going to re-aquascape have a question
 

planing on reaquascapeing my tank since i dont quite like the way my LR is setup. i was wondering if i should set up my QT tank to put my softies and shrooms in in case i stir up the sand bed a little. i think the fish should be fine but i can put them in the QT also i ya'll think i should. i'm also planning on doing about a 35% water change while doing it just to help remove anything that might get stired up while moving the LR around.

any advice would be great.

thanks,
jim

If it's possible to QT everything, it certainly can't hurt to do so. If it were me, I would play it safe and do that just in case something (amonia) or whatever when you do it.

Water change and amquel would help too!

Someone with more years under there belt might have more umph than I do on this, but I have redone my rocks a few times and never had an issue. I did stick some in my sump but that was just for more space up top while I was working.

You may get a small algea bloom after due to stirred up diatoms but that should be about it.

Correct me if I am wrong dileggi, but you shouldn't have ammonia sitting in your tank like that. If you did you would notice some issues without ever moving your rocks around.

Just curious as to how deep your sand bed is? The last time I did a major re-aquascaping project on my 125, I did put all the fish into a small tank with a heater and airstone, but only because I knew it was going to take a while. All live rock went into two containers. One without water for plain live rock(just wet newspaper on the rock to keep it wet), and one with heater and power head for corals. Again, all of this was so I would have more time to work, rather than worrying about stirring up anything bad. I happen to have a 6" sand bed in my tank, and I do recommend the water change. Mostly because it's a really good time to do it. You will get stuff stirred up, and it will benefit the tank to remove some of that detritus cloud. As soon as I had all my rock and corals in the way I wanted, I put the fish right back in the tank. You may go through a small mini-cycle, but if your live rock is well-aged(good coralline growth,etc) I wouldn't sweat it too much. That being said, this was just my experience. Never hurts to get lots of opinions before making a decision with our precious animals. Good Luck!

I've never removed any live stock when I've re-scaped...never had any problems. I'd re-scape, then do your water change. And have some water made up and ready to go, keep an eye on your levels, and do another water change a few days later.

Just what I've done, take it FWIW. If you have a well established DSB, you may want to QT everything.

my sand bed is 4-6 inches deep, hopefully i can avoid stiring it up to much. i think i am going to set the other tank up just to be on the safe side. thanks for the help.

Most fish will move away from you and won't be a problem. If you have something poisonous I would remove it. Any small corals that will fall off or get lost in the new rock work might be better off in the sump or Qt till the rocks are reset. I have lost many a coral to falling down in the new rock work. Aslo you get a chance to place the corals in the best place for them to flourish.