RE-Aquascaping: Have you ever changed it up and why?

Have you ever Re-Aquascaped and already established reef tank?

  • YES (post in the thread why)

    Votes: 241 53.9%
  • No I have not

    Votes: 131 29.3%
  • No but am considering it

    Votes: 75 16.8%

  • Total voters
    447

Joe Brown

New Member
View Badges
Joined
Dec 30, 2016
Messages
11
Reaction score
22
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I have had my tank set up for 19 years and about 10 years ago I changed my tank so I re set it up with a different configuration. Also I have had aptasia out breaks where I take rock out and put it in a low salt bath to kill them and put it back in and it is never in the same place.
 

Erick375

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Jul 12, 2019
Messages
40
Reaction score
29
Location
Birmingham AL
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
15 month tank, still adding fish/corals....continue to tweak, like dry-stacking LR to create overhangs and arches to create hiding spaces that are visible from outside the tank but not inside. As I tweak water flow and lighting occasional adjustments are necessary. And stupid aptasia. As corals grow though going to have to cease and desist at some point.
 

K7BMG

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Mar 13, 2018
Messages
1,981
Reaction score
1,898
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I had to say yes.
My first reef tank sprung a leak about 7 months into the process. so I had to transfer everything to a temp tank, major and disappointing setback.
So now I have the new tank almost complete and will be adding saltwater and starting the cycle here in the next week or so.
Though I said yes to the pole I would not have done it by choice.
New tank 1.jpg
New Tank 2.jpg
New Tank 3.jpg
 

Dempsey941

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Nov 26, 2018
Messages
1,824
Reaction score
3,856
Location
Frisco
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I rescaped my tank fairly early in the process, but it wasn't on purpose I lost a frag and needed to lift out some rocks to pull it out, and I forgot which rock went where, and so I had to improvise.
 

PBnJOnWheat

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Jun 10, 2019
Messages
1,185
Reaction score
1,539
Location
Charlotte
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I am relatively new to the reefing community and I have a startup 125 gallon I’ve got in the works. It’s pretty much stabilized with some refugium and CUC errors I need to fix but I wanted everyone’s opinion on my rock work as it bothers me. I would like to reaquascape before I mount anything for its optimal shape and size. Any inexpensive rock suggestions (broke college student) or ideas ? Sorry the image is such poor quality, you can see the intense algae on my white, or what’s supposed to be white, rock I setup.
D3B40734-C7B0-40C6-AC18-A0ADE4C86944.jpeg
 

JJMS86

New Member
View Badges
Joined
Oct 5, 2019
Messages
22
Reaction score
23
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
20200107_101622.jpg
Yes, have done several times for many different reasons. Once because an aggressive fish...needed more "time-out" corner time (I eventually removed her!)
Then, when I added the monos (they like their own spot to chill at night) Another time when the rose anemone moved almost on top of my bubble coral. And another time when I changed/upgraded lighting to give certain corals a lower place to chill...
Also, when I started adding acropora (still no success)

And of course from day to day, when my diamond goby Rocky deems fit to throw sand on a coral he decides is in the wrong place, LOL
 

ReefGrammie

Must...stay...away...from...live...sales...
View Badges
Joined
Nov 23, 2019
Messages
2,631
Reaction score
15,866
Location
Tennessee
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
My system is 11+ years old. After my restart a few months ago and my GHA nightmare, I moved the rocks around mainly to scrub algae except for the base rock (didn't want to touch that). I decided I wanted things a little different anyway and wanted my tang to have a backdoor entrance to the cave (tang loves the new cave)! I thought everything was just a little too symmetrical before.
 

ScottB

7500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Mar 5, 2018
Messages
7,873
Reaction score
12,155
Location
Fairfield County, CT
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I am relatively new to the reefing community and I have a startup 125 gallon I’ve got in the works. It’s pretty much stabilized with some refugium and CUC errors I need to fix but I wanted everyone’s opinion on my rock work as it bothers me. I would like to reaquascape before I mount anything for its optimal shape and size. Any inexpensive rock suggestions (broke college student) or ideas ? Sorry the image is such poor quality, you can see the intense algae on my white, or what’s supposed to be white, rock I setup.
D3B40734-C7B0-40C6-AC18-A0ADE4C86944.jpeg
There is a specific forum here for aquascaping. Go check it out.

An increasingly common aquascape approach is to make 2 or 3 specific rock "islands" versus a continuous rock wall. You will find some inspiring ideas in that thread.
 

aabjones888

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Dec 6, 2011
Messages
1,216
Reaction score
785
Location
indiana
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I rescaped because I was never happy with initial rock scape. I gotta have it interesting with the rock at the beginning so it pleases the eye while the corals grow in and fill it up.
 

Beardo

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Jun 20, 2015
Messages
578
Reaction score
699
Location
San Diego, CA
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I have re-scaped tanks a few different times, either beacuse I just wasn't happy with the scape or to make more room for corals. Oh and once tk catch that last fish when I needed to go fallow because if ich. No major issues resulted.
 

mattfish

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Feb 25, 2019
Messages
57
Reaction score
21
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I'm just addicted to corals , had to make more room , pushed everything up and back, but tried to avoid the stacked up look , still kept the open swim concept with arches and connecting peninsula's with large flat rock. Did a little at a time to avoid any new cycling.
 

EAsalty

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Jan 12, 2016
Messages
93
Reaction score
27
Location
Nashville
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I'm not crazy.....or am I?

Re-Aquascaping an be GOOD but it can also be BAD!

So yea I'm thinking about re-aquascaping my 8ft x 3ft reef tank and not because I'm crazy but because I need to get as much hair algae off these rocks as possible! Which in and of itself is crazy to consider but alas options are running out fast! I've really made a dent and beat back the hair algae over the past couple of months but I think I could connect with the final blow that would knock it out if I would take out some rock and scrub it! But I need to get some major pieces of rock out first to do that and that will lead to a unintended re-aquascape! Boo.

Anyway this got me thinking about our QOTD today and I thought it might make for a nice discussion. There are some good reasons and some not so good reasons I think.

So here are my questions.

1. What are some GOOD reasons to re-aquascape and already established reef tank?

2. Have you ever re-aquascaped an established reef tank and were you happy with the results?

PLEASE SHARE ANY RE-AQUASCAPED TANK PHOTOS YOU MIGHT HAVE!


REAQUASCAPED A REEF copy.jpg
Don’t do it unless absolutely necessary because you can lose prized corals, stir up the hidden nasties, and scratch the glass or acrylic. My live rocks are stacked and you can never recreate the Picasso masterpiece you once had. In addition, you will rearrange several times over the following days, but eventually create something better than before (keep telling that to yourself). Have extra saltwater on hand, carbon, frag plugs, and coral glue.

Yes, nitrates and phosphates will increase as the trapped detritus and other organic particles escape from between and under rock and deep in the sand.

The bright side is that you can finally catch that fish that has eluded you for the last of years and you will have lots of sps frags to take to your lfs! to replace frags and purchase carbon and GFO
 
Last edited:

zalick

A cup of water and a dash of salt
View Badges
Joined
May 29, 2014
Messages
1,572
Reaction score
1,853
Location
Portland
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
#1 reason - I see another beautiful aquascape and think "if I make mine loon similar, my tank will be just as beautiful" (which hasn't worked recently) :p

#2 - when I setup a new tank, I will re-aquascape multiple times over the course of the first 2 years or so, to get the flow just right and no dead spots.

I draw it out beforehand too.
 

KRMCO

New Member
View Badges
Joined
Feb 25, 2017
Messages
4
Reaction score
4
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I rescaped when I moved my 75 to our new house. After a few days everything was happy again except the Yuma. It kept moving for a week but finally settled in.
I'm thinking of rescaping my nano to get more surface area but I haven't made up my mind yet.
 

EAsalty

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Jan 12, 2016
Messages
93
Reaction score
27
Location
Nashville
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Don’t do it unless absolutely necessary because you can lose prized corals, stir up the hidden nasties, and scratch the glass or acrylic. My live rocks are stacked and you can never recreate the Picasso masterpiece you once had. In addition, you will rearrange several times over the following days, but eventually create something better than before (keep telling that to yourself). Have extra saltwater on hand, carbon, frag plugs, and coral glue.

Yes, nitrates and phosphates will increase as the trapped detritus and other organic particles escape from between and under rock and deep in the sand.

The bright side is that you can finally catch that fish that has eluded you for the last of years and you will have lots of sps frags to take to your lfs! to replace frags and purchase carbon and grow.
Edit GFO
 

Stevel

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Oct 1, 2019
Messages
454
Reaction score
526
Location
Davie Florida
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I have been procrastinating for months on a rescape.

Why should I do it?
a) I built it wrong in the first place. Too tall and too much rock.
b) My corals are growing out of the water (without much success)
c) It is acro warfare in there.
d) Stylo growth such that I cannot clean the front glass in a few places.
e) Despite having 2Xmp40s and 2X gyres, no flow in the middle.

I will be selling monti, stylo, and no-name acro by the pound.
Monti ? What kind I’m wanting some in my new tank build.
 

Be102

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Nov 29, 2016
Messages
1,884
Reaction score
1,059
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I actually just changed my scape and added some new dry rock! I need more ideas and kinda put almost all my rocks in my sump until I could get more motivation but here it was before and now..
3DAAF6F0-7A11-4F09-AA81-40F1432FA9F6.jpeg
now!
F2F84A58-C64A-437D-B7A4-3241C0A9F7DE.jpeg
before...
 

Robmartin74

New Member
View Badges
Joined
Dec 3, 2017
Messages
8
Reaction score
6
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I had it set up as a mantis shrimp tank but he passed so I started over from square one including aquascaping. I added some rock and reorganized the tank. I now have new fish that are thriving in the new set up.
 

Mastering the art of locking and unlocking water pathways: What type of valves do you have on your aquarium plumbing?

  • Ball valves.

    Votes: 68 52.3%
  • Gate valves.

    Votes: 67 51.5%
  • Check valves.

    Votes: 33 25.4%
  • None.

    Votes: 29 22.3%
  • Other.

    Votes: 9 6.9%
Back
Top