Is there such a thing as a "mature" tank?
- Thread starter mark78
- Start date
Well that's the problem with cycle, is the very word should clue you in that it's not something that just ends but starts over.
Empty tank, just rocks & sand. Decay occurs producing ammonia, bacteria form that consume it, they produce nitrites as a biproduct, then bacteria forms that consumes nitrites and as a biproduct they produce nitrates, the nitrogen "cycle" as we know it. Problem is the original ammonia&nitrite eatting population of bacteria eventually consume all the available 'food' (ie your tests read zero), then they die, this death produces ammonia, and more bacteria form as a response, now the ammonia they produce isn't as large as the mass decay that originally happened but it still is an ammonia spike, and these little spikes continue to happen for a while. Which is why they say to wait 6months or whatever before getting an ammonia, it's to allow your tank to reach a more stable state.
Empty tank, just rocks & sand. Decay occurs producing ammonia, bacteria form that consume it, they produce nitrites as a biproduct, then bacteria forms that consumes nitrites and as a biproduct they produce nitrates, the nitrogen "cycle" as we know it. Problem is the original ammonia&nitrite eatting population of bacteria eventually consume all the available 'food' (ie your tests read zero), then they die, this death produces ammonia, and more bacteria form as a response, now the ammonia they produce isn't as large as the mass decay that originally happened but it still is an ammonia spike, and these little spikes continue to happen for a while. Which is why they say to wait 6months or whatever before getting an ammonia, it's to allow your tank to reach a more stable state.
mark78":2xikd3cr said:
Although the process that a marine, and especially a reef tank undergoes is more complex than simply waiting for the nitrogen cycle to kick into full gear, you are essentially correct in your assertion with regard to introducing most organisms. Anemones can be added MUCH sooner than six months, anything else is simply erroneous. I've proven this many times over.
Here is a pic of a 12 gallon I set up after 2 weeks, complete with a maxima clam. This was possible due to using live rock from an existing tank.
Jim
yah Jim that was exacly my point...I have spent a decent amount of time in the hobby/industry, and it always anoys me hearing people talk about a "mature" tank, and not adding certain animals for a certain time period. I have setup and stocked a number of tanks with cure live rock and freshly mixed RO water without any issues.
Adding things slow is the way to go for sure, but I don't consider that to be along the same lines as "waiting for a tank to mature"
Just curious in hearing others opinions and experiences.
Adding things slow is the way to go for sure, but I don't consider that to be along the same lines as "waiting for a tank to mature"
Just curious in hearing others opinions and experiences.
Mark,
IMHO the waiting for the tank to mature, is more of a "have patience grasshopper" thing. Newbs (and some of the not so newb) have a tendency to rush. Waiting, leads to doing better research in some cases, which leads to less needless livestock deaths and/or tank crashes.
Yes, it might be better to use the phrase "more stable" but some people take that as "as soon as the numbers settled down" at the end of the first cycle. Most people don't realize that unless they added all the sand and rock at the getgo, each piece of rock starts a new cycle.
A "mature tank" would have been up and running for quite some time , would have stable water conditions, would not need tinkering and fiddleing and would have run the full gammet of upgraded nessecitys, unless the reefer had done it right the first time
which leads us back to being patient and doing better research in the beginning.
IMHO the waiting for the tank to mature, is more of a "have patience grasshopper" thing. Newbs (and some of the not so newb) have a tendency to rush. Waiting, leads to doing better research in some cases, which leads to less needless livestock deaths and/or tank crashes.
Yes, it might be better to use the phrase "more stable" but some people take that as "as soon as the numbers settled down" at the end of the first cycle. Most people don't realize that unless they added all the sand and rock at the getgo, each piece of rock starts a new cycle.
A "mature tank" would have been up and running for quite some time , would have stable water conditions, would not need tinkering and fiddleing and would have run the full gammet of upgraded nessecitys, unless the reefer had done it right the first time
which leads us back to being patient and doing better research in the beginning. While I agree that an experienced reefkeeper can assemble a healthy tank very quickly I'll still propogate the 6 month myth because the first thing many new hobbiests want to do is cycle a tank, add a Sebae and a pair of Clownfish. I've only heard of that actually working long term on one occation.
Sponsor Reefs
We're a FREE website, and we exist because of hobbyists like YOU who help us run this community.
Click here to sponsor $10:
