Re-scaping a live tank

[magnosis]

My 59g tank was setup in January and is my first big tank.  I didn't know much about plants, aquascaping and setting up a proper environment for my fish.

As a result, the current layout leaves much to be desired.  The goldfish don't have much space to hide, the plants are not esthetically laid out, some areas are impossible to reach with a vaccum (or toothbrush), too much of the bottom area is shaded by big patches of moss near the surface, ... I could go on.


I would very much like to redesign this tank, but I'm not sure how to proceed.

What's on my mind involves moving big rocks, driftwood, plants, removing 15lbs gravel, adding 20lbs flourite, adding 20 plants, adding a few more fish.


To what extent is this possible *without moving the fish and/or re-cycling the tank* ?

Someone suggested I move stuff very slowly while sucking the resulting debris with my python.
Others have reported spikes of 40+ ppm nitrate only from removing a plant with a 6"-long root...


Have any of you [re]moved a lot of gravel and bigger things, with fish still in the tank ?  How did you proceed ? How did it turn out ?

[Nerine]

Just go at it!! Depending on the fish, sometimes I remove mine haha I had a 19" pl*co that used to attack me when I aquascaped, so he always was taken out or I did it in bits to avoid being attacked!

But my 55 gallon has Zamora Woodcats and a gourami...I just go in there and re-arrange things...I've had the fish over 6 years now and they are used to me poking around, on occasion they will freak out a little bit, but then I just give them a minute to settle and go back to work! Just make sure you are careful! I did a bad thing the other day, instead of standing on a stool to get into a tank, I decided just to stand on tiptoe and reach, and ended up dropping a clay cave ON a fish...sadly to say it squished him

If I'm doing a big aquascape, I tend to empty out some of the water to make it easier to reach around things,  (sometimes half) and then pull things out, add things and then refill! (I keep my filters off during this period as I have sand beds and it clogs the filters!)

I would NOT add the new fish right away...how many more goldfish are you adding and how many do you have in there right now? Let the tank settle down a bit and let the current occupants settle back in and then add your new goldfish!

Maybe someone with a heavier planted tank will post...but I don't recall having any spikes of anything when removing plants...

[magnosis]

Thanks Nerine. I think my fish are well used to my hands being in the tank now

My worries are mainly towards shifting gravel and plants around, and releasing a huge amount of debris (and bacterias) in the water column.

I just look at the amount of stuff that gets pulled by my python when I dig deep into the gravel, and this scares me a bit 

[magnosis]

I gently took out the 40lbs of Honeycomb Sandstones that were in my tank since day 1 (January) - only to find that they contain Calcium Carbonate (tested with Vinegar, was fizzling).

As I've been looking for bigger / better-looking rocks lately, I read a lot on different sorts of rocks, how to cure them (I've picked up a few from a nearby river) and how to make sure they are safe for my tank.

Found out that Calcium Carbonate rocks are NOT suitable for freshwater tanks.  This explains why my PH and GH were slowly but constantly rising.

Not too happy about the LFS staff who suggested these rocks when I setup the tank. They should have advised better especially when I made it clear I was newbie and needed to be coached on these kind of things.

[Laura]

May I ask what kind of fish are you planning on adding? There's an unusual combination in the tank right now.

Keep in mind the goldies get very big and produce a lot of waste. I had 2 in a 33 gallon that was heavily overfiltered and had trouble keeping the water quality in check. I wouldn't want to add anything too sensitive.

It's great you've been able to keep goldies with your plants - you'll need plants that have big root systems or are well tied down and not delicious as your goldies get bigger.

Goldies like the PH a bit high, but I'll bet that SAE don't. You may want to check out the GAB (goldfish and aquarium Board) website - they are great for all things goldie.

[magnosis]

Couple things to clarify:

@Laura:  yup, goldfish are pigs and it was a bit of a challenge to find plants that will thrive, but it's feasible.  Anubias, Hygros, Java Ferns, Java Moss, Crypts are sure bets.  I'm trying some challenging ideas now (Riccia, Elatodoides, Blyxia, and others I forgot the names.)  I will definitely post my results as I personally find that experiences and information on GoldFish Planted Tanks are hard to find.

I've been monitoring my water params pretty religiously from day 1, and I think I got a good setup.  nitrates are actually a challenge to rise > 5ppm on a daily basis.  Ammonia has been apparently completely absent - 0 readings since the tank was cycled.  My tap water PH is around 7.6; it rises a little because of sandstones (especially when I clean them off of algaes), and with CO2 injection, I can easily keep the PH between 7.0 and 7.5.

My temp is usually stable around 73 degrees.  I picked a middle ground between what the Goldfish, Mollies and SAE like.  So far they all seem pretty happy.


@myself:  ok, getting the flip side of the story on sandstones now.  I talked to the LFS staff and they actually said that sandstones can be good for Goldfish as they prefer somewhat hard water, and alkaline, too.

I just picked up some more flourite and driftwood, going to aquascape slowly and gently through the next weeks