newb help!!

[Enigma]

Yes, I think a big water change (don't use tap, you can get the "Great Value" distilled water at Walmart for cheap . . . In prepackaged jugs . . . Don't use the machine) is in order. A few big water changes are probably the best thing you can do for your tank right now. Mix it in a bucket (powerhead works well) to your tank's SG, bring it up to temp, siphon out tank water, and add the newly mixed saltwater. I'm sure you know is, but after some posts i've read on another forum . . . not everyone does.

The API test I have an issue with is the nitrate one. The ammonia and nitrite tests should be just fine for you right now.

You may need to add some bacteria (I know Red Coral has some products to help a tank cycle), and maybe some Ammo Lock. You might like to stuff a bag of Purigen into your overflow (or some where else all of the water will pass through).

I know you feel like crap right now, but don't worry. You'll get through this. We all have a lot to learn when we start out, and sometimes an answer to the challenges we face isn't easy or forthcoming. There will be livestock losses for one reason or another. That's a fact of reefing.