Plate Coral - When can I add to newly cycled tank?

[CaptainSupersonic]

Hello fellow reefers,

I have a new tank that will be the new display tank while my old tank turned into a frag tank. The new tank is cycled and I have added a few mushrooms, leathers, zoas, fish, gsp, rfa's. Everything I have stocked looks healthy. It has been a couple weeks with a few pieces of coral.

I have plates I would like to add ASAP. Do I need to wait for the tank be mature more or is it safe to add them now? My params are solid.

Thanks in advanced.

 

[Lavey29]

Technically you can add any coral to any tank as soon as there is water but unless you are a very experienced reefer a lot of corals do not survive being added to a brand new tank. I waited 4 months before adding first corals so my tank could develop biodiversity and microfauna first and my ugly stages were very manageable then.

 

[CaptainSupersonic]

I did a quick fishless cycle = weeks.
Went through one ugly stage.
Started added coral.

This is my second tank. I am not a novice but also not a master. I learned a lot fast. The new tank gets daily AWC and I set up AWT.

I do not want to harm the plates but I also want to get them off the floor of my old tank and into the new one for a myriad of reasons. Still not sure if I should wait or go ahead and add them. Hopefully this question will get flushed out in this thread.

 

[Lavey29]

I did a quick fishless cycle = weeks.
Went through one ugly stage.
Started added coral.

This is my second tank. I am not a novice but also not a master. I learned a lot fast. The new tank gets daily AWC and I set up AWT.

I do not want to harm the plates but I also want to get them off the floor of my old tank and into the new one for a myriad of reasons. Still not sure if I should wait or go ahead and add them. Hopefully this question will get flushed out in this thread.

They are considered an easy care LPS coral. It really comes down to your abilities to maintain stable good parameters and that is difficult in new set ups where you will be experiencing various ugly phases during the course of the first year but since you have prior experience perhaps you will have success. I have 2 in my tank over 2 years now.

 

[CaptainSupersonic]

Thank you for your input. I will wait a little longer. My first tank I added plates after about four months. I am also adding a lot of micro livestock (bacteria/phytoplankton/etc) to build the bio environment. I love my plates and do not want to lose them...

 

[Lavey29]

Thank you for your input. I will wait a little longer. My first tank I added plates after about four months. I am also adding a lot of micro livestock (bacteria/phytoplankton/etc) to build the bio environment. I love my plates and do not want to lose them...

I think you made a wise decision.

 

[Rusty_L_Shackleford]

My personal advice is when you start to see coraline spots popping up, you're ready for some easy stony corals. This is my benchmark when I build a tank.

 

[CaptainSupersonic]

My personal advice is when you start to see coraline spots popping up, you're ready for some easy stony corals. This is my benchmark when I build a tank.

Yeah, you guys are convincing me to wait... I have plenty of softies to move in so...

 

[Tcook]

How about a few picsnof hour plates.