[AJ_77]

It does seem like torture, doesn't it? I wish I'd had the patience to do it, though. Although there are people who've done it quickly, they typically have sand, rock and even water from an established tank. Six months seems the minimum time recommended for the basic algae cycles and water stability, and you can certainly support a healthy "cleaner crew" for months before corals and fish arrive. Then you'll have a relatively established environment for them to come into. This is a huge bonus, believe me. Even though a pair of clowns and a softie will do OK at a month or two, it's not the best thing for any creature. The longer, the better, IMO.

It's also a chance to get familiar with your own system - how it responds to feedings, different equipment, algae blooms, lighting schedules, etc, etc... I think it's a great thing if you're familiar with the ins and outs of your little microcosm before you start dropping animals in. Again, I can't say I did the right thing - I'm saying it would have been a wiser route for me.

Cheers and good luck. Hope you have more patience than me. (BTW, I haven't had a large-scale disaster, but I have a green-water/phytoplankton farm instead of the lovely tank that was beginning to develop. Some people have hair algae or bryopsis or other algae plagues that vex them - I have lime-green water you can't see through.)

Alan

[ 08 July 2002, 10:47: Message edited by: AJ_77 ]