parameters for my tank

[Amnemonemomne]

can someone tell me what parameters should be for my 10g nano? I couldn't find anything helpful for ideal parameters.

[Amnemonemomne]

also can i use expired test kits if they arent opened at all? I have a nitrate test kit that expired 2020, can i still use it? 

[seabass]

I posted the following during our last Nano-Reef contest (which includes parameters):

On 10/1/2021 at 8:59 AM, seabass said:

Cycling your tank:

• When using live rock from the ocean (like from KP Aquatics), you just need to wait until ammonia becomes undetectable for a few days.  Fully cured live rock from a local fish store (LFS), or rock taken from a mature reef tank, is usually treated like live rock taken from the ocean.
• When building up a biofilter on dry rock, you should first dose a nitrifying bacteria culture (like Instant Ocean BIO-Spira).  Then: Dose no more than 2ppm of ammonia (like DrTim's Ammonium Chloride) and wait for the ammonia level to drop to 0.25ppm [repeat until your tank can process 2ppm ammonia down to 0.25ppm within 24 hours].
• If using a mixture of dry rock and live rock, first build up the biofilter on the dry rock (as described above), then add the live rock.  Wait until ammonia is undetectable for several days.
• After your tank has established its nitrogen cycle, you can do a large enough water change to lower nutrients to your desired levels.

Testing:

IMO, some people test more than they need, while others don't test enough.  If you can consistently predict your test results, you can reduce how frequently you do that test.  The following are my thoughts on testing.

• An ammonia test kit is useful when establishing the nitrogen cycle.  Afterwards, you can use the test kit if your tank is having problems, or after a death, or for a few days after you added livestock.  Have some Seachem Prime around just in case your tank has an ammonia spike.

• I don't typically ever test nitrite, as it's not as toxic in marine aquaria as it is in freshwater setups.  However, a nitrite test kit is occasionally helpful when dosing ammonium chloride to cycle dry rock (but shouldn't be necessary if you don't dose ammonia above 2ppm).
• Since I don't buffer pH, I typically don't check it.  However, if you are doing something that affects pH (like dosing Kalkwasser), it might be wise to have a pH test kit on hand, and check it occasionally.

• You should always know your tank's nutrient levels (phosphate and nitrate).  These are important nutrients for photosynthesis, so you don't want them to become too low.  Also, excessive nutrients can accelerate algae growth.

• Stony corals (LPS and SPS), as well as coralline algae, require alkalinity, calcium, and magnesium.  Out of these three, alkalinity changes the most quickly.  Therefore we can monitor alkalinity to see if or when dosing might become necessary.  Initially, water changes should be enough to replenish consumed elements.  However, eventually, as stony corals grow and coralline covers your rocks, water changes won't be enough to replenish these elements, and dosing will be required.  Note, an alkalinity test kit, and dosing, are not usually required for a soft coral tank.
• If you start dosing, you'll also need to start testing for (and dosing) calcium and magnesium.

Test kits:

Although, there are several good brands of test kits, I usually recommend Salifert test kits for everything (with perhaps an exception for phosphate).  To detect very low values of phosphate, I recommend using a Hanna ULR Phosphate Checker.  Note that API's phosphate test kit is a high range kit, and not ideal to use for reef tanks.

 

Dosing:

The key to dosing is to maintain stability.  You only want to replenish consumed elements, not elevate elements past the levels of your salt mix.  To maintain alkalinity, some people will use Kalkwasser in their top off water.  However, I find it easier to dose two part solution (while called two part, it's actually three elements: alkalinity, calcium, and magnesium).  Never guesstimate consumption based on a suggestion printed on a supplement's label; instead, always dose based on test results.

 

Reef Parameters:

	Recommended Reef Tank Parameters
	Parameter:	Recommended Reef Tank Values:	Typical Ocean Reef Values:*
	Temperature	76 to 83° F (up to 84° F)	83 to 86° F
	Salinity	34 to 35 ppt sg = 1.025 to 1.026	34 to 36 ppt sg = 1.025 to 1.027
	Ammonia	Less than 0.1 ppm	Less than 0.1 ppm
	Nitrite	Less than 0.2 ppm	Below 0.0001 ppm
	Nitrate	2 to 10 ppm (up to 20 ppm)	Below 0.1 ppm
	Phosphate	0.02 to 0.10 ppm (up to 0.20 ppm)	0.005 ppm
	pH	7.8 to 8.3 (up to 8.4)	8.0 to 8.3
	Alkalinity	2.5 to 4 meq/L 7 to 11 dKH 125 to 200 ppm CaCO3 equivalents	2.5 meq/L 7 dKH 125 ppm CaCO3 equivalents
	Calcium	380 to 450 ppm	420 ppm
	Magnesium	1250 to 1350 ppm	1280 ppm
			* Per Randy Holmes-Farley

 

 

Expired kits can give you inaccurate results.  It helps that it was never opened, but I'd still recommend replacing it.