Has anyone done this and what were the results?

[bethzb]

My 125 has just reached the 8 year old mark and quite simply, stuff is getting too big for where it is so...I have decided to very gradually, a section of tank at a time, remove base rock, frag where necessary, and basically rearrange things. I can see some potential for disaster here.

a) How much toxic stuff can I expect to find below the base rock and what should I do about it aside from siphoning as I go? (DSB with plenum)

b) How much good stuff that I can't even see will I remove or kill (potentially poisining the tank even further)?

c) Will the combination of fragging and moving be too much stress for my corals?

Should I just leave it be and if not, what is the best way to go about this without inviting disaster?

 

[fishman1069]

If you haven't moved the rocks in 8 years, I dont think you should. I woulkd say the best bet would be fragging first and then seting up a temporary tank for your colonies. Once the corals are in a safe tank , then you can move the rock around and do whatever. Once your done rescaping you can test the waters and see if it going to have to go through a cycle, which I think its going to,.HTH

 

[Mattl22]

You r right around the mark where vie heard a lot of guys get a bit bored with their tanks ! Start clearing out and selling stuff keeping frags of ur fav and buying new stuff ! What kind of corals u keep ! Got any pics?

 

[prattreef]

My major concern would be the sandbed since as a plenum system you are using the sand for very specific and important reasons. Unless you disturb a section of your sandbed that has a hydrogen sulfide pocket, there shouldn't be any major issues, but you should try to keep it intact as much as possible. Also, sometimes large colonies don't like being moved around as they have grown and acclimated to their current position in the tank.

Those concerns aside, people do this all the time and generally there aren't any big problems..

 

[bethzb]

Here are some pics of the tank (takes you to gallery). As you can see, I can barely reach the top surface of the sand for siphoning and turn over.

 

[Exotic Reef]

beth ...8yrs wow gj ...wut in u pic tho

 

[bethzb]

Current Coral Stock:
Assorted palythoa
Assorted Mushrooms (purple, teal, green, hairy etc..)
Assorted Ricordia (down to just the orange)
Assorted gorgonians
Assorted polyps (starburst and yellow)

Orange Plate Coral (fungia)
Frogspawn (My how they grow)
Hammer (Started at 2 heads, now 30 or 40..)
Galaxy (2 colonies)
Orange plating montipora (gorgeous under blue LED's)
Cabbage leather (started small..who knew)
Elegance
Favia (green)
Acans (3 colonies)
2 trachyphyllia (green)
1 wellsophyllia (red and green)
1 scolymia (red and green)
birds nest with scallops and 3 stylophora on same rock
3 BTA (used to be one. only wanted one)

Many assorted odds and ends that may or may not make it (couple of heads blastomuso badly damaged by anemone,
Couple heads tubastrea also damaged)
etc...

 

[prattreef]

There is nothing in there particularly delicate other than the Birdsnest. If i were you, I'd pull all the livestock out and put it in heated, aerated buckets/tubs redo the rock work in the whole tank in one go and then put the animals back in.

 

[Awibrandy]

There is nothing in there particularly delicate other than the Birdsnest. If i were you, I'd pull all the livestock out and put it in heated, aerated buckets/tubs redo the rock work in the whole tank in one go and then put the animals back in.

Ditto, except that I would do a good size water change then test the water just be sure that all is well before putting the animals back in.:hb2: