I see your point. In my personal experience I have had better experience after following the ratio, it mentally helps me to keep my parameters in check. However, it could very well just be a mind story!
You will need better test kits going forward, especially for the phosphate. I keep my phosphate at .1 which is not possible for you to measure on the API test.
Your phosphate level is not .25, it is actually somewhere between zero and .25. That’s how the API test kit works which isn’t suitable for our hobby.