Test Kit

I would start with the basic kits from salifert, just one kit at a time if you have to, start with calcium, then alk, those are the two that I use the most.

The other kit that I bought before I knew better is just sitting and collecting dust the results from that kit are not reliable enough to trust. 

I have that Red Sea kit and would agree with the others who have posted.  Forget that kit you'll almost never use it.  Get the Calcium and Alk kits.  (i would get them both at the same time.  The Calcium and Alkalinity of the tank basically compliment one another.

I would suggest reading the thread linked below, for the useful information it contains regarding many aspects of reefkeeping, including your question about what to test, i.e., what test kits to buy.

I don't think I have tested my tank in a year.  I figure if anything is out of wack then my coral will tell me.  Plus if I have to test and its not right on mark i will sit and worry as to why.  If everything in my tank is doing ok then why bother testing at all? Am I alone here? Bring on the flames. LOL 

Scott, what you are saying is you screwed it up when you started messing with things.  Is that correct?

Freshy wrote: http://www.marinedepot.com/md_viewItem.asp?idproduct=RS3151It seems to test the basics.  I know the salifert products are the best, but I need something a little less expensive.Â

That test kit although less expensive does not buy you much. The Alk test kit in there has only a "High-Low-Ok(something like that)" indicator and does not give you a number. As others have said, you wont need some of the tests in there on a regular basis. There are also several ways you can doubt the results you get from those tests, some of the color changes in some of the charts are too close to tell apart, you may introduce parallax error and not fill the test tube exactly to the line (such that the lower meniscus lines up to the marked line), you may introduce more/less than the required amount of reagents into the tube etc., these will always leave you with more questions than answers. Also, are you adding stuff to your tank, like Alkalinity/Calcium two part additives? If you are, then it is always better to test for them. If your tank has predominantly soft corals and you perform regular frequent water changes and your tank seems to look fine between regular water changes then I dont think you will need to do much testing. The Salifert Ca/Alk test kits are very easy to use and since you are looking for a color change in both the tests (and not comparing a color to a chart) they are pretty accurate. If you must get a test kit, then these serve the purpose very well. They are usually cheaper online, and many people on the board get supplies online so you could organize a group order (or get in on one) and cut down on shipping costs.