Water Chemistry - what to test?

I'm preparing to make the leap from FOWLR and LPS tanks to SPS and I'm finding some of the reading on tank chemitry to be confusing. I've got testing for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH, and calcium down. I know you're also supposed to test for alkalinity and magnesium... what else should I be testing for? What test kits do you guys like to use? What are common ways to fix alkalinity, magnesium, etc that is out of the preferred range?

Based on a Red Sea chart that I found on here, this is what I think I'm going to aim for in my SPS tank (it's basically the high end for LPS and the low end for SPS - hopefully an acceptable compromise for the two):

Alkalinity: 12.2-12.3
Calcium: 450-455
Magnesium: 1340-1360

Any suggestions?

 

The ranges you mention above are fine. PH should be kept 8.0-8.3.
I use API tests for Alk and Cal. I have A Hanna pHep for checking Ph and Temp. I use a Seachem Reef Status Magnesium/Alkalinity test kit but used to use a Salifert. The real key is stability of the water chemistry. Some tanks may require dosing, it all depends on what the make up of the tank is. Mine for example uses Alk, Mag and Cal to the point that to keep the ranges I want I dose 3 times a week for Alk and Mag and use SeaLab #28 Blocks for Cal (used every 7-10 days) and #14 (3 times a week) to maintain PH at 8.3.

 

Thanks UncleJed. Do you happen to know how to convert milliequivalent per liter to ppm? I currently have a Red Sea alkalinity test kit and it gives its results in milliequivalent per liter and not ppm which seems to be more common.

 

Alkalinity Conversion Chart

 

This should help you a great deal - This is a link to Randy Holmes on Reefkeeping, please visit there and read up as it will help you vastly.

Reef Aquarium Water Parameters by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com

 

Excellent links! Now I can throw away the piece of scratch paper that I was keeping notes on and just refer to these sites. I had previously read other stuff by Randy Holmes-Farley but found it hard to understand... this article seems much more straightforward. Thanks UncleJed and Chrimson Ghost.

 

You are welcome.