Tank gravel information.

Question
Hello R Ray.

I have had on and off problems with my 15 gallon tank since I gave it it's yearly cleaning this past July. Yes, I have since found out that tearing down a tank and thouroughly cleaning it is NOT GOOD. I will never do that again :)

My question is about the gravel. I have a freshwater aquarium, with heater, in which I have kept 4 guppies and a pleco. Last week, one of my guppies fell ill and it died last night. I read somewhere that gravel is just an ornament and putting 1/4 inch of it is suffiecient and would help me avoid many problems; and help the fish stay healthy. My problem is I have about 3 inches of gravel in the tank,,, how do I safely remove it without stressing the fish out?

I also have a quick question about my pleco, Oscar: Oscar is a Hypostomus Punctatus. I bought him because he is a scavenger fish and easily gets along with Guppies. People at pet store told me he would grow to the size of the tank; but a week later I came upon an article on "stunt growth" and this is not good. Oscar is a type of pleco that, in good conditions, would typically grow to 12 inches. Is my tank big enough to keep him healthy; or should I take him back?

Thank you for the help.
Nathalie  

Answer
I break down my tanks every few months and totally clean them with no ill effects.  So do my friends who have kept fish for years and have many many tanks.
I know you can read all over to never do this, but I can not stand to see everything get green/brown and yucky.  
Anyway, you won't get any scolding from me in breaking down the tank.
As far as the rock goes, if you want to remove some rock, you can simply remove it, it should be fine, shouldn't bother the fish at all.
Your pleco should keep on a growing, and probably will need a bigger tank, they get big.
Another thing to know is why they suck green and old food from the bottom,they create a lot of waste which can pollute your tank.  The bigger they are the bigger the waste naturally.
Good luck!