I set up a 55 gal. US a couple of months ago using EccoComplete, and
followed their recommendations for the amount to use -- one package per 10
gallons of water. This resulted in a tank with 4.5 inches substrate depth
at the back and 3.5 inches at the front.

There is a small forest of corkscrew val at one end, a good start of chain
sword, three large swords, two pieces of bogwood with java fern, a bolbitis
on driftwood, assorted rotolas, some elodea, water sprite, some ludwigia,
and a didpilis disandra. Light is 4 65 watt 6700 K compact fluorescent
bulbs.

Except for a small problem with some BATs who feel it is their goal in life
to prune everything in the tank, the plants are growing great. Other fish
are corys, otos, SAEs, Neon Dwarf Rainbows, clown loaches, rainbow
splendida, and silver tip tetras. Water readings are ammonia 0, nitrite 0,
nitrate less than 20 (using did tests). Using Excel. Filtering through
peat in Fluval 304, since water out of the tap is 8+; this and mixing with
RO brings it down to 7.6 (appx).

My uneasy feeling comes when cleaning this tank. When I vacuum, I can
almost never get to the bottom glass, and when I do I sometimes get a whiff
of a bad odor -- otherwise the tank smells fine. I'm beginning to wonder if
I have too much substrate? I sometimes feel like it isn't getting really
clean with he weekly water changes.

Any ideas? Should I remove some substrate? Or just really disturb things
and vacuum deeper? Or leave it alone?

Confused!

srb

It seems deep to me. I'm not sure what you should do. I would stop
trying to clean to the bottom and probably take about 1-1.5" of the
top. I generally only clean the top of the gravel in my tank. Once the
roots get going they should be getting oxygen down to the lower levels.