Moving 37 gal planted, can i leave the substrate in?

[bubble bobble]

I will be moving across town to an apartment soon, and I need to move my 37 gal tall tank. everything is really established and I would like to make the move as quick and painless as possible.

I have read the article on here about moving, and it says (along with some other sources, some don't mention it) to remove all the substrate.

how necessary is this? I'm guessing there's about 40-50lbs of substrate, so it will make the tank heavier to move, but will it really pose a risk to the structural integrity of the tank?

There's also a well-established planting of cryptocornes that i would hate to put into shock and kill with re-planting...

what should i do?

 

[Zagz]

IMO anything over 20 gals I remove the substrate. Why take chances? I have heard of other members who have moved their tanks with the substrate in it, just my personal preference to not take the chance.