Well if you do regular water changes NO tank will have "old tank
syndrome". And in a heavily planted tank you will not have the
nitrate buildup common in this "neglect syndrome"

It's been said there is not such thing as a stupid question but this
one really comes close in my book.

I don't agree.

"Old tank syndrome" is poorly understood and certainly not as common as new
tank syndrome. But it's not always due to poor tank maintenance. Some people
find that after awhile the substrate goes bad. Even if you do regular water
changes and vacuum the gravel, the gravel in a very old tank can get so full of
rotting mulm that you can no longer keep the pH up. Breaking down the tank and
starting over is the fix.

Heavily planted tanks are less likely to get that kind of build-up in the
gravel. And they'll also take care of the rising nitrate levels that go with
old tank syndrome. However, you may have to replace the gravel in a planted
tank, just as you do with a non-planted tank. If you used laterite, it will
eventually get exhausted, and you'll have to replace the substrate. If you're
using Flourite, you won't have to replace the substrate, but you may have to
remove all the plants, a section at a time, and replant them, to keep them from
getting rootbound.


Leigh

http://www.fortunecity.com/lavender/halloween/881/