Breaking down aquarium, substrate trouble.

[CaptnIgnit]

Hey all, I've got a bit of a pickle on my hands and I'm not sure how to proceed forward.

I am in the middle of getting ready for a move and will be moving to a smaller place that has no real room for my 20 gal. I've given all the fish away to friends but am facing some trouble trying to figure out how to break the tank down.

I have eco-complete as the substrate but I am not sure how to drain the tank without sucking away the substrate itself. Should I bother keeping it? is there a better way to filter it out (old roots and I have MTS in the tank)?

I've broken down several smaller tanks but those were never planted and had the standard small plastic pebbles. Any insight into how you deal with the lighter and grainer substrates would be appreciated.

Thanks.

[Purrbox]

I'd drain most of the water, as much as you can without getting too close to the substrate. Then you could put a strainer over the bucket. Scoop the substrate into the strainer to drain the rest of the water and then place it in a plastic bag(s) to store it. You can pick out any snails that you see, but I wouldn't worry overly much about it. Once you've scooped all the substrate out, just finish draining the aquarium.

[neilanh]

How old is the eco? May not be worth saving.

[CaptnIgnit]

How small of a strainer would I want?

It's about a year and a half old now, I'm debating if it's worth it as it might already be spent. Your thoughts?

Thanks again.

[Purrbox]

I was thinking your standard pasta strainer. It should be just about the right size to sit perfectly on top of the bucket.

Even though the Eco Complete is older and no longer has the initial nutrients, as long as it isn't breaking down I'd think that it's worth saving. It can still be supplemented with root tabs, etc.