What would you consider "STABILITY" for corals in a new system...DISCUSS!

[JoshO]

Many hobbyists, both new and seasoned, are keen to add corals to new set ups.
I've seen the argument you need to allow time for a system to stabilise, but if you're using live sand, live rock and seasoned media...how long do you really need to wait??
Discuss below!

 

[klownfizh]

I think personal preference and who you ask for help like your LFS or or trusted reefer. I personally do not wait for the "cycle" or bacteria and had luck with corals.

 

[Saltyreef]

Depends on the type of corals and if the liverock and live sand are highly established already.
Just because its alive doesnt mean its teaming with the biodiversity needed to be successful.
Most of the time these "live" things are nearly dead.

Now if you setup a new tank and put 5 -10 yr old liverock and clean rinsed livesand, thats almost an instant reef and will thrive immediately.

 

[JoshO]

This is the debate that's really to be had for me.
There seems to be an old school teaching of "6+ months" before you can try to add SPS. But this thinking should really be situational. If a completed nitrogen cycle exists then surely managing reefing parameters should be the only other real issue facing a reefer?

 

[X-37B]

I started adding corals to my 120 at 1 month but I planned for it.
50% live rock from my 2 year old nano and 50% caribsea dry.
Used some turbo start and let it ride for a month with no cycle to be seen.
Got to have a plan and stick to it.
1st pic is a purple digi and favia at 2 months and 2nd and 3rd is today at 16 months.

 

[Duncan Tse]

Jammed packed my stand alone 10 gallon frag tank with softies and lps after 1 week of setting it up. All I used was water from my main tank and bacteria in a bottle with new dry rock.

I think softies and lps are more forgiving and as long as you have your parameters stable and you have adequate light then it should be fine if you add it in right away

 

[Brandon3152134]

This was about a week after setting it up with no life in it until these corals and I still have them all today. Just added a few pieces of old rock and a single fish and that kicked off my cycle. I waited about 2 weeks for the water and everything to settle a little before adding them tho.

 

[JoshO]

I started adding corals to my 120 at 1 month but I planned for it.
50% live rock from my 2 year old nano and 50% caribsea dry.
Used some turbo start and let it ride for a month with no cycle to be seen.
Got to have a plan and stick to it.
1st pic is a purple digi and favia at 2 months and 2nd and 3rd is today at 16 months.

This is incredible to see, hats off to you!
There are some crazy examples of quick start ups, coral fish zoa on Instagram is the prime example.
It's great to see so many people breaking the trend!

 

[burningmime]

I keep hearing "when coralline algae starts growing". To speed that up in my nano, I bought the coralline in a bottle (purple helix I think; you can pick pink or purple or try a mix). Then I filled my ATO with kalkwasser to raise pH which helps with coralline growth. If I had a larger tank, I would also experiment with using a CO2 scrubber. Took about 6 weeks (I also did about 2 weeks of fishless cycle with Dr. Tims before this, so 8 weeks from water to coralline, which doesn't seem bad).

I'd put a birdsnest (stylophora, pocillopora, or seriatopora) before trying any acros. Actually, maybe don't do that if your tank is small, since now my tank is covered in them and they keep growing.

 

[MnFish1]

Many hobbyists, both new and seasoned, are keen to add corals to new set ups.
I've seen the argument you need to allow time for a system to stabilise, but if you're using live sand, live rock and seasoned media...how long do you really need to wait??
Discuss below!

I think its a myth. for example lets say you took a coral put it in an empty tank - and changed the water daily with the same source. it would be stable, imho - instability comes in when you add new fish, new corals, change lights, flow etc. IMHO - what happens is - you put ABCDEF into a tank - and in that specific tank (for 100 reasons) ACDF survive. In another tank - BDEF might survive. Its all about the whole picture.- but unless you do 'nothing' - very few reef tanks (again (IMO)) are 'stable').

 

[MnFish1]

I keep hearing "when coralline algae starts growing". To speed that up in my nano, I bought the coralline in a bottle (purple helix I think; you can pick pink or purple or try a mix). Then I filled my ATO with kalkwasser to raise pH which helps with coralline growth. If I had a larger tank, I would also experiment with using a CO2 scrubber. Took about 6 weeks (I also did about 2 weeks of fishless cycle with Dr. Tims before this, so 8 weeks from water to coralline, which doesn't seem bad).

I'd put a birdsnest (stylophora, pocillopora, or seriatopora) before trying any acros. Actually, maybe don't do that if your tank is small, since now my tank is covered in them and they keep growing.

And I have had acros growing like weeds - and every birds nest - *until recently - died within 2 weeks - its crazy

 

[stanlalee]

With established rock (from an aquarium at least several months running) and live sand no longer than it takes the sand to settle. All my rock is before the dry rock era so I have no idea how that works in terms of time for effective bacteria colonizing.

 

[Miguel Negron]

^+1

 

[X-37B]

This is incredible to see, hats off to you!
There are some crazy examples of quick start ups, coral fish zoa on Instagram is the prime example.
It's great to see so many people breaking the trend!

I like breaking trends, lol.
Here is another. I run a no scheduled water change system.
I have done 2 water changes in 16 months.
One of 9-10 gal at around 13 months just because I wanted to see how lowering alk from 9.5, new salt, to my 7-7.5 range worked.
I did a 12 gal at about 14.5 months after a fluconazole treatment for gha.
Check my build thread for more info.

 

[Timfish]

When you have enought cryptic sponges to recycle the daily labile DOC production by corals and algae.