changing the rockscape - Page 2

christyf5 · #11 07-30-2005, 04:39 AM

Bev, I was just wondering: Whats the longest you've ever left your tanks alone for? It seems like you are tearing your tanks down every couple of months or so.

Christy

Snappy · #12 07-30-2005, 05:51 AM

I was told that you should change it a bit at a time as moving the rocks makes the tank have to cycle again

Funky_Fish14 · #13 07-30-2005, 06:02 AM

IMO thats a pile, the rocks are still in the tank and nothing is dying, the conditions are the same, etc... I dont think the factors of an aquascape change are great enough to cause a cycle, and in my experience have not.

Chris

EmilyB · #14 07-30-2005, 06:30 AM

I occasionally change some of the top rock structure in the big tank, just because my yellow tang enjoys new caves so much.

Beverly · #15 07-30-2005, 01:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by christyf5

Bev, I was just wondering: Whats the longest you've ever left your tanks alone for? It seems like you are tearing your tanks down every couple of months or so.

Good question, Christy. Probably six or eight months might be the longest time I've had a tank without finding some reason to tear down and requascape it.

It's really not my favourite thing to do. Depending on the size of the tank, it can take a day and a half to tear down, look for crabs/remove valonia/remove a destructive fish/or whatever, then get it back together.

Reaquascaping is the toughest part, because I don't just throw the rock back in hoping it won't topple. I'm always looking for ways to improve tunnel systems for the buttterfly in the 120g, for example. Plus, I dislike the "wall of rock" look, so I'm always looking for ways to provide lots of water flow through the rock structure as well as give each tank a unique look.

I find the work to be terribly back breaking, even with dear husband Chris helping. Our current tanks are all shoulder high, so that means standing on a chair for much of the work.

danny zubot · #16 08-02-2005, 04:07 PM

Quote:

I was told that you should change it a bit at a time as moving the rocks makes the tank have to cycle again

I think if there is a lot of detritus released when moving the rocks, it could cause a NH3 or nitrate spike. Thats why I always do a water change shortly after changing stuff.

Beverly · #17 08-02-2005, 05:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by danny zubot

I think if there is a lot of detritus released when moving the rocks, it could cause a NH3 or nitrate spike. Thats why I always do a water change shortly after changing stuff.

The detritus that is stirred up while reaquascaping has been there for a long time. I don't think it will cause any spikes of any kind.

Whenever we reaquascape, we have a pail of tankwater to swish the rock in. This removes detritus build up from rock crevices. When the water gets dirty, we dump the water and get fresh stuff from the tank.

Plus we have lots of new saltwater made to make up for the water used for swishing, siphoning the BB clean once all the rock is out, and for some of the water that the corals and rock are stored in during the tear down.

Snappy · #18 08-03-2005, 12:50 AM

It seems that everytime I stick my hand in to do something I end up breaking off a piece of coral somewhere or topple part of my "house of cards" rock work. I can never get it back to how it was so for me it's an ongoing process. I can see why Bev hates crabs as they(hermits) are the cause of a lot of the re-aquascaping I do. They rearrange stuff all the time or dig out a coral thought to be locked into a hole in the rock, etc. So then I go to put the piece back and break something else or topple rocks and so goes the cycle.

Pegasus · #19 08-03-2005, 02:10 AM

Danny

Over the past 10 years or so I can only remember once when I rearranged the rocks in each of my tanks. And that was only because I figured I had packed them to close together and wanted to make caverns and runways. The only way that your tank is going to recycle is if your rock has excess die off and/or you replace more than approx 50 per cent of the water. In other words, you cause it to happen. If you are running mechanical filtration then any detrius that is stirred up will be trapped and you simply replace the medium. Personnaly, I wouldn't be rearranging the rock unless it was for circulation. Of course, a few pieces here or there in order to accomodate a new piece of coral will not hurt. IMO

Larry

danny zubot · #20 08-03-2005, 02:24 PM

Quote:

Over the past 10 years or so I can only remember once when I rearranged the rocks in each of my tanks.

Wow! Your tank must look really mature then, any pics?