Age of planted tank

[ArtistGardener]

Hi all. I am itching to rebuild my 20 gallon planted which is now over a year old. I mostly want to change the hardscaping and add some red plants now that I have the lighting, ferts, etc. figured out. This brings up the question of how long a tank can go with routine maintenance (plant trimming/thinning, water changes). Is there a point where one feels they need to do a more thorough cleaning/rebuild to deal with the detritus and gnarl of roots in the substrate? How old are some of your tanks?

 

[Rivercats]

I've run planted tanks for over 5 years without messing with anything except rescaping. My dirted 220g tank is coming up on 3 years now and just did add another good layer of cap. Each tank is unique and as long as nutrient levels are good, and plants are doing well I don't mess with them.