What is wrong with my tank!!!

ok my tank is 7 months old. it is a reef tank. every time i go to the lfs and get my water tested it always has high nitrate, ammonia, and nitrite. they didnt tell me how high but all i asked for was ammonia and they said it was only at "stressful". all my inhabitants are fine. my corals are good and i fragged my leather and ricordeas and they are already healed. so WTF is wrong with my tank people? did i miss some secret code of Reefing? my corals are so beautiful it just doesnt make since! no i dont have a protein skimmer yet but hope to get one for christmas. Am i over stocked? im so confused! it just doesnt add up!

 

Your tank is 7 months old with healthy fish and corals? I would seriously question what test kit your LFS is using. There's no way you have ammonia in an established reef. Do you have live rock? I would get a good test kit for yourself and test it that way. Don't rely on test strips either, get it from a good brand like Aquarium Pharmaceuticals. (API)

 

yes they use test strips. its so embaressing to go in there and have them tell you your water is bad too . i have my own test kit but dont know if its good or not. i'll try that tonight. ugh im so mad right now.

 

on a side note in my mantis tank (that is cycling) my ammonia is rising. VIVA LA CYCLE!!! but still im ticked about my reef tank.

 

I would also question any LFS that uses a test strip for water quality!

 

i hate that lfs. it always has dead fish in the tank. i dont shop there. i only go there for water tests. not anymore. i also have 25 lbs o live rock in my tank.

 

you could put a few more lbs of rock in there, but that isn't your problem. I'm sure your params are fine and your tank is living proof. I don't think I would ever go back to that LFS.

 

It's a sad trend that more and more LFS are using strips. Mine even charges for the test tube strips. What brand are you using and does it have an expiration date on it?

 

i agree with falcon , any lfs that uses strips is unthinkable. and without knowing what their meaning of high is , as in actual numbers,ppm's etc , your tank sounds like its actually in the acceptable range if everything is flourishing. get your own kits, gives you even more reason to play with your tank.

 

yea your probably right. i'll put pics on so you can just make sure my corals are fine. im 99% sure they are but its always good to have someone else check and im the only one in my house that knows about saltwater tanks. they are under 150 watt MH.