[BikeBookBread]

How often do you re-scape? (Not looking for a “right” answer, just really curious what you guys do…

Tank is 11 months old and I’m feeling itchy to re-scape. (Is 11 months old considered mature? My chemical readings are all stable.) Won’t be changing out soil, just moving stuff around. There’s also the start of algae problems on the anubias.

I’m interested in taking some of the big rocks out of my 15 gallon Fluval Flex tank, or moving the rocks around so they are more visible. Have also thought about taking some rocks out and getting a nice juicy piece of spiderwood to tuck in anubias and Buce.

Most would be very easy to move around - Java ferns and anubias, and buce that hasn’t rooted down on rock. The S. repens is doing very well. I just the one front right a bit of a drastic haircut as it was looking unruly. The lobelia in the back is weighted down with lead weights as it constantly pops out of the soil. It’s thriving as it is. I have to trim it almost weekly. Probably has rooted itself into the substrate.

 

[ProudPapa]

I didn't vote. There wasn't an option for "When the crypts get crowded and need thinning."

 

[minorhero]

There is no minimum. You can rescape immediately after setting up a scape. At a certain point you will hurt your plants if you are constantly pulling them in and out of the substrate day after day, but if you allow your plants to establish themselves and start growing, you can without fear of hurting them rescape.

I rescape one of my tanks every 3 months to 1 year depending on how happy I was with the scape to begin with.

 

[BikeBookBread]

There is no minimum. You can rescape immediately after setting up a scape. At a certain point you will hurt your plants if you are constantly pulling them in and out of the substrate day after day, but if you allow your plants to establish themselves and start growing, you can without fear of hurting them rescape.

I rescape one of my tanks every 3 months to 1 year depending on how happy I was with the scape to begin with.

Thanks. I only have a very few planted in substrate. And the s repens seems bombproof

 

[evil8]

I'm always tinkering and tweaking things, but I've been known to hate a scape and do a total rescape after only a couple of months. Normally I get bored around 6 months to 18 months on a scape. Just suffice to say I have plans for this winter...

 

[somewhatshocked]

I don't think I've ever had a tank that's totally finished. They're always works in progress. Some tanks have been running for more than a decade but they've never remained the same for more than a couple years.

Something about being able to change things up every year or two (or few months) makes this hobby way more satisfying than it otherwise would be, in my opinion. Trying new things, setting up new tanks, redoing plants - keeps things interesting. Even if I'm not changing hardscape or substrate, plants are always in flux and changing.

A lot of long-termers run 2-3 tanks for this very reason. Allows them to redo a tank when they get tired without much impact to their livestock.

(You gonna eat your tots?)

 

[BikeBookBread]

I don't think I've ever had a tank that's totally finished. They're always works in progress. Some tanks have been running for more than a decade but they've never remained the same for more than a couple years.

Something about being able to change things up every year or two (or few months) makes this hobby way more satisfying than it otherwise would be, in my opinion. Trying new things, setting up new tanks, redoing plants - keeps things interesting. Even if I'm not changing hardscape or substrate, plants are always in flux and changing.

A lot of long-termers run 2-3 tanks for this very reason. Allows them to redo a tank when they get tired without much impact to their livestock.

(You gonna eat your tots?)

No tots today. My lips hurt real bad.

 

[ddiomede]

Over the almost 40 years I've been keeping fish, I probably rescaped at the very least annually, or totally broke the tank down and set up a different species than what I was keeping. I got bored really quickly in my early days.

I think the longest I had a tank set up was about 10 years and it's tied between a reef tank and a tank I had with large oscars. At a certain point I kept thinking about the amount of work it was going to take to redo the tank so I just convinced myself I was happy lol.

You'll probably see a lot of YouTubers that rescape more frequently than I get haircuts, but that's their source of revenue. I bet their channels would get extremely boring if every video was just an update on the same tank and scape for a couple years lol.

I think once a tank reaches a year old, that's when it really starts getting interesting because the plants are really well established, and if you've kept up on maintenance, it's past the growing pains stage.

 

[Marc_G]

What is this word that was used, "finished?"

😉

 

[japbart]

At least twice a year, more if I didn’t like the original scape. There are times where I’d find a really good looking piece of rock/stone or driftwood, end up buying it and having to rescape so I can fit that new piece perfectly.

But I always make sure new plants have had time to establish themselves before rescaping.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[johnson18]

I’m all over the place on this one. I think it depends on what your goal is…

Recently broke down a 55 that had the same basic hardscape for more than 10 years. The plants were changed completely many times. There was nothing fancy about the hardscape but it provided a nice base to learn to grow a huge variety of plants over the years.

Most of the time if I end up with a scape I like it will stay for a couple years. I love watching a tank mature over that time period. Seeing individual plants like Anubias, buce or ferns grow into large clumps on hardscape or those huge groups crypts is definitely enjoyable. Lol. Though I have a tendency to switch other plants often.

There have also been times when I’ve rescaped tanks multiple times a year. Several years ago I set up a new tank, wanted a nice aquascaped nature style aquarium. Something I’d not done before. I’d read the basics of aquascaping, watched videos, looked at hundreds(1000s?) of tanks over the years… It was an absolute disaster, pretty sure I packed it so full of plants you couldn’t see the scape & turned it into a juvenile grow out. Spent a lot of time the next few years trying to scape tanks. I figured if I wanted to get better I needed more practice. I’m still not any good at aquascaping but it’s fun to try.

These days I’m more likely to sketch out different scapes for my existing tanks than tear apart a tank on a whim. It’s a hell of a lot less work. Although, I’m not any good at drawing either.

 

[jake21]

Depends on the tank; lot easier to re-arrange my 5 than my 200. That doesn't mean i can't prune in 200 but like @)(*# i'm gonna rescape the whole thing; 24 inch tall tanks are a pia to rescape.

 

[mourip]

Depends on the tank; lot easier to re-arrange my 5 than my 200. That doesn't mean i can't prune in 200 but like @)(*# i'm gonna rescape the whole thing; 24 inch tall tanks are a pia to rescape.

+1. I doubt that very many folks with tanks larger than 40 gallons are tempted to do more that pull a plant, replace a plant(s) or trim. My 75g took about 6 months to grow in and reach a nice equilibrium with minimal algae. Not inclined to tip that cart!