Would you tear it down?

[AtomicSunfish]

As I watch my aquariums, I appreciate the time it takes to build and maintain these mini-ecosystems, and can’t imagine tearing them down (unless they’re no longer wanted). Assuming it’s still wanted and not physically cracked etc, would there hypothetically be any circumstance in which you’d tear down a tank rather than try to fix the problem? I’m thinking of contagious fish diseases, parasites, pest infestations, etc. It seems like it would be better to treat the aquarium and let the system live on, but what do you think?

[mynameisnobody]

Sometimes the fish you thought were incredible, turn out to be too shy, too aggressive, etc. Sometimes the next inhabitants require a different setup. Sometimes boredom sets in and you just want to change things up. There’s a ton of reasons for resetting an aquarium. 

[Rube_Goldfish]

On 7/5/2024 at 12:18 PM, AtomicSunfish said:

As I watch my aquariums, I appreciate the time it takes to build and maintain these mini-ecosystems, and can’t imagine tearing them down (unless they’re no longer wanted). Assuming it’s still wanted and not physically cracked etc, would there hypothetically be any circumstance in which you’d tear down a tank rather than try to fix the problem? I’m thinking of contagious fish diseases, parasites, pest infestations, etc. It seems like it would be better to treat the aquarium and let the system live on, but what do you think?

I think if a tank bores you or doesn't bring you any joy any more, a complete reset can bring that fun "new-ness" back. Maybe that involves rehoming all the animals, maybe it's just re-scaping it or changing up the substrate, but this is a hobby, and it's supposed to be fun and interesting.

I think also if you have an undiagnosable disease or unexplainable losses, that would probably be a good reason to tear a tank down. You can't effectively treat a tank if you don't know what the problem is.

[AtomicSunfish]

On 7/5/2024 at 12:57 PM, Rube_Goldfish said:

I think if a tank bores you or doesn't bring you any joy any more, a complete reset can bring that fun "new-ness" back. Maybe that involves rehoming all the animals, maybe it's just re-scaping it or changing up the substrate, but this is a hobby, and it's supposed to be fun and interesting.

I think also if you have an undiagnosable disease or unexplainable losses, that would probably be a good reason to tear a tank down. You can't effectively treat a tank if you don't know what the problem is.

If you rehome your animals, who do you give / sell them to? The store? Club meeting / swap meet? Friends?

[Rube_Goldfish]

On 7/5/2024 at 3:29 PM, AtomicSunfish said:

If you rehome your animals, who do you give / sell them to? The store? Club meeting / swap meet? Friends?

Any of those could be. LFS will sometimes buy them or give store credit, and sometimes not, but they'll sell them off so at least they're presumably going to a good home.

Friends' tanks are a great option if you know someone with space and a willingness to take them.

Clubs are my favorite option, and you could auction them or maybe just find someone willing and able to take them.

You could also post on this forum's "Fish Swap - Buy/Sell/Trade" section.

You might also be able to use Aquabid, but I'm not sure about that ad a one-off.

[Tony s]

On 7/5/2024 at 3:29 PM, AtomicSunfish said:

The store? Club meeting / swap meet? Friends

You can do all the above. Our local fish store takes rehomed animals. The had a huge blood parrot named Fat Albert, very well cared for. I would have loved to take him home but didn't have the space

On 7/5/2024 at 3:39 PM, Rube_Goldfish said:

You could also post on this forum's "Fish Swap - Buy/Sell/Trade" section.

You might also be able to use Aquabid, but I'm not sure about that ad a one-off

For those, you'd have to trust who you're dealing with. Those have been your own personal animals after all

[Whitecloud09]

On 7/5/2024 at 3:29 PM, AtomicSunfish said:

If you rehome your animals, who do you give / sell them to? The store? Club meeting / swap meet? Friends?

Store or friends. But sadly I don’t have hardly any fishkeeping friends, and the ones who do fishkeeping, have no room for fish that I would give. But if you gotta club, the best option imo.

Or sell online, aquabid,, things like that. Here! As well, the sell/trade section of this forum. 

Edited July 5 by Whitecloud09

[Rube_Goldfish]

On 7/5/2024 at 3:41 PM, Tony s said:

For those, you'd have to trust who you're dealing with. Those have been your own personal animals after all

Yes, that's a very good point, and one I should have given more weight to. Thanks for pointing that out.

[quikv6]

I'd also point out that for many who have multiple tanks, setting up a new one is MUCH easier than going through it the first initial time. There's seasoned filters, gravel, equipment etc. from other tanks to pull from, helping the new "eco-system" develop MUCH more quickly.

[Tony s]

On 7/5/2024 at 3:51 PM, Rube_Goldfish said:

Yes, that's a very good point, and one I should have given more weight to

I'd liken that to rehoming a dog in some cases. not necessarily with small schooling fish. But the big ones that you can get somewhat attached to. but even the small ones you want the best care for. For the dog thing, I know people do it, I have no idea how

[Tony s]

Back to the ot. I have taken down 1 in the last 2 months. For the absolute best reason ever. My wife said "I really don't like that tank there" 🤣

I am planning to revamp another 3 of my first tanks. very beginnerish. no plants and bright blue gravel. 10g. not sure if I'm just upgrading the substrate and plants or if I'm upsizing the whole thing

[daggaz]

All my fish were doing all sorts of foul things like eating all the food with no thought for one another, or procreating all over the place with no thought of the sanctimony of marriage, or murdering and even cannibalizing one another.    Gluttony, greed, wrath, and lust were just the beginnings.  My tank was a den of sin, and so I did send forth a Great Flood.... but alas...  

Edited July 6 by daggaz

[Airborne 82nd]

On 7/5/2024 at 12:18 PM, AtomicSunfish said:

As I watch my aquariums, I appreciate the time it takes to build and maintain these mini-ecosystems, and can’t imagine tearing them down (unless they’re no longer wanted). Assuming it’s still wanted and not physically cracked etc, would there hypothetically be any circumstance in which you’d tear down a tank rather than try to fix the problem? I’m thinking of contagious fish diseases, parasites, pest infestations, etc. It seems like it would be better to treat the aquarium and let the system live on, but what do you think?

fix the problem Do you have a problem? If so what it is and how bad it is could make a difference.

[AtomicSunfish]

On 7/5/2024 at 7:59 PM, Tony s said:

Back to the ot. I have taken down 1 in the last 2 months. For the absolute best reason ever. My wife said "I really don't like that tank there" 🤣

Ok, so does that mean you have to tear it down completely, or just move it to another spot? If you only need to move it, you can lower the water level, move the HOB or canister filter separately, and so on.

On 7/5/2024 at 8:05 PM, daggaz said:

All my fish were doing all sorts of foul things like eating all the food with no thought for one another, or procreating all over the place with no thought of the sanctimony of marriage, or murdering and even cannibalizing one another.    Gluttony, greed, wrath, and lust were just the beginnings.  My tank was a den of sin, and so I did send forth a Great Flood.... but alas...  

LOL … flooding aquatic creatures as punishment can be ineffective. 😁

Unless you’re shocking them with a sudden change in temperature, pH, or salinity. 😆

[Tony s]

On 7/7/2024 at 12:26 AM, AtomicSunfish said:

Ok, so does that mean you have to tear it down completely, or just move it to another spot

I moved it completely. I put it on her counter, next to the fridge. So she could put something she liked in there. I let her set it up. Problem was she chose blue gravel which does a good job of hiding and drowning out the fish. So she got bored and annoyed with it. It’s now in the hall with flint sand bottom. And our first ever set of breeding guppies. She likes it there and the different substrate makes it more interesting. And the guppies are much more fun to watch. 😁

[AtomicSunfish]

On 7/5/2024 at 8:31 PM, Airborne 82nd said:

fix the problem Do you have a problem? If so what it is and how bad it is could make a difference.

No, I don’t really have a problem right now. What made me think of this was the proliferation of detritus worms floating around in my 10g tank housing only one African dwarf frog and a bunch of bladder snails. After a little reading, I found out this can happen in tanks that have no fish in them, ie no predators (of tiny creatures). So, I moved my 5 zebra danios into that tank, and they proceeded to happily gobble up the detritus worms! Within a day, the worms were gone from the water column … yay!

I have seen photos, though, of infestations of black worms or tubifex worms in the gravel, and I’ve heard of outbreaks of planarians and hydra, too. So, it got me to thinking: can that always be controlled biologically (ie by introducing predators), or might it get bad enough to justify starting all over again?

Edited July 7 by AtomicSunfish

[Tanked]

GOOD QUESTION!  I tore down my 75 over 4 years ago to make room for an additional tank.  It was an educational couple of days.  There really is a lot of mulm under that filter plate  With the exception of a total a rescape, or move, I can think of any only reason to tear down a tank that I was going to keep: unnatural disaster.  Otherwise I would try to maintain the system.

The additional tank was an unnatural disaster and a win for everybody.  The owner could no longer handle the maintenance, so I got 19 fish at a bargain price, The fish were no longer swimming with broken glass and construction debris, and in removing the aquarium, I discovered a fire hazard in his house wiring.