Redecorating

[richiestang_78]

So Im going ot go pick up some slate in the next few days and wanted some last minute advice

First whast the best way to do this, just leave the fish in and work around them?

Second how hard will it be to clean under the rocks?

Third will it suite the fish I have in here? 1 Gourami, 4 Rummy Nose, 6 Danios, 3 Cories

Also will I need to worry about the extra weight of the rocks on the glass bottom? I have it on a metal stand and the bottom is open. Will I need to reinforce it at all?

Heres a really quick sketch of what I want to do, probably will be alittle smaller and that cylnder is alitte ceramic pipe ive had in my tank for years.

 

[severum mama]

I think you should leave the fish in the tank and just work around them. IMO it will be easier on everyone that way, provided you give the slate a good scrubbin' before you put it in the tank. A toothbrush works great for this.

It won't be that hard to clean under the rocks IME. You'll just need to pull them out of the tank, or at least move them, every once in a while so you can gravel vac the spots where the rocks normally are.

Yes, it will suit the fish that you have. They will enjoy the extra hiding spots and they may even be a little more gregarious as a result.

Your sketch looks really cool. It should provide your fish with multiple caves. Slate is cool though, in that it is really flat and easy to stack, in case you change your mind and you want to stack it rather than lean the pieces against each other. It would also be easy to silicone the pieces together if you want a more permanent arrangement; just remember to let it cure for 48 hours.

I'd love to see pics when you are done!

 

[richiestang_78]

Thanks, Im going to silicone it together so I can just pick them up and move them in sections when Im cleaning. The ones that are leaning will just freestand so I can take them out easier to get to the stacks. Ill definently going to take some pics and ill post them.

As far as cleaning im going to borrow my moms steam cleaning and use a nice brush along with it.

 

[severum mama]

Steam cleaning? As you know, make sure there are no chemicals involved in that.

The siliconed slate sections will make cleaning really easy. Good luck!

 

[richiestang_78]

What about the extra weight, will I have to worry about it?

 

[severum mama]

No way, IME. I have a 55 gallon with 70 lbs. of rock, and it has never been an issue (it's been set up this way for easily a couple of years). The bottom of your tank is tempered glass, and is made to handle this kind of weight. However, if it makes you nervous, you can go to Lowe's or Home Depot and pick up some eggcrate. This will help disperse the weight of your rocks more evenly on the bottom of the tank.

That said, I have a bunch of rock, cichlids, no silicone, and no eggcrate in my 55 gallon, and everything's just peachy.