Should I move corals when I do water changes

[Emma1234]

Hi Everyone,

When you change your water do you move your corals and rocks to get as much of the detritus out of the tank as possible or do you leave the inhabitants alone so as not to disturb them but then end up leaving more detritus in the tank?

I'm thinking the more detritus I removed the more I disturb the inhabitants.

Should I suck up the water and not touch any coral or should I move the coral so I can vacume everywhere? Should I leave the furniture where it is and just vacume around it. Or move the furniture. :uhoh3:

Thanks!

 

[FirstContact]

My first thought is to write that corals don't like to be moved around that much. Many people will use a power head or a turkey baster to help blow detritus out.

 

[gone fishin]

I do not move my corals around for WC's, most of mine are attached to the rock.

 

[Sk8r]

Never, ever, ever move or touch a coral for its entire life, and then only when wearing exam gloves. They should be glued into place so they don't wobble in the least and so nothing can shove them about. The only exception is during the light acclimation period, when you may be looking for the best exposure to light.

 

[CStrickland]

I just vac around the corals, it's not worth upsetting them. If the sand near it looks dirty I use something like a turkey baster or poker stick to stir it around before I vacuum. That way I don't have like all nice sand except for a grody circle around the coral.

The other day I glued my bubble coral that had been just sitting it the sand onto a little base I made. I did it cause my wrasse kept trying to dig under it and knocking it around. I think I'm going to do that with any others that I place on the sand bed. I used a piece of starboard, but I think some rocks that are as tall as the sand is deep would work too.

 

[Emma1234]

Thanks everyone. I will no longer move the corals when changing the water.

 

[CStrickland]

Should I leave the furniture where it is and just vacume around it. Or move the furniture. :uhoh3:

Lol I wish my couch hated to be moved, it'd be nice to have an excuse to just vac around it
"Honey I though you just cleaned, but there's a perimeter of dirt around all the furniture?"
"Yeah, I'd like to be more thorough, but the table is very sensitive and would die if I disturbed it"

 

[cloak]

I move the corals on my sand bed all the time without any problems. (Chalice, Favia, Bubble, Palythoas etc) This is only done maybe once every month or so when I need to stir up the substrate though. These things are actually a lot more durable than one might think. Just as an example I've had a peppermint shrimp just derstroy a Miami Hurricane Chalice before. Once the shrimp was removed all it took was time and the Chalice looks better than ever. They were designed to endure much worse than the gentle hand.. GL.

 

[CStrickland]

I move the corals on my sand bed all the time without any problems. (Chalice, Favia, Bubble, Palythoas etc) This is only done maybe once every month or so when I need to stir up the substrate though. These things are actually a lot more durable than one might think. Just as an example I've had a peppermint shrimp just derstroy a Miami Hurricane Chalice before. Once the shrimp was removed all it took was time and the Chalice looks better than ever. They were designed to endure much worse than the gentle hand.. GL.

I liked that other post you made about turning them now and then for better growth, makes sense. I plan to do that.

 

[Emma1234]

I think I should have made a distinction between moving the corals themselves versus moving the rocks that the corals are attached to. Maybe the answer is you don't want to move the corals themselves but if the corals are attached to a rock then it may be OK to move the entire structure, within reason.

CStricklan, I don't move my furniture to vacuum as much as I've moved my rocks in the tank. Maybe I've got that backwards! :fun2:

 

[Emma1234]

Oh no. That isn't the icon I wanted to attached to my last post! Sorry

 

[CStrickland]

No it's too late for that
We have beef now
:blown:

JK

 

[gone fishin]

No it's too late for that
We have beef now
:blown:

JK

Oh great now you have gone and got C all fired up.:smokin:

 

[Emma1234]

I'd best stick to the really, really simple stuff like reading and writing before I go and try getting all super sophisticated with these fun icons. Here is a safe one

 

[CStrickland]

Yes but also if you don't jump you'll never fly