Psionicdragon
New member
How long does a new tank take to become mature as in chemisty and biological?
Mature tank
- Thread starter Psionicdragon
- Start date
As in most cases, the answer in this hobby is: It depends.
If the system is bare bones (not a reef tank, no live rock) it could take a couple of months or more. With live rock that might still be going through changes, it could take several months (4-8).
You might get better input by posting this in another forum.
If the system is bare bones (not a reef tank, no live rock) it could take a couple of months or more. With live rock that might still be going through changes, it could take several months (4-8).
You might get better input by posting this in another forum.
White Tiger
New member
You do not have to wait months to get your tank water stable. There is a substance sold in bottles containing condensed amount of bacteria. The bacteria will help stablize the water in just 24 hours.
SAT
Premium Member
Well, there's maturity and there's maturity. The culture product may accelerate the nitrogen cycle. However, that's about 1% of the maturity process.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=249112
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=249112
White Tiger
New member
To joedelt:
Well, the bottle claimed that in 24 hours your tank will have enough bacteria to support life.
Well, the bottle claimed that in 24 hours your tank will have enough bacteria to support life.
Psionicdragon
New member
The reason why I posted here is because earlier last month or so, due to stupidity, I didn't qt all the fishs that I bought from different places and I had a massive full blown ick that took majority of my friends away.
So the tank went into hypo for a month and the tank has been running for 6 months or so. The ick seems to be gone now and I am slowly raising the salinity back up.
I want to know if I can start adding fishs in again after QT of course, without worrying about another wipe out.
This tank consist of a 3 inch dsb and a lot of live rocks. Cyano is gone in the first two months, so the only thing left is the brown algae on the glass which I slacked on cleaning.
So the tank went into hypo for a month and the tank has been running for 6 months or so. The ick seems to be gone now and I am slowly raising the salinity back up.
I want to know if I can start adding fishs in again after QT of course, without worrying about another wipe out.
This tank consist of a 3 inch dsb and a lot of live rocks. Cyano is gone in the first two months, so the only thing left is the brown algae on the glass which I slacked on cleaning.
Psionicdragon
New member
Is there anyway I can QT 5 small tangs 1-2inch in a 40 gal tank?
Psionicdragon,
Your first post/question really doesn't match your circumstances. This particular tank you're talking about is not "a new tank" in the traditional sense of the phrase.
Your 'new tank' is a tank with dsb and and live rock that has gone through hyposalinity. But it's unclear. Was the tank 6 months old before hyposalinity and you just raised the salinity after one month?
Did you perform this hyposalinity with fish in the tank? If there were and currently are fish in the tank and your biological filter is still functioning, then you're ahead of the time for the system to get more or less stable in a few months. But if you're starting from a position of your biological filter having to re-establish itself, then you might be talking about 4-6 months before the tank is ready for a fish bio-load.
The tank will probably go through some chemical and microbiological shifts for several months and reach a point where it won't be stabilized, but the shifts will be less pronounced, in about 4 to 6 months, if the bio-filter has been operating even through hypo.
Regarding the QT question. . .You didn't say what kind of tangs you're talking about. It's best to give us as much details as possible so we answer the 'right question.'
Most tangs of the Family Acanthuridae don't get along well in small spaces, even if they themselves are small. There are exceptions. Take it slowly. Even if your QT can handle this number of fish, you shouldn't be putting that many in your display at the same time. Also, if these are new fishes (rather than the ones that survived the devastation) you're faced with having to treat them all if one is sick. A maturing tank should not have fish in it that are sensitive to these chemical/biological changes.
:rollface:
Your first post/question really doesn't match your circumstances. This particular tank you're talking about is not "a new tank" in the traditional sense of the phrase.
Your 'new tank' is a tank with dsb and and live rock that has gone through hyposalinity. But it's unclear. Was the tank 6 months old before hyposalinity and you just raised the salinity after one month?
Did you perform this hyposalinity with fish in the tank? If there were and currently are fish in the tank and your biological filter is still functioning, then you're ahead of the time for the system to get more or less stable in a few months. But if you're starting from a position of your biological filter having to re-establish itself, then you might be talking about 4-6 months before the tank is ready for a fish bio-load.
The tank will probably go through some chemical and microbiological shifts for several months and reach a point where it won't be stabilized, but the shifts will be less pronounced, in about 4 to 6 months, if the bio-filter has been operating even through hypo.
Regarding the QT question. . .You didn't say what kind of tangs you're talking about. It's best to give us as much details as possible so we answer the 'right question.'
Most tangs of the Family Acanthuridae don't get along well in small spaces, even if they themselves are small. There are exceptions. Take it slowly. Even if your QT can handle this number of fish, you shouldn't be putting that many in your display at the same time. Also, if these are new fishes (rather than the ones that survived the devastation) you're faced with having to treat them all if one is sick. A maturing tank should not have fish in it that are sensitive to these chemical/biological changes.
:rollface:
Psionicdragon
New member
Wow..and I thought auditting was hard lol.
Ok, let me see if I can clarify.
The tank itself was running for 5 months before I had a wipe out. I did a month of hypo with the fishs, live rocks, and dsb. So the tank has been running for a total of 6 months.
I am a little confused on this statement, could you clarify Lee?
"then you're ahead of the time for the system to get more or less stable in a few months"
From that paragraph and a simple dumbing down for me by a friend, my tank would basically hit another cycle?
In regards to the tangs, they would be the atlantic blue tangs (Acanthurus coeruleus). I understand that I should not rush this especially after what happen. I am curious as to what size QT would work per tang. Would 18gal rubbermaid work or 20 gal glass tank?
Ok, let me see if I can clarify.
The tank itself was running for 5 months before I had a wipe out. I did a month of hypo with the fishs, live rocks, and dsb. So the tank has been running for a total of 6 months.
I am a little confused on this statement, could you clarify Lee?
"then you're ahead of the time for the system to get more or less stable in a few months"
From that paragraph and a simple dumbing down for me by a friend, my tank would basically hit another cycle?
In regards to the tangs, they would be the atlantic blue tangs (Acanthurus coeruleus). I understand that I should not rush this especially after what happen. I am curious as to what size QT would work per tang. Would 18gal rubbermaid work or 20 gal glass tank?
There are a couple of important "IFs" here.
IF the tank had an active biological filter going during the hypo treatment, then you're 'ahead of the time' by having an established and functional biological filter intact. In other words, your system doesn't have to wait for the build up of its biological filter. you've cut this time off.
But, IF during the hypo treatment you found spikes of ammonia and nitrites, then your bio-filter wasn't either able to keep up or was partially working or the worse case scenario: not functioning at all. In this case some time has to be set aside for the bio-filter to recharge itself. This is the scenario that would mean your tank would go through another cycle.
I don't know which of the above two possibles apply in your case, unless you've been collecting test data then and now on the status of the biological filter.
My concern now is the 'month.' Are you sure your display tank is free of Marine Ich? The reason why I am concerned by this is that the usual hyposalinity treatment is to run hyposalinity until no more spots are seen on the fish. Then you continue the hypo treatment for another 4 weeks. If any spots show up, you start the clock again. You have to go a full month without seeing spots. Then, you raise the salinity back up (that takes a week) and observe your fish for another 4 weeks to verify that the treatment was a success.
The minimum treatment time is at least one month, with the usual being about 6 weeks. The whole process takes longer: Then with 1 week of raising the salinity and the 4 additional weeks of observation, you're talking about 10 weeks minimum for the process. Don't assume anything until you've let the proper time go by.
The Atlantic Blue Tang, a.k.a. the Atlantic Yellow Tang (because as a juvenile it is yellow) is a fish that likes a lot of swimming room. The min size of its final tank should be no less than 100 gallons. For a few of them, you want at least a 180 gallon tank. Since the size you've indicated is that of a juvenile, and if you put them in the QT at the exact same time, then the 40g should be okay just for the quarantine time. Provide plenty of plastic hiding places (pipe and/or decorations). For your QT to be able to handle this bio-load, it has to have an operating bio-filter or you have to be prepared to do daily water changes, and/or you will need some chemical filtration support.
It sounds like you understand the advantage there is by taking things slowly! :rollface:
IF the tank had an active biological filter going during the hypo treatment, then you're 'ahead of the time' by having an established and functional biological filter intact. In other words, your system doesn't have to wait for the build up of its biological filter. you've cut this time off.
But, IF during the hypo treatment you found spikes of ammonia and nitrites, then your bio-filter wasn't either able to keep up or was partially working or the worse case scenario: not functioning at all. In this case some time has to be set aside for the bio-filter to recharge itself. This is the scenario that would mean your tank would go through another cycle.
I don't know which of the above two possibles apply in your case, unless you've been collecting test data then and now on the status of the biological filter.
My concern now is the 'month.' Are you sure your display tank is free of Marine Ich? The reason why I am concerned by this is that the usual hyposalinity treatment is to run hyposalinity until no more spots are seen on the fish. Then you continue the hypo treatment for another 4 weeks. If any spots show up, you start the clock again. You have to go a full month without seeing spots. Then, you raise the salinity back up (that takes a week) and observe your fish for another 4 weeks to verify that the treatment was a success.
The minimum treatment time is at least one month, with the usual being about 6 weeks. The whole process takes longer: Then with 1 week of raising the salinity and the 4 additional weeks of observation, you're talking about 10 weeks minimum for the process. Don't assume anything until you've let the proper time go by.
The Atlantic Blue Tang, a.k.a. the Atlantic Yellow Tang (because as a juvenile it is yellow) is a fish that likes a lot of swimming room. The min size of its final tank should be no less than 100 gallons. For a few of them, you want at least a 180 gallon tank. Since the size you've indicated is that of a juvenile, and if you put them in the QT at the exact same time, then the 40g should be okay just for the quarantine time. Provide plenty of plastic hiding places (pipe and/or decorations). For your QT to be able to handle this bio-load, it has to have an operating bio-filter or you have to be prepared to do daily water changes, and/or you will need some chemical filtration support.
It sounds like you understand the advantage there is by taking things slowly! :rollface:
Psionicdragon
New member
Thanks Lee.
Yes, the biological filters were doing well during the hypo because I did not noticed any ammonia according to the Ammonia Badge (unless this is crappy?). I tested the water every other day for nitrite and checked ph daily on the ACII.
Yes, I remember asking you about the same question awhile ago about how a proper hypo should be ran. I think I started the count when I saw the last ick on the fishs. SInce then, I have not seen any ick on any fishs.
Don't worry lee, I won't cram all the fishs yet! j/k
Yes, the biological filters were doing well during the hypo because I did not noticed any ammonia according to the Ammonia Badge (unless this is crappy?). I tested the water every other day for nitrite and checked ph daily on the ACII.
Yes, I remember asking you about the same question awhile ago about how a proper hypo should be ran. I think I started the count when I saw the last ick on the fishs. SInce then, I have not seen any ick on any fishs.
Don't worry lee, I won't cram all the fishs yet!
j/k