Does substrate "wear out"?

[Mikro]

My tank has been up for 15 months now. I just wondered if the substate ever wears out; and needs to be replaced.

 

[Mikro]

I forgot to mention I have aragonite for the substrate...

 

[Maxxumless]

Hummm, no not in the sense you are probably thinking. The life in it eventually gives out or dwindles significantly over years and if not moved around from time to time it can fuse together and becomes useless for filtration. This is why itââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s a good idea if you have sand sifters in your tank and the reason people trade sand from time to time (diversify life in their tanks). Hope that helps.