Resetting Scape in Running tank?

[Wandering Albatross]

Hey all, I've been considering rearranging my scape in the 150g, it was my first tank and at over a year old, I'm looking at it thinking there are dead spots I want to try to fix.

Having said that, I'm really trying to avoid draining the whole thing and catching everyone. My other tanks are all cemented structures that I like a little better for flow, and I don't want to have to blast a hard jet between rocks where everyone lives. I don't know just how dead the flow is in there, but I'm thinking it's not great. I currently have one maxspect gyre on each end of the 5ft, and 2 jeabo SOW-20 pumps, all running about max 60%, on wave/pulse mode. Every so often I move the SOW-20s to the back wall on the corners pointing towards the center, so they'd clash mid-tank.

I've been playing with flow while trying to lower nutrients a bit, as my rock is now saturated and leaching. Thought having more flow in the rocks could blow out anything settling in there. Maybe I'm overthinking it. Been trying to get everything settled for corals, as they've been committing coral-icide via RNT. The gsp is the sole survivor as it stands. I put him higher on my rock so I could keep an eye on him, and he's got good color and is open reliably. Weird thing though, he seems to be trying to grow, which is great, but he's trying to grow up instead of out. I have been fight bubble algae and have to scrub the rock he's on sometimes, so maybe it's that taking up space? He seems happy, so I don't know at this point is he's growing upwards because that's the only real estate he sees, if he's reaching for light, or if he's reaching for flow. I'd think if it was light, he'd have poor color. His polyps don't sway, but the tentacles do ripple every so often, though he would remain partly open when he got an occasional blast.

Anyway, how would y'all go about glueing things in the tank, without draining and fully resetting, or poisoning anything?

 

[Tahoe61]

How about an image? Personally I don't like the idea of disturbing the entire scape with water in the tank.
You're going to have to make up a lot of water anyway.
Can you do it in sections?
You have very few corals but how many fish?

 

[Wandering Albatross]

How about an image? Personally I don't like the idea of disturbing the entire scape with water in the tank.
You're going to have to make up a lot of water anyway.
Can you do it in sections?
You have very few corals but how many fish?

I'll try to get a pic tomorrow when the lights come back on, don't want anyone getting spooked and slamming into the glass again...

I'm not keen on the process of moving things with the water in either, if there's a better way to get flow in there for the sake of blowing out likely detritus I'm interested in discussing it to avoid this. Last thing I want is to smash someone trying to hide, or have something fall and crack the tank. I'm thinking this deep rock area is at least a contributor to my nutrient problem, unless the rocks just need to leach out for a while longer until they get stabilized, I did start with dry rock for cost's sake. And the bubble algae catches everything, which doesn't help. Even with high flow around the tank in general, gunk keeps settling in the rock pores, unless I run the powerheads on high blasting the rock directly, which also can't happen once corals are involved...

I probably could do it in sections, but the base rocks wouldn't be moving, it's the mid and upper rocks, shifting them to leave larger gaps and then locking them in place to prevent falls from their new positions. Nothing crazy like overhangs held by a tiny strip, just more open space between them.

I'm running a pair of sifter gobies, at least one YW, a foxface, CBB, dartfish, 2 anthias, 5 chromis, 2 royal grammas, 4 garden eels, various inverts (emeralds, peppermints, cleaner, mixed snails) 2 ornate wrasse, and a halicoris and fairy wrasse, both of which are in poor shape. Having bad luck with wrasse, took 4 orders to get the ones I have to come in and not be DOA. Several I've ordered for other tanks have all come in DOA or are sideways in the bag and within hours of addition are gone. I know it's not the tank because others were fine in every case, and they were already messed up in the bag, but the vendor requires acclimation and release, even knowing with one look that it won't make it through the night. Shame too because I love me a good terminal male wrasse all colored up and flashy.

I have a skimmer, gfo/carbon reactor, deep sand for the eels (kept quite nice by the sifters), and a fuge that refuses to grow chaeto. Looking into a diy turf scrubber hoping it'll work better, macros just seem to melt.

 

[mcarroll]

Hey all, I've been considering rearranging my scape in the 150g, it was my first tank and at over a year old, I'm looking at it thinking there are dead spots I want to try to fix.

Sounds like a lot....rearranging the tank should not be the way you fix poor flow, at least not in most cases.

So can we break that post down a little?

A full tank shot would help a lot.

Having said that, I'm really trying to avoid draining the whole thing and catching everyone. My other tanks are all cemented structures that I like a little better for flow, and I don't want to have to blast a hard jet between rocks where everyone lives. I don't know just how dead the flow is in there, but I'm thinking it's not great. I currently have one maxspect gyre on each end of the 5ft, and 2 jeabo SOW-20 pumps, all running about max 60%, on wave/pulse mode. Every so often I move the SOW-20s to the back wall on the corners pointing towards the center, so they'd clash mid-tank.

I can't make any claims about those pumps, so hopefully they are good and sized correctly for your tank.

But aiming pumps at each other is a bad strategy that just kills water velocity faster.....which is the opposite of what you want.

I think we can refine your approach to the problem.

Consider replacing the pumps with something better/more appropriate if you have any doubts.

I've been playing with flow while trying to lower nutrients a bit, as my rock is now saturated and leaching. Thought having more flow in the rocks could blow out anything settling in there. Maybe I'm overthinking it. Been trying to get everything settled for corals, as they've been committing coral-icide via RNT.

This sounds like symptoms of other problems.

Can you also post all your water test results, inlcuding no3, po4, temp., s.g., etc. Whatever you're testing for.

The gsp is the sole survivor as it stands. I put him higher on my rock so I could keep an eye on him, and he's got good color and is open reliably. Weird thing though, he seems to be trying to grow, which is great, but he's trying to grow up instead of out.

Growing toward the light is a natural tendency. But also tell us about your lighting situation and how it's configured.

I have been fight bubble algae and have to scrub the rock he's on sometimes, so maybe it's that taking up space? He seems happy, so I don't know at this point is he's growing upwards because that's the only real estate he sees, if he's reaching for light, or if he's reaching for flow. I'd think if it was light, he'd have poor color. His polyps don't sway, but the tentacles do ripple every so often, though he would remain partly open when he got an occasional blast.

Doesn't sound that great for your current array of pumps....that pic would help us to see how the tank is set up.

Anyway, how would y'all go about glueing things in the tank, without draining and fully resetting, or poisoning anything?

Well, blasting the sand and rocks with a powerhead is a good interim strategy to keep things fresh. Corals will appreciate the detritus feast that is likely to result.

Past that we need more answers before we can give more answers.....

 

[Gumbies R Us]

As someone who reset their tank’s aquascape I regret doing it. My nutrients went all over the place and caused so many issues because of me disturbing the sand and all the built up life on the rock. IMO I wouldn’t do it, unless it’s a last resort situation

 

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