[boots]

I need some guidance as to how much I can add to my tank and how fast. I have read several posts in the archives that state that it takes a full 6 months for a reef tank to become fully established and if too much is added too fast during that time the tank can crash.

I set up my tank on Dec. 7. It is a 72 gallon oceanic. So far I have added the following:

yellow wrasse
fairy wrasse
royal gramma
(5) blue-green reef chromis
(2) scarlet skunk cleaner shrimp
feather duster
pom pom crab
emerald mithrax crab
small yellow polyp rock
large button polyp rock
small branching rock of button polyps
small striped mushroom coral rock
small red mushroom coral rock
green star polyp

When I make a list like that it seems like a lot, but looking at the tank it doesn't seem like there is that much in there at all.

I have about 65 pounds of live rock and 60 pounds live aragonite sand and a refugium attached to the sump. All my test levels are perfect. I've had one outbreak of cyanobacteria that went away on its own.

So, can I add more, or am I going too fast? Thanks.

Dianna

[the_blue_tuna]

The corals and inverts dont put alot of load on the system , but the 8 fish that soon is a bit much IMO. I would take a break from adding for awhile and let things settle in . With this being a new tank , you dont have a track record yet for stability. You must keep in mind also that those fish are going to grow and that in itself will increase the bio-load.

[boots]

Thank-you for the advice. I appreciate it, and it's a godsend to have a device like this BB to help newcomers to the hobby. Thank-you.

[SueT]

Dianna, I agree with tuna here. That sounds like a great start to a thriving reef system. This fish load sounds like it may need to catch up with the tanks maturing. You have some nice corals started but I would also let them get balanced in with the system and let them age with the tank and wait just a while longer before adding more. Dec. 7 to now is barely 2 months and that is extremely young for a reef system.

Good luck..

[boots]

Thanks for your input. Can one of you explain to me the "maturing" a reef system undergoes? It seems there is more to it than just the initial cycling of the tank. What is the maturing process and what exactly is maturing? If all of the water parameters are good why isn't the tank "stable"?

Again, thank-you. Dianna.

[Reefland]

The maturing process is a continued process that probably never ends, but at some point you have to determine it is "mature enough".

When the tank cycles, it then contains enough bacteria to keep the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate at acceptable levels with it's current bio-load (which if cycled correctly should be nothing more than liverock). As you continue to add new animals to your tank, be it coral or fish, the bacteria population must increase in order to handle the additional waste the new coral/fish is going to add to the system, in order to maintain the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels. Adding too much at once will strain the bacteria population and you will see an increase in these conditions which can be harmful or fatal to the animals already in your aquarium. So maturing to me is nothing more than responsibly adding coral/fish to a system over a period of time in a manner which supports the bacteria populations growth before adding more and not causing any strain. There is really no way to set a time frame to it.

Scott Z.