Mature Tank

[fishy55]

Some fish need to go into a "mature tank". It would seem that this means a tank that is at least six months old. My question is this:

When you have been fishless cycling, is day one of the tank age the first day of adding ammonia to the tank or the day the first fish were added?

Ta

Fishy55.

 

[OldMan47]

The general idea that a tank must be mature is too fuzzy a concept to tie it to a particular time. Obviously, if it took you 3 months to cycle, it won't be very mature in the next 3 months. If it cycled in 4 to 6 weeks, I see no harm in calling it from the time the cycle was started.

 

[waterdrop]

Agree with OM47, its way too fuzzy to make any definitive statements about really. When I use the term mature tank to discuss neon/cardinals for instance, I do indeed mean 6 months from the time ammonia first went in (usually right after the tank was filled) and not from the end of the fishless cycle. My understanding from some of the more experienced aquarists here over the years is that filters keep maturing significantly for the first year, maybe even year and a half. One of the main benefits of maturity is that the filter will respond more quickly to fish additions and will resist bacterial die-offs in bad situations.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[fishy55]

OM47 and WD

Thanks for your replies.

Ta again

Fishy55.