tank over haul/ fish need more room

LMOUTHBASS

LMOUTHBASS

My hypocrisy goes only so far
Jun 17, 2003
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Boston , MA
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Mark
anyone ever get sick of looking at how their tank is set up? I have a ton of plants mostly lutea and green wendth (sp?) with a variety of swords mixed in - however the swords have gotten tall although i wouldnt say they thrive cause their leaves gradually rot away althought hey keep on sprouting new ones as well - anyhow they've taken up most of the swimming space (except the very middle area of the tank) for my angel fish and they seem cramped - plus i'm not thrilled about how i postioned these plants when they were small -the big plants are in the back and middle while the lutea is towards the front in front of a log that runs through the middle of the tank - tank is 55g - thinking of removing some of the swords and bunching the remaining ones on the sides towards the back corners and leaving the crypts alone cause i heard they dont like to be disturbed - i'm just afraid i wont like it if i make changes because forever i wanted a thickly planted tank which i pretty much have but i feel it's not fair to the angels cause they dont seem to have enough room - i know i really need a bigger tank but thats not a possibility right now - you think the angels like heavily planted space or would prefer more swimming room - i heard they like planted tank but they just look cramped - i've had them for a year and a half an they are prob about 4- 6 inches fin to fin - thanks
 
You might want to thin it out a bit. If you had some pics it might help us. I have to clean out my planted tanks every week and get a 5 gallon bucket out of 4 tanks. Most of what I toss every week are stem plants.

I do think angles would like some more room to swim (have not seen the tank).
 
sorry i don't have a digital camera - but thanks for your help - should i just prune the plants or completely remove them or re-organizde them - i've never really touched them other than to clip away dying leaves
 
I'd go ahead and remodel. I'll tell you pulling up well established swords will make a heck of mess, so be prepared to siphon and water change. I felt bad for my fish that were still in the tank at the time. It took awhile to haul things out and rearrrange and replant the floaters, I was sweating and cursing
myself for the mess, but it looks super now. Its the one in my avatar :)
 
Best to remove the fish to a bucket, I got a nice case of ich going when I last did a huge redo with fish in the tank.

But. You can just bulldoze the crypts to the back, that's what I did in the 29 gallon, for like you I had planted them inthe front when they were tiny. Just clear the back up, scoop away some gravel and take both hands and shove the crypts backwards. Do your best to level it, replace the removed gravel where you can.

Fact is, you have to remove stuff from time to time, either stuff is growing or it is dying, change is the only constant.
 
thanks for your replies guys! i'm excited to remodel - i just have so many decent sized swords i dont know what to do with them all! i think i will prune them low and move them - when i had bought them they had baby plants hanging off the sides of them which i cut off and planted seperately and they all grew tall! i think when i move them around i'll have a better idea what i want to do with the crypts (which are my favorite plants) bulldozing them back might work well - i just want a little bit roomier tank now i think -
 
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