How often do you completly clean out your tank?

I change 30/50% of the water weekly in my 125g,by using a gravel vac.the only time I've taken apart a tank is to move it.As for the crap under caves,rocks....I'll do a few each week so the fish are less stressed out,then doing all of them at once .
 
thanks for all of the help guys. I wasn't planning on tearing down my tank but just wanted to know if it was ok to vacuum the gravel that I could reach. And I got my answer. Besides I have 2 aquaclear 500's with double sponges in each for my mech. filters. For those of you that change 30 to 50% of your water weekly in your large tanks, is your water bill outrageous?
 
No water bill, one of many reasons I like country living verses town!:D
 
LOL:p I don't think I could afford to dump all that water out each week. I monitor my water parameters weekly and change my water accordingly.
 
We dump about 60 gallons of water alternate weeks--the SW system, where we can't recycle the water. Otherwise, all the water from the FW changes goes into watering plants. I've considered marketing it--"100% Natural Fertilizer!"
 
I only completely clean it out if I am moving it. otherwise all I do is take out the decor & gravel siphon every other week. I am always cleaning tanks every week, I alternate between them.
 
I personally end up doing a complete clean out of a tank only if nessercery.What nessercery means is that I have some sort of break down in within my system.Like when my bottom substance is rotting away my plant at the roots.I have found that after about 2 to 3 years my gravel contains much to much rotted matter causing plants not to grow and also collects some gases needing me to do a complete clean up.To check for the gasses I would stick a stick into the gravel and see the bubbles come out.I forget what gasses actually build up ,maybe someone else knows.I also had to do this to a tank along time ago when one of my guppy tanks had been infected with that guppy disease that is like guppy aids.I lost about 70 fish from it.Nothing worked they just kept dying.Sad time in fish keeping they were some real pretty fish.A complete breakdown and cleaning had to be done.Sometimes I do a partial clean out in an attempt to rid a tank of algae.All this said and done I say that this is my last resort cause we all know the task at hand is time consuming and work.Sorry for the long post .Glad to be a member and hope I can help.
 
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