Tank Life

I have a reef that's been up and running for about 5 years. We do a lot of maintenance and I've been doing this since 2000 and FO since '92. Honestly it took me several years to get this tank to maturity. The tests are starting to stabilize and I do little else except WC. That said, what is the average life of a reef tank?

i'd guess that is all dependent on the life of your patience!! I think 99% of people tear it down or upgrade it before it hits the end of its "life"......

With the proper care and maintenance I wouldn't think there is a life to them. Some people think there's such a thing as old tank syndrome. I think it's mainly laziness after all the years syndrome.

Thanks. My parameters are the best I've seen and was thinking I wanted them to stay that way.

I know what you mean, but I don't think there's shelf life of a tank. There's people that have fish that are well over 10 yrs old. I would imagine they haven't moved them around very much.

I upgraded my tank a while back, but I used all the same sand and rock and most of the water. That would make it around the same age as yours. I had a DSB but it's down to a couple of inches now. It's amazing how much of it dissolves over the years.

I know another reefer whose tank is over 40 years old He started his tank in the 70's, when it *just* started becoming a "thing." It's pretty amazing the stuff he has in his tank that has developed naturally after years and years of establishing.

Since starting my other reef in 2000 from a FO that I started in '94 and moving it to my 125 in 2007 I've learned a lot. It does seem that I've solved some issues and have improved upon some old knowledge. Some of my fish I've had since '94 and a few corals are from 2000. Some of the '07 coral additions have grown considerably. So I'm having fun and I'm looking to the future. Thanks for the input.

I would say they last indefinitely, it's much more likely you will lose interest in that particular tank if not the hobby. You can do things periodically like add some liverock pieces from another persons tank to reseed critter populations that have expired. A diverse reef is a healthy one.

<-- 6 years and change with the current tank, but some of the inhabitants and rock were from a previous tank, so.. 8? 9? years? I agree with spinycheek that maintaining diversity through regular additions seems to help.

We do have a large population of minature brittle stars and several types of very small starfish. It does seem that the pods are down. I've had various types of fish tanks since the '80's so working on them is a habit.

Originally Posted by LadyOfIreland

I know another reefer whose tank is over 40 years old He started his tank in the 70's, when it *just* started becoming a "thing." It's pretty amazing the stuff he has in his tank that has developed naturally after years and years of establishing.

That would be Paul wouldn't it? I've been in for 40, but he has ONE ACTUAL tank been set up for over 40 and no end in sight!!!! THAT is amazing!!!

Originally Posted by Lowtechgal

That would be Paul wouldn't it? I've been in for 40, but he has ONE ACTUAL tank been set up for over 40 and no end in sight!!!! THAT is amazing!!!

You are correct! It IS Paul! He walked me through "Pod Catching" a while back. That's a lot of fun. A lot of work, and you get messy, but fun!

I am just bummed that I'll never beat his record. Never been anywheres that long and never will- even though this is the last place I'm gonna be. For us older folks, it's a weird thing to realise that. Anywho- Paul's tank is really amazing!