I have a large "Oriental" shack in my tank, it's hollow so I've had to put an airstone in it. Today during a water change I noticed that a dead leaf from my live plant was hiding underneath. I'm also noticing a few ominous looking protrusions that might harm Chubby's beautiful black scales. I wonder what would happen to my cycle if I were to remove it today?

Here's a pic of my tank...

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb202/t...er/100_0728.jpg

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb202/t...er/100_0717.jpg

See the fake tree behind Chubby, it has some small sharp looking leaves and branches...I don't like it anymore.

I personally don't like anything that doesn't have round, smooth surfaces in with my goldies. I learnt from experience, trust me.

Plus, removing it will give him more room to swim. That's a 10g., right?

Just removing your "Oriental" shack isn't going to do anything to your cycle.

Oooo, then out it comes!

The tank is a 20 gallon, I think I might start removing gravel in a few days too.

Bare bottomed is the best! Have fun with it!

Sorry...couldn't tell the size from the pic. Did you add that wood frame on the bottom? I'm adding frames to my 10 and 20 gallon tanks, to spice them up a bit, especially since they're used.

Looks cool on yours!

No, that's an old ice chest stand that once had a swivel top. I took the swivel top off and turned it upside down, works perfect to catch water that might spill out the backside.

I'm feeling awful now that I took out Chubby's house. He used to hide behind it and go to sleep. Now I feel like he has nowhere to go if he's feeling like being alone. I don't know who stresses more, me or the fish. I worry so much, Bender died so suddenly and I don't want it to happen to Chubby...or Booger, my #1 son.

Maybe you could get something like a terra cotta pot? They're cheap, and also smooth. They make good caves. I bought a few and broke them on purpose to make interesting shapes--the terra cotta isn't that hard, so sharp edges can be sanded down by hand.

I also recently stuck a bunch of river stones together with aquarium silicone. It takes like a week to fully cure, but you can make some fun structures!