NANO AQUARIUM MAINENANCE AND TESTING

To this point, this is everything I have been using for maintenance and testing of my Nano saltwater reef aquarium.

RO Water Evaporation: I'm replacing 3 cup of RO water every three days. But this number will change depending on the temperature you keep your home. What helps a lot with evaporation is the glass lid that came with the aquarium. Without a glass lid, I think my evaporation would be much more and would have to deal with salt creep which, I’m not dealing with. To be honest, I’m not dealing with any kind of salt creep with this aquarium.

As I mentioned before, I bought two 2.5 gallon containers at my local aquarium store so I could transport the aquarium RO water from the store to home. I always keep at least 1 container full of RO water on hand for aquarium evaporation and cleaning.

Water Line: This is the level I always keep the water at. Once the water goes below that mark, I then add RO water. This mark is located right above the divider of the second and third chambers

Lighting: At this time, my lighting is set at (Blue 50%, White 10%)


Filter Socks: I replace them every week for good filtration. You will be very surprised on how dirty your filter sock gets in a week’s time. So, wash them or place them once a week for good performance.

Carbon: The Black Diamond premium activated carbon I have been replacing every three months. Does a great job of removing discoloration and impurities for your saltwater.

Hanna Salinity Tester: One of my best buys and so easy to use. Salinity and temperature are digitally displayed on the LCD screen and the unit is waterproof. I use this several times a week for testing and recording my finding in a notebook for future reference. Target 1.025 PPT

Hanna Marine Alkalinity Checker: Another great buys! Device measures alkalinity in dKH and is very easy to use. I use this once a week for testing and recording my finding in a notebook for future reference. Target 8.6 DKH

Salifert Calcium Test Kit: Not a bad test kit for the price. I use this once a week for testing and recording my finding in a notebook for future reference. Target 410-420 PPM

All the other test kits listed below I don’t use very often and may use them every 3 months to record finding in a notebook for future reference.

Salinity Refractometer: Another great device for the price and very easy to use and clean. I just find it much easier to get out the Hanna digital Salinity Tester and you get two readings on a digital screen.

Hanna PH Tester: Another one of my best buys and so easy to use. PH and temperature are digitally displayed on the LCD screen and the unit is waterproof. I use this several times a week for testing and recording my findings. Target 8.0 - 8.3

	Hanna Instruments HI 98107 pHep pH Tester LCD Display Tests PH and Temperature Easy Calibration
	Red Sea Coral Pro Salt Mix Easy to mix Dissolves quickly High PH of 8.3 For a 3 gallon water change 25 lbs (3 gallons RO water) 15.8 oz (Red Sea Pro Salt Mix) For a 2 gallon water change 16.5 lbs (2 gallons RO water) 10.3 oz (Red Sea Pro Salt Mix) For a 1 gallon water change 8 lbs (1 gallon of RO water) 5.3 oz (Red Sea Pro Salt Mix
	Blue Donuts Aquarium Filter Socks, 200 Micron 8 Inch Long 4 Inch Ring 200 Micron, which means it will catch significantly more debris than other filter socks you will find 4" Ring Filter Sock: The ring is made of durable plastic that will fit most 4" sump holders on the market. Easy to Grab Handle
	MarineLand Diamond Media Premium Activated Carbon Black Diamond Premium Activated Carbon removes odors, discoloration and impurities for clear sparkling aquarium water
	Hanna Salinity Tester Waterproof and floats! Includes 4x Salinity Calibration Fluid Packets. Displays results in parts per thousand (ppt), Practical Salinity Units (PSU), or specific gravity (S.G.) Salinity and temperature are digitally displayed on the LCD screen
	Hanna Marine Alkalinity Checker HC - HI772 Alkalinity Checker with Extra Reagent The HI772 CheckerHC (Handheld Colorimeter) provides a simple, accurate, and cost-effective way to measure alkalinity in degrees of carbonate hardness, commonly abbreviated as dKH
	Salifert Calcium (Ca) Test Kit - Bought on Amazon 50 to 100 Tests
	Salifert Nitrate Test Kit - Bought on Amazon The nitrate test kit provides fast and precise nitrate measurements The nitrate test kit can perform up to 60 tests The nitrate test kit comes with reagents analytic, grade glass vials, and a calorimetric comparator
	Salifert NIPT Nitrite Test Kit - Bought on Amazon Sufficient for up 50 tests Can be used for marine water, freshwater and garden pond water Made in Holland
	AMTAST Salinity Refractometer Automatic Temperature Compensation Handheld Salt Water Tester ATC Hydrometer - Bought on Amazon Only 2-3 drops of aquarium saltwater can read the result fast and accurately. Made of Copper not cheap Aluminum, easy to clean and maintain.