When do you start to "Age" your tank?

[DracoKat]

I am having a bit of a debate with my coworkers as when to start "Aging" the tank.
Trying to clarify.. "my tank hits X months old".. when do you start the timer?

When you first bring the tank home?
Soon as the water hits the tank?
Soon as it finishes cycling?
Soon as you see coraline?

I am curious to what you guys think

 

[happyhourhero]

IMO the clock starts when you have rock and water circulating.

 

[trevormass7]

IMO the clock starts when you have rock and water circulating.

I agree

 

[Tahoe61]

IMO the clock starts when you have rock and water circulating.

Yeah I agree.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

IMO the clock starts when you have rock and water circulating.

+2.
Usually the caveat is "with established rock". My tank is about three, but the rock is much older.

 

[najer]

As above, when it is full with salt water and rock (sand).

 

[jenkinscrew2578]

When rock, sand and saltwater in and water circulating.

 

[Coastie Reefer]

Jumping on the bandwagon... day 1 = when it has water and rock in it...

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Wait, we should bring this up. I wanna work where you talk to coworkers about tanks.

 

[Dennco2000]

And what about.. you get divorced and have to relocate the tank from a 4 bed 3 bath gated community on a golf coarse to a single wide trailer in the back of an industrial park.
Not that is bothers me anymore.... LOL

 

[DracoKat]

lol I have a small office pico tank and different topics come up about it and my home tank. People ask questions! And sometimes strange ones that one won't think much about, like this one!

Thanks for the opinions! I would've thought since cycle end

 

[jenkinscrew2578]

The cycle is part of a maturing tank too [emoji6]

 

[madweazl]

The first disaster!

 

[Theo15]

The first disaster!

Definitely lol

 

[Greybeard]

Saltwater

 

[EHerbert]

Water, rock & circulation = day 1

 

[Cory]

As soon as you put in food

 

[justingraham]

+2.
Usually the caveat is "with established rock". My tank is about three, but the rock is much older.

For some reason it is when you set the tank up at its finial resting place.

My tank is a year old water rocks the whole thing but I moved in October and don't set it up officially till march I think?? so my tank is only four months old even tho it's the same water (have never done a water change) rocks and fish.


So yea it's silly but a very interesting question

 

[Bruce Burnett]

A new setup with new rock and sand starts aging after you add water.
A moved system with old rock and water has already aged.
A system does not reach full maturity until its owner does, meaning for some never.
If the system is torn down completely sold off or allowed to completely dry it has died.
If you pull all your old stuff out and restart then the cycle of maturity starts over.

 

[saltyhog]

I've been doing it wrong. I've always answered that question from the day I put the first livestock in the tank.

How would you age a tank that was up for 4 years then 1/3 of the rock/corals/fish transferred to a temporary tank for 3 months and the other fish/corals rehomed. Then some new dry rock added and tank restarted after moving to a new house?

Every time someone asks me how long my tank has been set up I kind of shrug my shoulders. LOL.