ph additive and nitrate question

For what this is worth...I pretty much gave up on testing and chasing PH in my reef tanks...the value fluctuates naturally based on so many conditions, it is pretty much futile. I have read, and I am going by this philosophy, that if you can keep your Mg, Alk, and Ca dialed in at the right levels..then PH will naturally follow...and should not be an issue. I have been dosing for these items, and testing them regularly for about a year now...have not checked my PH in that time either...and my fish are doing great, my corals are growing like crazy, and I really can not complain. Plus the nice thing with these parameters is you can easily control them using pretty simple addatives (2 part kit from bulk reef supply is what I use...and I bought it a year ago ans still have a ton left...its great..and cheap).

I agree with the nitrates..keeping them below 20...even if you are doing just fish.. I do a 15% water change every 2 weeks and that has helped keep mine down to like 0. Also go light on the feedings.

 

We have always had higher nitrates, and here is why - my tank took 5 months to cycle completely, I don't know why but it did. During that time the Nitrates slowly crept up, but my ammonia would just not go away, when it finally did we were pushing greater than 20 on nitrates. We have done large water changes and it has halved them, but they are almost 10 at that point. I have been doing like 20% changes every two weeks and that tends to hold them pretty steady at 15 to 20. How can I lower them without doing like a 70% water change ? Or is that what would be best ?

Also do I risk loosing my nitrifying bacteria with large volume water changes ? Seems like they might get depleted or something.

Any books better than saltwater aquariums for dummies I should read, I feel like I have just enough knowledge to be really dangerous.