How long do you keep your aquascape?

[zeneo]

The title says it all.

Myself its a little a never ending job. But mainly I take great pleasure of seeing a tank grow and therefore things with me take (sometimes) too long. I like to keep my tanks at least for one year, but think that after that it becomes more dificult.

[goalcreas]

It all depends, if I am feeling it, I will keep it.
If I am tired of it or became tired with it, slacked off it a bit and it got overgrown or some algae and I don't want to deal with it, then time for a new scape. But I have kept many of them up for more then a year, it is also hard to find time to break them down sometimes as well.

[John N.]

Great question. I haven't had a true aquascape to be worthy mentioning, but my tanks are often setup under the same "layout scheme" for about a year. Typically I'll end up changing things around because I see a plant or type of layout online that I've always wanted to try.

I suspect many of the more goal oriented aquascapers keep their tanks for less than a year just for a contest and then tear them down to design something new for the next aquascaping competition. Am I right?

-John N.

[Norbert Sabat]

I always made layout to take it finished and go to another one. Right now i have same layout for about 6months and this is like nightmare to me. Many times i wanted remove everything and make something new....but layouts is slowgrower so i must wait, and wait, and wait, and.....this make me sick
I never have a feel that i must keep layout for long time and 3-4months is good enough . Maybe if i have 5-6tanks.....

[trenac]

It's really a never ending project for me. I usally end up getting bored with a scape before it's time is up. So when I setup a planted tank I never aim for a particle frame of time I want it to be setup for.

[dougz]

My focus is on a little eco-system that is pleasing to the eye..

I don't want to be breaking it down, just because I'm bored with it..

If I ever do get bored (how can you, with so much maintenance to do, so many fish to enjoy, so much nuance that you can only get from an established tank), I'd rather start a whole other tank..

[Steve Hampton]

It is pretty much a never ending project for me. I tend to allow changes to occur and flow naturally until it is too late to save and then I do a major rework, but rarely breakdown a tank/aquascape completely. My low light setups tend to be more long term and more static.

[ReefJones]

Originally Posted by Steve Hampton

It is pretty much a never ending project for me. I tend to allow changes to occur and flow naturally until it is too late to save and then I do a major rework, but rarely breakdown a tank/aquascape completely. My low light setups tend to be more long term and more static.

x2 ^^^^ with what Steve said except I have never had any low light scapes that turned out right that were worth keeping.
Reef

[chillaquaplants]

Most of my past scapes were based on designs I saw somewhere that I tried to recreate. I found some scapes were just too much maintenance to keep and others just didn't have the look I was going for so they came down within a few months.

It's funny this came up because I plan on rescaping 2 of my tanks this weekend. In one tank, I plan on keeping the same plants but placing them in a different pattern. The other tank will have almost all new plants go in and possibly replace the substrate as well.

[George Farmer]

Anything from 18 months to 8 weeks. Depends on plants and set up.

[blue33]

Do you guys recycle back the gravel or soil?

[Maciek]

I keep an aquascape in my 60cm tank for no longer than 3 months usually. That's because in the small tank the aquascape is ready after such period of time, and there is nothing more to do with it. And if I have a new idea I just can't wait to realize it! If I had more tanks (or bigger one) I would probably try to keep one aquascape longer. blue33 I used my Amazonia 3rd time right now - I do nothing with it during the rescape, just shape it

[MiSo]

with mine, i'll constantly change things. my scape will stay the same for a few months until i'll say, hey instead of "xx" here, i bet "xx" would look better.
so the hardscape (i'm using manzanita wood) will stay the same but i'll change a few plants around here and there.