Tear down, Replant

[lionhead]

I'm going to tear down my 75 gallon planted to redo it, my question, should I wash my gravel/substrate mix or should I just mix fresh gravel/substrate mix with old, an start redecorating. Tank have been setup for 18 months and is way over planted at this time, an just needs a redo..Thanks for your input..

 

[tanker]

Why do you need to wash subtrate?? What kind do you have??
I would just prune/replant.

 

[timwag2001]

i would take the plants out and put them in a bucket of aquarium water on the side. then stick my arm in the tank and stir up the substrate as much as possible to get all the crap out of the substrate than you havent been able to gravel vac out or whatever. let the filter clean the water a bit and then replant.

 

[lionhead]

Gravel/substrate mix

my base is a mix of gravel an a product marketed by Seachem, called, First layer pure laterite, you mix @ a rate of 1oz per gallon to your gravel base. Great produce and a lot cheaper that most planting products.

 

[swinneyw]

your tank looks good as is to me

 

[tanker]

my base is a mix of gravel an a product marketed by Seachem, called, First layer pure laterite, you mix @ a rate of 1oz per gallon to your gravel base. Great produce and a lot cheaper that most planting products.

In that case do not clean the gravel. Just prune and replant and you would be good. If you must--- do a surface gravel vac only (about 1/2 inch into gravel).