What level should my tests read?

[MamaLovesHerReefTank]

When I first started out 3 years ago, I always heard ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and phosphate should all be 0.
The last year or so, I'm seeing a change towards different tests. It's now ok to have some nitrates and from what I think I may have read, minimal phosphates.

A bit about my tank.
125 g 3 yr old reef.
Livestock is as follows:
Sailfin Tang
Hippo Tang
2 clowns
5 wrasses
2 cleaner shrimp
2 blood shrimp
peppermint shrimp
4 chromis

Corals:
3 torches
5 hammers
ricordia mushroom
2 leathers
frogspawn
orange frogspawn
gsp
zoas and palys

These are the tests I do and the results:
Temp 77.6, goes to 78 during the day.
Salinity 1.026
Ammonia 0
Nitrites 0
Nitrates 5
Alk 214.8
Phos .25
Ph 8
Calcium 500
These are the only tests I do. Do my levels seem good as I'm not 100% what they should be at?
I don't dose anything. 15 g water change every 2 weeks. No sump. I'm running a Fluval FX6 with sponges, chemipure green and fine filter pads and an undersized hob skimmer. 2 Maxspect Razors for lighting. 2 powerheads plus filter output for flow.
Water change is tonight.

 

[Crabs McJones]

I would say as long as your reef looks happy and healthy (which it looks spectacular by the way) I wouldnt chase numbers stability is the handle and it looks like you've got a great grip on it

 

[chipmunkofdoom2]

Nothing has really changed in terms of the core reef tank chemistry parameters, such as Mg, Ca, Alk, ammonia, nitrite, pH, etc. Ammonia and nitrite should still always be zero in established reef tanks, no exceptions. The only thing that we are noticing now is that some tanks do better with higher nitrate and phosphate levels. Also, if you drive your nutrients to very low levels using organic carbon or a system like Zeovit, you should keep alkalinity closer to natural seawater levels.

But that's it. Everything from three years ago is still more or less the same.

 

[PatW]

I agree ammonia and nitrite should be zero. In an established tank, these should never go up unless something real big dies.

The calcium is high but I don’t think it matters much.
Nitrates are good. I would want them lower in an SPS tank , but you don’t have that.
Your phosphates are pretty high. But as long as you don’t get algae blooms or go SPS, it should not hurt.

If your tank looks good, your algae are under control and your corals are happy, you are fine.

In your case, I would tweak some things because that is what I do. If stuff is happy, just enjoy.

 

[MamaLovesHerReefTank]

I would say as long as your reef looks happy and healthy (which it looks spectacular by the way) I wouldnt chase numbers stability is the handle and it looks like you've got a great grip on it

Thank you everyone for your replies. I am working on getting my phosphates down because I have had issues with gha in the last year. Just trying to keep everything stable, happy and growing.