"John Worfin" wrote in message
. net...
Has anyone attempted to remove and replace portions of the gravel of their
tank, without first tearing the tank down?

I did, just be aware that it may test your patience.

Be prepared to take it slowly. As you remove the gravel, you will be
removing some of the nitrifying bacteria colony. Monitor your ammonia and
nitrite levels as you proceed. You may also stir up great clouds of crud
into the water column. When it gets to the point where you can't stand it,
wait a day for it to settle and start again.

I used a regular plastic spatula (pancake turner) to lift the gravel off the
bottom and move it to a waiting large fish net. Once the net was full, I
transferred it to a waiting five gallon bucket. I generally removed 6-8 cups
at a time.

The hard part was when I replaced it all with fluorite. Even after
aggressive rinsing, that stuff is dusty.

chet