Mature Tank?

[piranha_trader]

Id like to pose a question to the experts of this forum....


What exactly is a "mature tank" and what is it encompassed by?

You hear the term flung around from time to time to explain a habitat where certain creatures seem to thrive better in (i.e., mandarin) but what is it exactly because when you think about it, if a tank has all the requirements in terms of chemical compounds and necessary bacteria, isnt that by very nature a mature tank?

 

[Anguilla82]

yes and no.
yes in terms of having the necessary bacteria to break down nitrates, nitrites etc.
no in terms of keeping certain things in the tank.
the mandarin for example needs a 'mature tank' because of its diet. copioius amoounts of copepods are needed and these tend to be found in 'mature tanks' with lots of live rock.
anenomes (?) need a 'mature tank' because of the meaty foods of their diet which result in lots of waste, which require a 'mature tanks' bacterial filtration to brek the waste down.

hope this helps, i'm sure others will give you a more sceintific answer.

 

[piranha_trader]

yes and no.
yes in terms of having the necessary bacteria to break down nitrates, nitrites etc.
no in terms of keeping certain things in the tank.
the mandarin for example needs a 'mature tank' because of its diet. copioius amoounts of copepods are needed and these tend to be found in 'mature tanks' with lots of live rock.
anenomes (?) need a 'mature tank' because of the meaty foods of their diet which result in lots of waste, which require a 'mature tanks' bacterial filtration to brek the waste down.

hope this helps, i'm sure others will give you a more sceintific answer.

couldnt those things (copepods) be introduced to a newly cycled tank? wouldnt that be a mature tank?

 

[Anguilla82]

probably. but there probably wouldn't be enough of the food that the copepods feed on to sustain a large enough population.

there is also the issue of keeping the water parameters stable over long periods, this is easier in a 'mature tank' because of all the goodies in the'mature' live rock and filter etc.

 

[nanocubeking]

" I look at it as the time it takes for the live rock/sand to enter a state of equilibrium, when die-off slows and is eventually matched, and exceeded for a time, by the formation of new life; and when the diversity of organisms in the sand bed and rock becomes very high.

Therefore, if a tank is set up with live rock and sand from a mature tank, it can become "mature" in as short as a few weeks. However, if a tank is set up using sterile materials (such as tufa or lava rock) and the only microfauna introduced is from the fish/corals, then maturation may take years, or may never happen at all (especially if there are many microfauna eaters such as six-lined wrasses or dwarf angels). So, the time it takes is highly variable. "
I quoted this from Lynden as I asked a question like this and this was the best answer I got.

 

[dilbert]

"Mature tank" is a term that makes sense in general but isn't something that you can scrutinise.

It roughly means "balanced" over a long time, generally a year. In this time, it has undergone all sorts of "child deseases" and has settled finally to a stable state. Many waves of "blooms" of algae and critters have happened during this period. It's sort of a chain reaction as some processes are launching others. That needs its time.

But if you change something significantly in the meantime, your balance will be disrupted and after a year you won't have your "mature tank".

Example with those copepods: you can buy them - even every day if you wish - and add them to your tank. Add macroalgae or something similar and they will even feel at home. Adding zoo- or phytoplankton will nourish them.
But this plankton and the increase of copepods will have some impact on the tank. When this impact distorts the balance of your tank you have to wait or counteract until your tank is balanced again.

The more you counteract the more you have exactly to know what your doing and the longer the tank needs to settle to overall stable condtitions again.

Therefore, the suggestion is to do as little as possible and simply to wait. That's the idea behind the "mature tank".

 

[piranha_trader]

Thanks guys...some very intelligent input.