6 month update

[LI_NorthShoreNanoReefer]

It’s been about 6 months since I started my 15-gallon AIO reef tank, and I’ve definitely learned a lot along the way.

In the beginning, I got a little ahead of myself. I was excited to build out a full reef and started adding corals, fish, and inverts pretty quickly without fully understanding how each addition would affect the system.

One of my biggest mistakes was not adjusting my dosing to keep up with the growing coral load. Over time, that imbalance led to losing several corals I had invested in. It sucked, but it was also one of the most important lessons I could’ve learned.

If you’re new to reefing, take your time. Understanding your tank’s actual capacity and making slow, deliberate changes makes a huge difference, especially in a smaller system.

Since then, I’ve started approaching the tank much more carefully. I recently added a 2-part calcium and alkalinity dosing system to help keep parameters stable, and I’ll dose magnesium when needed as well. I’ve also been much more consistent about tracking everything from dosing, and water parameters.

The tank feels a lot more stable now. At the moment, I’ve got a clownfish, a Banggai cardinal, a cleaner shrimp, a couple hermits, a few snails, two varieties of GSP, some Xenia, and a frogspawn coral.

Right now the focus is simple: stability, patience, and rebuilding the reef the right way instead of trying to rush it.

 

[exnisstech]

How much are you dosing? TBH I don't see anything that would consume enough to require dosing.

 

[LI_NorthShoreNanoReefer]

How much are you dosing? TBH I don't see anything that would consume enough to require dosing.

I’m only dosing calcium right now because alkalinity is already stable around 9.7 dKH and magnesium is in range.

I’ve been battling to Lee my nitrates low.

These were my parameters as of may 22nd

 

[exnisstech]

Tank is new. I wouldn't sweat those N and P levels on a new tank. As hard as it can be I've found that just sitting back and not trying to control everything works out best for me on new tanks. I like to let a tank run until it settles into state of normalcy and then decide if I need to make adjustment. I did my testing today and one tank has NO3 45 and PO4 0.51 and other NO3 3.3 and PO4 0.04. Both tanks look good with no nuisance algae so I just let them run where they land. Sometimes less is better for stability. I only test calcium every few months and have never tested magnesium. Often in a tank without a lot of coral just a weekly water change can be enough to keep things stable.

 

[Fishy888]

Those are actually good numbers for a new tank. I’m surprised your calcium is that low, but like others have said, especially in a tank that small, water changes are your best friend as far as stability goes.

You won’t need to dose until you get some LPS, SPS, clams and other creatures that consume a lot of calcium and alkalinity. I’d say it’ll likely be 6 months to a year before you need to worry about dosing.

 

[Tahoe61]

Is there a specific reason you don't use a product such as AFR? Especially in a young nano tank. It just makes everything so much easier. Follow the instructions and dose one product.
Congrats on making it to the 6 month mark, it's difficult task when keeping small tanks. Looks great.