just getting started

[littlemutt]

it's been awhile since i posted anything for a number of reasons but i haven't given up and have been maintaining my tanks. my problem is the same- algae! it seems no matter what i do i'm still plagued with it. i tested tonight and got the following results:

nitrates - 0
nitrites - 0
alkalinity - 180
ph - 8.4
ammonia - 0 - .25 (somewhere in between - test strip a bit hard to read)

i think with these readings i shouldn't still be getting all this algae but i am, i have tried a number of things to reduce it to no avail. if anybody has any suggestions please let me know.

what has disappointed me even more is when i tried to add coral to the tanks which i bought on seperate occasions - the 3 different corals which looked extremely healthy all 3 died within 2 days or less. each was $50 or more so it was upsetting, my lfs gave me a discount after the first one but with the next two i didn't even go back and tell him they had died, considering how healthy they had looked i feel the problem is on this end. also the frag that you had so kindly sent me died immediately, and now i'm not so sure it was the cold weather that did it. it's hard for me to understand because the stuff i do have in the tank which i had gotten from e-bay as frags are doing well ( 4 zoos and 2 recordia ) they have grown quite a bit and seem to be happy. i feed them plankton maybe twice a week, i hope is the right thing to do.

i want to get some more corals but right now i'm afraid to considering my track record. can anyone suggest what i might be doing wrong? the 3 that i had bought where 1 mushroom covered rock and 2 ancoria's (spelling),the lfs had said they where fairly hardy and easy to grow and should do well. any coral suggestions would appreciated. thanks