The Hanna alk tester is really easy to use so if it shows up at your house before you can, your wife will have no problem using it to test with. And be glad your wife enjoys it. Mine calls me an idiot for spending anything on mine. Lol
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My wife was even OK with getting the black tang, which is acclimating to the DT (after a month in coppered QT) as I write this! Go figure... I may well have a unicorn!
Skim;
I understand you don't know me or my experience, so I accept your premise. I've had a coral tank or two for many years, decades in fact. Had one fish die off due to velvet (wasn't QT my new fish at the time - lesson learned) and, knock on wood, never had a coral die off. Because I don't have anything overly exotic, I shoot for the 'commonly accepted' marine tank parameters. I have a VERY stable tank, and everything except that one chalice is absolutely thriving - a variety of corals, fish, even my hollywood stunner chalice is SUPER happy and growing like a weed... My parameters rarely if ever even wobble. I need to give my clean up crew a bonus!
All tests are API except we use a refractometer for salinity and an electronic ph meter that we keep calibrated. Testing is done twice a week on 3 tanks, so the chemicals stay fairly fresh.
Readings from this morning (8/20) from our main DT (where the chalice is):
Na: 1.020
pH: 7.92 - Seems a little low to me, but my tank stabilized there years ago and everything seems to be thriving.
Nitrates: 0
Nitrites: 0
Phos: .25
Ammonia: .25 - Normally zero - but stirred up the sand yesterday moving the rocks around to get the chalice into a little darker area. I suspect they'll be back to zero next time she tests.
Hope that satiates your curiosity.
Again, thanks for the input.
