Rescaping Tank - Shrimp and fish out or stay in?

[Atom]

My Ebi hasn't been looking very good lately so I really want to rescape it and move things around. Question is it better to do it with fish and shrimp in the tank or should I take them out? It's a small tank so space is limited, but I don't want to stress anyone out too much. Some of the shrimp looked to be berried too, which hasn't happened in a long time.

Planning to add more substrate, add new driftwood, root tabs and some wonderful new plants I got from Bien.

I usually keep everyone in when I do simple replantings, but this one may be more extensive.
What's your opinion? In or out?

[Bfunk89]

Personally I hate trying to move things around with shrimp in the tank (ebi & 5g), I'm always scared of crushing them! Adding in substrate i definitely would move them where as if its just plant adjustment i would work around them, or at least try, they always seem to gravitate to my hand and start tickling haha. I haven't tried moving berried shrimp, which I would avoid in fear of them dropping their eggs (especially if they're first time mommas). Nothing like a good ole catch 22!

Bri

[theinnkeeper]

Move them out. I wouldnt be too concerned of cherries and amanos. Transfer them to a bucket with the water they are currently in. Shouldn't lose eggs. add places for them to hide also.

[Morainy]

I think you'll find it easier and more satifsying to move them. You'll end up with a better looking tank and you'll be able to experiment a bit more with the scaping if the inhabitants are in another container.

When I work on my Ebi, I usually leave the inhabitants in while I replant, clean the glass, etc. But when I did a major overhaul a couple of months ago and replaced the substrate, I took the fish out. It turned out to be so much easier than I'd expected, and the tank looked so much better, that I plan to try this again. I kept the fish in their original water in buckets with the plants and wood.

Shrimp seem quite easy to work with. I often move them from tank to tank.

[2wheelsx2]

If you're going to add substrate, I'd take them out, since it's a small tank. Otherwise, either way wouldn't matter.

[Atom]

Thanks. I will take them out and put them in a bucket with the original water. Should I add the filter to the bucket? I'm not sure how long it may take me.

[ug.mac]

It doesn't need to be original water unless you are buffering PH or your live stock are stressed.

You will need heater and filter. But make sure you monitor the temperature in the bucket for 24 hours before move anything in.

ug.

[Morainy]

Oh, I assumed that it would take you between half an hour and an hour to redo the tank, then maybe a couple of hours to allow the water to settle out.

In my case, I put the original water (emptied from the tank while draining it) into a 3 gallon bucket and put the filter and heater into the bucket. I didn't plug the heater in because it only took me half an hour to redo the tank. As soon as the water was in it, I put the filter back into the newly set-up tank. I left room in the new setup for some of the bucket water, then I put the bucket water and fish into the tank. (And to make room in the tank for my arm and the rocks, etc, while working in it, I emptied some of the new setup's water into the fish bucket when I removed the plants and rocks, so the water in the bucket remained very similar in temperature and chemisty to the new setup.) It was all very easy. I might do it again soon. I put Eco-Complete into it, but I think I'm going to switch to Tahitian moon sand.

If you don't want to put your filter into the bucket and it's going to take you a whole day to redo your tank, maybe you can set the filter up in a different tank? It's such a small filter and it is easy to attach, it can pretty much go anywhere.

[Atom]

Thanks that's great advice. I guess I'll throw in a different filter while I'm scaping to help with the potential cloudiness. Is it bad to add everyone back before ts absolutely clear?

Excited to rescape!

[Morainy]

What kind of substrate are you putting in? If you're putting in sand, I think a little residual cloudiness won't hurt shrimp. If you're switching to ADA, I hear that it releases ammonia for quite awhile and so you probably couldn't add shrimp for awhile. (There are experts here who have done that.) I find that Eco-Complete and any of the wet Aquarium-in-a-Bag sands from Caribsea (?) are very good if you pour the water into a container and not directly onto the sand. I did a tank in extra fine river gravel (rinsed carefully) last week and it did not cloud. What are you using this time? Your scapes are always so nice!

I tried to emulate one of yours in my new Aquastyle tank, but the pretty tall grass-looking plant (val, I think) is turning yellow with brown spots.The other plants are doing well, though. I want to find some more Siamensis 53B as it always grows well for me.