calcium and magnesium, Red Sea Pro for nitrate, and I use hanna ULR(ultra low range) phosphorus(you take the number it gives you and compare it to a chart for the actual phosphate number, or some simple math), and hanna for alkalinity.