my tank has been going for about a year now i have no skimmer my filtration is a emp 400 dual bio wheel i have a reno heater kept around 76 and as far as i know nitrate is good at 5.0 or below
Well, ideally, they should be 0...especially if you're keeping corals and inverts. But, 2.0 is not bad at all. Nitrates aren't extremely toxic like ammonia and nitrites. Ammonia and nitrites should be completely undetectable, but you have a little more leeway with nitrates.