Can't you just add those substrate additives like Root Tabs by aquapharm?
They also have laterite granules that you can carefully add to them bottom
of your tank.

Moving your crypts around might shock them. Unless you're very patient,
tennelus are hard to replant. Aren't they?!

"E. Mito" wrote in message
...
Can anyone give me some suggestions on how to replace the gravel in an
established aquarium? What I want to do is take out the old gravel (which
are
large pebbles, not very good plant substrate) so that I can replace it
with a
better substrate (probably a mix of plain small gravel with Fluorite).

I have an E. tennellus plant that has spread all throughout the front of
the
tank and am most worried about how I'll transplant this guy. Also in the
tank
are lots of wendtii crypts that haven't been moved or pruned for over a
year
(so the root system is probably a big mess now), one or two apongetons
(sp?) 3
amazons, some bacopa, foxtails, anubias, and some other stem plants I had
leftover from my 55 gallon that I am not too concerned about (they're easy
to
pull out and transplant).

It's a 20 gallon long tank with 2x18W of light. I want to keep the
lighting as
is...I just want to know the safest way (with respect to plant health) to
re-plant in new substrate.

TIA for any suggestions/comments.

Erica
http://members.aol.com/_ht_a/mitoem/mitoem/index.htm