I am considering removing the gravel from the bottom of the tank and having the tank bottom bare other than a large rock a a few pieces of bog wood .I think this will make it easier to vac the bottom of the tank.

Just wanted to get a few opinions from people here if they had tried this or if it could harm the tank.

i for one had done that and keep it that way. but recently, i make the tank
totally bare. very easy to clean

Would it be safe to remove the gravel all in one go or a small amount every day. The tank has a cannister filter on it but i'm not sure if the gravel substrate handles some of the bio load

i did remove mine in one setting... just make sure you gently push all
substrate away from the suction point to avoid being sucked. in so doing,
the tank water will be cloudy for a while but will settle soon afterward.

and be prepare to see a lot of small worms this time

Thanks for the help i go ahead with it then. It was a picture of your tank in the diy cannister thread that got me thinking about it.

Please post some before and after pics.
That would be nice.