New to R2R! Started out strong!

newreefer88 · Jan 11, 2022

Hello all I am so very excited to be here!

My name is Mark and I am brand new to reefing! I live in Central Pennsylvania, work full-time, and I am a full-time student so I am looking for a bit of a 'creative' outlet. I have wanted a reef tank since I was younger and finally took the plunge. I am extremely diligent on researching but unfortunately I am running into some questions that seem a bit more difficult to find.

I am starting with the 5 gallon Fluval Evo. Before I go any further I would like to let everyone know I am well aware of the struggles surrounding a smaller tank, saltwater, and reef. I am planning a move late 2022 to San Diego and do not want the troubles of moving a large tank. With this being said, I would like to stray from any unproductive and negative comments regarding nano/pico.

My tank has cycled a few months back and I have added a blue legged hermit and a clown to my tank, my water levels have been holding steady except for one, my KH. See below for my numbers and any helpful tips on lowering KH levels would be helpful!

PH- 8.1
Temp. 77.5
Ammonia 0.25 ppm
Nitrite 0.00 ppm
Nitrate 0.10 ppm
Salinity 1.026
Calcium 440
KH 16
Phosphate 0.25 ppm

Thanks for any information and I look forward to learning so much more!

Fish Think Pink · Jan 15, 2022

newreefer88 said:
Hello all I am so very excited to be here!

My name is Mark and I am brand new to reefing! I live in Central Pennsylvania, work full-time, and I am a full-time student so I am looking for a bit of a 'creative' outlet. I have wanted a reef tank since I was younger and finally took the plunge. I am extremely diligent on researching but unfortunately I am running into some questions that seem a bit more difficult to find.

I am starting with the 5 gallon Fluval Evo. Before I go any further I would like to let everyone know I am well aware of the struggles surrounding a smaller tank, saltwater, and reef. I am planning a move late 2022 to San Diego and do not want the troubles of moving a large tank. With this being said, I would like to stray from any unproductive and negative comments regarding nano/pico.

My tank has cycled a few months back and I have added a blue legged hermit and a clown to my tank, my water levels have been holding steady except for one, my KH. See below for my numbers and any helpful tips on lowering KH levels would be helpful!

PH- 8.1
Temp. 77.5
Ammonia 0.25 ppm
Nitrite 0.00 ppm
Nitrate 0.10 ppm
Salinity 1.026
Calcium 440
KH 16
Phosphate 0.25 ppm

Thanks for any information and I look forward to learning so much more!

Welcome! Glad you joined. There is a whole forum section for Nano/Pico so you shouldn't get anyone saying anything negative around here! Smart to be planning ahead with your upcoming move. I'm going to defer to others for tips on lowering Kh as instead we're focused on raising it... but would think change salt mix to one of the lower concentrations would be an easy way to get it down without much work...

Likely wouldn't hurt to have your test parameters double / triple checked by a LFS (or two) near you. They'll likely charge you a bit, but doing it 1x for peace of mind can be worth it. We were surprised by a LFS double check number, so we got a third opinion by having another set of tests by another LFS, which is why I suggest 1-2

Have you considered starting your build thread? I found its a great place to document my tank's evolution for myself. I started tank first then joined, so I'm still finding myself going back collecting pictures & updating historically as well as current state. Once you create your first post in your thread and link it to your account, they will give you build badge (look left, under my ID)

This is a good reference book type online article I still review:
https://www.reef2reef.com/ams/the-supreme-guide-to-setting-up-a-saltwater-reef-aquarium.84/