What is the Meaning of a Mature Tank?

[Perry]

To me a mature tank is teeming with life, live rock have sponges on them, a healthy population of copepods, amphipods, etc that can feed demanding fish, stable water parameters, and the tank only need occasional water change, etc. A mature tank take years to develop. It is so stable that you can take off your protein skimmmer and tank still thrives.

This is exactly my thoughts, and statement above. Pods, sponges, dusters, tunicates, coraline algae, micro stars, worms, etc... Many tanks today devoid of this as many tanks established with dead sand and rock. Overtime, when buying corals or introducing new life, they will seed, the tank, but this takes time.

 

[leptang]

I believe understanding how your system will react to changes is the key to a mature tank. Add live rock and corals to a glass box it is mature, but the second after you do so changes happen toxins build elements deplete and understanding and knowing how to keep these inherit issues stable makes you a mature reef keeper. I had many tanks and styles of tanks over the years and one for 8 year before having to move but I did let my 8 year old tank go in the hands of another and it didn't go so well.

 

[jda]

Lots of pods, coralline, sponges and the ability for the tank to handle some nitrate on their own (anoxic bacteria). Also, when the reefer has learned some of the big lessons like going slowly and knowing to correctly identify what they are observing.

 

[YumaMan]

My clownfish dance the tango. Do I have a mature reef?

 

[Paul B]

Of course.

 

[maroun.c]

To me a mature tank is a tank that has been running for enough time for corals to grow and fill up, also for the fish list to be complete and for the final nutrient production to be reached and that an equilibrium with corals and filtration to be reached. It's also important to have multiple colonies fully grown that give a tank a mature look.

 

[CUSE1315]

I specifically noticed that my rocks were leaching causing unsightly algae for probably 18-24 months.

During this time I experienced a lot of issues. Cyano, Dino, hair algae.

Now that my tanks are 3-4 years old I have not experience these issues.