PowderBlue Posted October 11, 2012 Share Posted October 11, 2012 I am in a need to reaquascape my tank, probably get rid of some rock also, I think the nearly 60 pounds in my tank is way overkill. My main question is, how are my corals going to hold up? Is this much stirring around going to cause spikes in my tank parameters? What's the best way of going about this? Most of my corals are not fully "attached" or glued to my rock work so I can separate them easily. I just don't want to lose like 500 bucks in coral over night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matty Posted October 11, 2012 Share Posted October 11, 2012 How old is the sand bed and current aquascape? If you remove rock make sure they are the pieces you really don't want as adding them back will cause a cycle. Seems simple but I realized after removing a large rock in an old tank that I hated not having it but by that time it was dry and smelly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toby Flenderson Posted October 11, 2012 Share Posted October 11, 2012 Just did this not long ago. Removing rocks should be fine as long as you go slow and try not to stir up the sand bed too much. Turn all your pumps off. Mix up some water and do a water change after the rock moving. If you have a carbon reactor, you might want to run some carbon for a day after. I took out a bunch of rock from my tank and relocated it into the sump. This was the best thing I've done for my tank so far, let's it breath, increases flow throughout and lessens dead spots in the tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoralCrazy Posted October 11, 2012 Share Posted October 11, 2012 I just redid mine 2 days ago. Put everything that wasn't glued down into the frag tank. Then took out rock I didn't want in the main tank out. Then put some new pieces in I've had in another tank. Got a little algae going but corals and fish are doing fine. Just be slow and try not to make a sand storm and things will be good. I just change out my sock and do a small water change after. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PowderBlue Posted October 11, 2012 Author Share Posted October 11, 2012 Awesome thank you guys! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
obeasethug Posted October 11, 2012 Share Posted October 11, 2012 Thank you. Very helpful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewisriverfisherman Posted October 11, 2012 Share Posted October 11, 2012 If it was me i personally wouldn't take any rock out unless you really hate it. Live rock is part of your biological filtration the more the better. As a rule of thumb you should have 1 1/2 times more rock than the gallons of your tank. I think a lot of people mess up and don't put enough rock in there system and end up having nitrate issues because of this reason. Of course this is just my 2 cents worth. you might want to have some mixed up saltwater just in case your nitrates go up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoralCrazy Posted October 11, 2012 Share Posted October 11, 2012 If it was me i personally wouldn't take any rock out unless you really hate it. Live rock is part of your biological filtration the more the better. As a rule of thumb you should have 1 1/2 times more rock than the gallons of your tank. I think a lot of people mess up and don't put enough rock in there system and end up having nitrate issues because of this reason. Of course this is just my 2 cents worth. you might want to have some mixed up saltwater just in case your nitrates go up Then my tank should be a filter machine.(laugh) In my 90g alone I must have close to 300lbs.(nutty) And I have two other tanks hooked up to the same system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandinga Posted October 11, 2012 Share Posted October 11, 2012 Most people just move their rock way too much...but if you must move it, I'd recommend leaving the base pieces as moving these could release some toxic anaerobic bacteria, or worse hydrogen sulfate... Run some fresh carbon when you move it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PowderBlue Posted October 11, 2012 Author Share Posted October 11, 2012 I have nearly 60 in my display and well over 20 in my sump that's like 80 plus pounds in a 40 breeder, I think it's creating more issues than helping, with the amount I have and how it's laid out I think it hurts my flow and causes too many dead spots. That's the main reason I'm going to switch it around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PowderBlue Posted October 11, 2012 Author Share Posted October 11, 2012 Most people just move their rock way too much...but if you must move it, I'd recommend leaving the base pieces as moving these could release some toxic anaerobic bacteria, or worse hydrogen sulfate... Run some fresh carbon when you move it. That's my plan! Glad I was on the right track. I have two large base pieces, one in each corner, I'm going to try and leave those alone, creat the island look, and have a little more opening in the middle, with my eel it's going to be tricky... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReeFit Posted October 13, 2012 Share Posted October 13, 2012 I move my rocks around usually once every 6 months because i get bored with the layout and look. I switch rocks in and out of the tanks from my other tanks or add a new piece in if i find a cool looking rock i like. I also keep several lbs of rock in the sumps as well. I try to balance the rock i take out with rock i put in within about 10lbs of variance but i usually don't put to much effort into it. If i feel there might be a slight biological loss, i will dose a little microbactor or stability to balance out the system. i have never lost any corals from doing this. I think people tend to freak out a bit much when it comes to small changes in a tank. but it also depends on your tank sizes. i run 55-240g tanks so the volumes can handle a bit of change without effecting the inhabitants much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PowderBlue Posted October 14, 2012 Author Share Posted October 14, 2012 Thanks for the advice! I'm starting the project tomorrow once my wife gets home from work. Going to transfer the corals into my rimless tank for holding and then start pulling rock. My plan is to lay it out on a tarp with the tank dimensions marked out so I can kind of "see" how it will look. Wish me luck! Lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toby Flenderson Posted October 14, 2012 Share Posted October 14, 2012 Good luck, you should post a before and after pic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PowderBlue Posted October 14, 2012 Author Share Posted October 14, 2012 Good luck' date=' you should post a before and after pic.[/quote'] I will for sure! It seems like its going to be much harder than imagined lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arminius Posted October 14, 2012 Share Posted October 14, 2012 Mandings's advice was right on the money - be careful of starting a cycle as well. I've seen beautiful, well established tanks go on immediate decline after too aggressive of a 'scape shake up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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