When do you start to "Age" your tank?

[Bruce Burnett]

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.

I guess this is where one has to decide aging vs cycle as I would expect it to have a short cycle. When I moved my rock and livestock was in trash cans for 4 days but when I set up the tank nothing new was added at first, I say my tank is only two years old even though much is from before the move. I was out of the hobby for 7 years and only got back into it about 4 years ago. Much of my stuff was purchased in 2007 but because of health and money I was not in a position to set it up. I have had a saltwater aquarium setup since about 1986 but was without for seven years.

 

[Flippers4pups]

Agreed with all of above. Aging does start day one with it wet. My personal experience with all my tanks I've had, even with me using every trick in the book and spot on husbandry, it takes about a year from day one to become mature/balanced enough to be truely successful. Just to get past the "nasties" can take months. Just my own experience in 24 years of keeping saltwater reefs. Your mileage my vary.

 

[jrwoltman]

After cycle, when 1st livestock takes the plunge.

 

[Tahoe61]

My rational for from the day of flow/water is that regardless of a cycle some very hardy pest and fish can live through a cycle, LR or cured LR presents with life. Bacteria begin to populate.

 

[Bruce Burnett]

My rational for from the day of flow/water is that regardless of a cycle some very hardy pest and fish can live through a cycle, LR or cured LR presents with life. Bacteria begin to populate.

+1

 

[Dominat0r]

Do you consider a reboot/fresh tank a fresh start of the timer?

I switched tanks a month ago.

 

[Bruce Burnett]

Do you consider a reboot/fresh tank a fresh start of the timer?

I switched tanks a month ago.

same water, same rock, same livestock? If so I look at that as no different than changing any other piece of equipment same age, same as just redoing aquascape. Might be a new setup but if you did everything well and did not add new rocks everything should still be same biological age.

 

[DH-Reef]

I cheated. I started with live rock and live sand from TB Live Rock, started seeing coralline algae on my power heads and back glass after 6 weeks. I still count from when the rock and sand were put in, but seriously, there wasn't much of a cycle to deal with.

Yes, I have the occasional stone crab and gorilla crab that I have to catch and evict to the sump, but I have been watching coralline, sponges, feather dusters, urchins, star fish, etc...From the beginning.

 

[Dominat0r]

same water, same rock, same livestock? If so I look at that as no different than changing any other piece of equipment same age, same as just redoing aquascape. Might be a new setup but if you did everything well and did not add new rocks everything should still be same biological age.

Yes, everything but the tank and stand =) I am actually surprised that I have come this far without a sump/protein skimmer etc etc. Its true what they say, water changes and RODI is a major factor. I do normally run a very clean ship.

 

[saltyhog]

I guess this is where one has to decide aging vs cycle as I would expect it to have a short cycle. When I moved my rock and livestock was in trash cans for 4 days but when I set up the tank nothing new was added at first, I say my tank is only two years old even though much is from before .

I agree. It does make people look at me funny when I tell them the tank is 7 months old and there are several large colonies.

 

[Dennco2000]

When your wife starts complaining about how much money your spending on it.... thats day 1.

 

[Daniel@R2R Verified Admin]

Good thoughts. I agree that it starts as soon as rock and water hit the tank.

 

[DracoKat]

then is it possibly that my tank is older than 1 year if I used rock and water from a smaller, established tank?

I love this topic, so many varying opinions!