I have an ornament question....

[BlaiseinLondon]

In my 90 litre tank I have a tall, resin rock formation that is hollow underneath. How often do I need to shift it to change the water (and sand) that inevitably gets trapped underneath? Or is it safer to let it be?

Thanks in advance.

 

[MattW54 170]

When it comes to hardscape, I don't move it at all. But you have an opportunity to, and thinking about it now, I probably would move it occasionally. You essentially can create new environments for the inhabitants every now and then. I mean its better to see a new type of rock formation/position than see the same one your entire life, right? Also, moving it would reduce stagnant areas for mulm to build up, allowing you to gravel vac that area.

Interested to see what others say.

 

[Essjay53 168]

I lift ornaments (wood in my tanks) where debris can collect under it but I try to put it back in the same place once I've cleaned under it. Shrimps and nerite snails make a mess which collects under the wood. But I have very fine gravel in my main (which was sold as sand) and I clean that like sand by just removing the debris from the surface rather than pushing the siphon tube into it. I have proper sand in the shrimp tank and I just remove the debris on the surface.
With decor where nothing can collect under it (eg rocks) I leave them in place when I clean the tank.

 

[CaptainBarnicles23 10]

I have half a coconut shell lounging around in my tank that I had for some kribs once upon a time...in all honesty I'm afraid to lift that thing who knows what has evolved under it

 

[bgarthe54 72]

Since I gravel/course sand vac with each WC, it is just normal for me to move each decoration a bit and vac that gunk that collects there. It is actually quite common to disturb the underneath spots and stir up a bunch of waste, uneaten food, mulm, and debris. Such areas, if left uncleaned, can become either nitrate factories or hydrogen sulfide pockets depending on depth and type of substrate. I know the hydr. sulf. pockets are rare, but when one gets let loose/opened up/popped in a tank, it is really nasty and devastating to the fish. When it happened to me years ago, I vowed never to let it happen again.

 

[Uberhoust4 3]

I don't move any decorations at all; I work around them. Most of my decorations are actual rocks they don't have any significant voids. I will typically do a full deep clean of the tank every couple of years, where issues of accumulation are dealt with, cleaning the whole tank including the substrate.