My Daily, Weekly & Monthly Routine for a Stable Nano Reef Tank

The smaller the reef tank the bigger the impact of a small change. Smaller reefs have a reputation for being unstable and prone to sudden crashes. My UNS 90LA reef tank is stable because I follow a simple, repeatable routine.

This post breaks down exactly what I do daily, weekly, and monthly to keep my reef stable.

Why Routine Matters More in a Nano Reef

In a small volume of water, everything happens faster:

• Temperature changes quicker
• Salinity swings harder
• Nutrients rise and fall rapidly

If you’re unfamiliar with my system, I’ve written about the tank itself here:
👉 The Small Sea – a simple nano reef

Daily Routine (5–10 minutes, no testing)

My daily routine is all about consistency and catching any problems early .

Every day I spend time watching and enjoying my tank, while doing this I am always checking simple things:

• Are the fish behaving normally?
• Is breathing normal?
• Are corals open and extended?
• Does anything look different from yesterday?
• Is the water still crystal clear
• Is the seachem ammonia alert still the correct color?

Daily tank interest tends to catch things long before a test kit does.

Temperature & equipment check

I don’t adjust anything — I just check:

• Heater indicator behaves normally
• Return pump and powerheads are running
• No unusual noises or reduced flow

Top-off & salinity stability

Evaporation is one of the biggest stability killers in small tanks.

• Ensure top-off happens consistently
• Check the water level window in the overflow chambers

A stable salinity is critical. If the water level drops due to evaporation the salinity (salt level) will increase.

Feeding (small and consistent)

• Small feeds
• Same time each day
• No “extra” feeding because fish look interested (Sometimes I can’t resist an extra feed in the evening)
• Watch and check that all fish go chasing after the food

In a small tank, overfeeding causes elevated water parameters and algae.

Weekly Routine

Keeping maintenance time to minimum is important for me so I keep my weekly tasks as simple as possible.

Water change

I perform a small, regular water change every week.

• Same amount each week
• Same salt
• Check temperature and salinity of new water make sure it matches

Water changes replace depleting elements and remove unwanted nasties (eg. Phosphate)

Glass and lights

• Clean the inside glass with a scraper
• Wipe the outside glass with a soft towel
• Check the fans on the light and blow them out if dust is starting to build up

Minimal parameter testing

I only test what actually helps me spot trends:

• Nitrate
• Phosphate
• Salinity
• Sometimes I may treat myself to a magnesium and calcium test

I’m not chasing numbers, if a test is vastly different to last week I will re-test during the week before making a small change.

Detritus management

• Light turkey baster around rockwork
• Gentle sand surface cleaning (or deliberate minimal disturbance)

I aim to remove excess waste without stripping the tank of life.

Monthly Routine (low effort, high impact)

Monthly tasks are about preventing future failures, all of the items in this list tank around 1 hour

Equipment maintenance

• Clean powerheads
• Check ATO
• Inspect heater condition
• Wipe away any salt creep
• Wipe down the glass lid from dirt buildup

Most nano reef crashes aren’t chemical — they’re mechanical.

Review trends, not snapshots

I look back over:

• Test results
• Coral growth and colour
• Algae patterns

If something needs adjusting, I do it VERY slowly, and only one change at a time.

What I Don’t Do

This is just as important as the routine itself.

• I don’t chase perfect numbers
• I don’t react to a single test result
• I don’t make multiple changes at once
• I don’t upgrade equipment unless something is failing

Most instability in any reef tank comes from knee jerk reactions to small problems. I only make one change at a time so that I can see the impact of each individual change.

Mistakes I Learned From Early On

• Over-cleaning the tank
• Feeding more because corals and fish “looked hungry”
• Testing too often and reacting emotionally
• Assuming equipment upgrades would solve husbandry issues
• Don’t use magical ‘snake oil’ products that claim to fix anything and everything quickly