Advice welcome!

[newtonano]

Hello! I am new to this hobby. My dad handed me down his 26 gallon nano reef tank. I am equipped with a skimmer and auto top off, I have some corals, 2 cleaner shrimp and a watchman goby currently. I have been stressed to the max as this is my first week with my tank and I’m not sure about everything, I’ve been to the fish store probably ten times in the past week. I have been testing my water and salinity has been at 1.025. Temp is at 76. Nitrites are below 10. I use test strips off Amazon for other readings. It is saying my alkalinity is between 40 & 60 and I know this is far too low. My ph is at 7.8 range. How can I increase these two parameters. I have done so far a two gallon water change but no improvement. Any advice is really needed right now thanks so much in advance!

 

[fishface NJ]

Alkalinity (Kh) should be around 7 to 11

 

[newtonano]

Alkalinity (Kh) should be around 7 to 11

I was measuring mine in ppm

 

[Dom]

I suggest that you double check any advice you get from the local fish store, here first before making a move.

 

[ScottJ]

Take a look at this;
The Supreme Guide To Setting Up A Saltwater Reef Aquarium | Reef2Reef

You already have the tank, but there is great info in there.

 

[fishface NJ]

I was measuring mine in ppm

40ppm approx 2.25 dKH
60ppm approx 3.35 dKH

 

[newtonano]

40ppm approx 2.25 dKH
60ppm approx 3.35 dKH

It says I can increase with baking soda, not sure how much I should add to my tank

 

[AustinW78]

Hello! I am new to this hobby. My dad handed me down his 26 gallon nano reef tank. I am equipped with a skimmer and auto top off, I have some corals, 2 cleaner shrimp and a watchman goby currently. I have been stressed to the max as this is my first week with my tank and I’m not sure about everything, I’ve been to the fish store probably ten times in the past week. I have been testing my water and salinity has been at 1.025. Temp is at 76. Nitrites are below 10. I use test strips off Amazon for other readings. It is saying my alkalinity is between 40 & 60 and I know this is far too low. My ph is at 7.8 range. How can I increase these two parameters. I have done so far a two gallon water change but no improvement. Any advice is really needed right now thanks so much in advance!

My advice as someone who has been running a 40 gallon tank (no corals) for the past year or so now would be to find some good YouTube teachers. I personally really like Reef Rookies or TopShelf Aquatics videos. Soak up as much information as you can on different topics from a reliable souce. Specifically the ones you are anxious about and then move forward.

 

[ScottJ]

What @Dom said! Local fish stores (LFS) isn't always the best place to get advice. Some are really good, others may just want to make a sale.

You can always ask a question here. The best thing to do is post as much info as you can, along with white light pictures.

 

[fishface NJ]

What test kit are you using?

 

[Fish Fan]

It says I can increase with baking soda, not sure how much I should add to my tank

First, congrats on your tank

Secondly, relax, deep breath, everything is fine

Don't add baking soda or anything else at this time. Just let the tank run at the proper temp and salinity.

You need to get some good test kits, it's very important for this hobby. I'd suggest Salifert brand which are inexpensive, and widely regarded as reliable.

Your alk of 40 ppm to 60 ppm is impossibly low in a saltwater tank using nearly any salt mix on the market. For this reason, this has to be testing error. Throw the test strips away, they are notoriously unreliable

We'll need some more accurate numbers to help further, but for now I'd suggest just managing the salinity. Doing water changes (like 10% to 20% weekly) will help keep the other parameters in line if you're using any reputable salt.

Please know I'm assuming you have some of the easier to keep corals, and not a tank full of delicate Acrpora

Sit back, enjoy your tank!

 

[docscorals]

Agree. Get some good test kits before doing anything else, and agree salifert is probably the cheapest and easiest with solid reliability. They’ve been around a long time and used by a lot of reef keepers - that says a lot.

Once you test with those definitely come back here with questions. There are a ton of great videos on YouTube, Reef Rookies, Too Shelf, and Tidal Gardens are great. Reef Rookies has a helpful facebook group too.

As for parameters
Salinity of 1.026-1.026 is great
Alkalinity between 8 and 10 is perfect
Calcium 435-450
Magnesium 1350-1400
Nitrates 5-10 is great
Phosphates 0.05-0.10 is just fine

For nitrates, don’t worry if they get a little higher than that, it’s just a recommended ideal range.

Phosphates, try to stay between 0.05 and 0.08. If it starts to drop below 0.03, I would recommend feeding a little heavier.

As for increasing alkalinity and PH, look for a supplement like Brightwell Reef Code B, Soda Ash (you can get it cheap at Bulk Reef Supply), or something along those lines. But, I would wait until you get a different test kit before worrying about it.