Established Reef tank?

[tigerlover]

When will my reef tank be considered established? Its been set up 4 mths now and i'm starting to see coraline algea grow

 

[demosthenes]

It will be established once you have gone 100yrs w/o any deaths. Think it can happen? Seriously though, I say a tank is established after about 18 mos. Most will say earlier, but IMO it's at least a year and a half. That gives significant time for a pod population to build up, as well as time for the coralline to cover the rocks completely. Here's my easy-check system. However much exposed LR is covered in coralline is how much your system is established.

 

[tigerlover]

ROTFLOL
Can you plz tell me what these are:EXTREMELY tiny white things on my glass
Anyone?
can't post pic

 

[demosthenes]

Can't tell the species from that description, but it is a pod of some sort.

 

[tigerlover]

If it was a pod wouldn't it be gone, there are so many and i have a scooter bleeny

 

[wrassecal]

The pod population will come and go. You can have an "explosion" of pods which will be depleted and so on. Good news is you providing food for the fish, at least for a while

 

[ophiura]

Originally posted by Demosthenes
Seriously though, I say a tank is established after about 18 mos. Most will say earlier, but IMO it's at least a year and a half.
Thank goodness you said this! I agree, BTW, that a tank is still quite unstable at least until it is 12 months old, minimum. This is why, IMO, it should take at least that long before the tank is close to fully stocked. Ideally, it shouldn't be close to fully stocked at that time, but what concerns me is when loads of delicate things- various corals, clams and the like- are added to tanks under 6 months old. What this often leads to is the ever common complete tank crash before the system is 6 months old.