The reality there is a lot that happens in the first 6 months of a reef tank leading to it becoming and stable and established tank. In some tanks it will happen faster. In some it will take twice as long. Most tanks set up with dry rock take much longer to mature with many people reporting many issues along the way. There is so much more going on in a reef echo system than the few things we typically test for. So many unknowns even now.
ALK of 7.2 is on the low side. I would aim to keep it closer to 8. That way you will be ok if it swings a bit either way. It can change rapidly once you start adding corals, and coralline algae start growing, depending on what you add.
We all want to add to our tanks ASAP, but as someone else mentioned patience pays off in this hobby.
ALK of 7.2 is on the low side. I would aim to keep it closer to 8. That way you will be ok if it swings a bit either way. It can change rapidly once you start adding corals, and coralline algae start growing, depending on what you add.
We all want to add to our tanks ASAP, but as someone else mentioned patience pays off in this hobby.