Too Much Live Rock in Fluval Evo 13.5?

[BassSoLow]

Hey everyone! Happy New Year!

So I have a Fluval Evo 13.5 gallon tank I purchased back in November. The tank has cycled and currently has 1 Clownfish, 1 Cleaner Shrimp, 2 Sexy Shrimp, and some snails/crabs.

When I got the tank the LFS told me to get 15-20lbs of live rock. However, it takes up so much room in the tank. And, when I look at others with this tank, they have no where near as much rock as I do.

Wondering if it’s safe to remove some of the rock to open up more space in tank, or is it better to just leave it. It’s just so hard to put accessories like small powerhead a in the tank because the rock is all over.

Any feedback is welcome! Thanks for looking!

 

[BassSoLow]

Here are some pictures.

 

[DSC reef]

I think it looks great but that's just my opinion. If you plan on a higher bioload I'd keep it but if not I'm sure removing some wont hurt. Being that it's a smaller tank things can go wrong quickly so go slow.

 

[Justfebreezeit]

Yea you remove some i'd say, especially if you dont plan to add more fish. Like DSC said though go slow. I wouldn't remove more than 1 rock a week.

 

[DSC reef]

This was my wife's 13.5 for reference

 

[BassSoLow]

I removed one rock just now. Looks so much better. Now I just have to figure out where to place my powerhead. I don’t like where it is now, but if I put it up higher it creates a whirlpool effect at times. Hmmm.

 

[BassSoLow]

New pics.