Question about test results

[chicoTheCop]

I’m in process of getting my first saltwater reef tank going. At this point I don’t even have water in the tank so Sorry for the silly question but. Everyone talks about testing. Im guessing the base amounts / levels come from a fresh saltwater mix. But I see comments on such and such levels being ok. So my basic question is. What items are ok when they move away from the freshly mixed levels and at what point do I worry or take action

 

[SlugSnorter]

The tests are for tank water to make sure the ammonia levels and other nasty stuff aren't in the tank water (or to make sure some good stuff is for corals and "inverts" (things without spines, corals ,shrimp, etc) but thats something to worry about later), to mix salt, use the recommended ratio of salt to water to create the mix (if you have a salinity test use it to check salinity) and pour it in to fill your tank for the first time. Cycling your tank is the process of getting bacteria to grow, but thats a different step entirely

Also, do not use tap water, used distilled or RODI (reverse osmosis de-ionized, its a mouthful but its really cheap at your "lfs" (local fish store) and should be about 0.07 usd a gallon)