# How do you vacuum/clean the gravel underneath carpet plants



## Beast from the east (Oct 16, 2014)

My tank has a decent amount of area thats covered by dwarf hairgrass. Because I intended it to grow into a carpet, which it did thankfully, now Im running into another problem - there are a bunch of junk and stuff accumulated underneath the plants and stuck between the tiny leaves, which I could not get to. If I put my vac on top of the plants, they get disturbed and would float and such. I was wondering if any of you guys have better ideas of how to clean this..


----------



## klawfran3 (Jul 24, 2015)

I've found that my Dwarf Hairgrass carpet is actually pretty sturdy and hard to dislodge because of all the runners crisscrossing everything. I use a regular siphon and give it a good scrub with the sucking end and that seems to get all the nasty stuff out. 
That being said, if you're worried you can using a small hose (aquarium airline tubing) for sucking out the things between the stems. It'll have a weak flow and won't pull out the plants.


----------



## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

How do you clean the substrate in a planted tank? You don't.

The junk that settles = good for your plants. 

What sort of gunk is it? Food? If so, maybe feed a bit less or more slowly. Is it a result of poor flow? Maybe adjust your filter/outflow/etc.


----------



## fishyfishy101 (Nov 12, 2014)

somewhatshocked said:


> how do you clean the substrate in a planted tank? You don't.
> 
> The junk that settles = good for your plants.
> 
> What sort of gunk is it? Food? If so, maybe feed a bit less or more slowly. Is it a result of poor flow? Maybe adjust your filter/outflow/etc.


+1 ^


----------



## philipraposo1982 (Mar 6, 2014)

You dont.


----------



## Beast from the east (Oct 16, 2014)

its all the fish poop and just degraded matters, ash looking. not food.
really you dont? how come the show aquariums with awesome carpet plants never have those gunk underneath the carpet right against the aquarium glass wall?! am i missing something.. it doesnt do anything bad, its just aesthetically not very pleasing to see all that gunk right against the front glass wall.


----------



## Mikeygmzmg (Mar 19, 2015)

somewhatshocked said:


> How do you clean the substrate in a planted tank? You don't.
> 
> The junk that settles = good for your plants.
> 
> What sort of gunk is it? Food? If so, maybe feed a bit less or more slowly. Is it a result of poor flow? Maybe adjust your filter/outflow/etc.


Yep -right on point.


----------



## Sarlindescent (May 14, 2015)

Beast from the east said:


> its all the fish poop and just degraded matters, ash looking. not food.
> really you dont? how come the show aquariums with awesome carpet plants never have those gunk underneath the carpet right against the aquarium glass wall?! am i missing something.. it doesnt do anything bad, its just aesthetically not very pleasing to see all that gunk right against the front glass wall.


Honestly, now that my 15 gallon has grown in, the only place I notice debris is on the tops of stones. I vacuum that and leave the rest. If the plants look dirty, I just rub the area with the planting/trimming scissors/tweezers.


----------



## BigJay180 (Jul 20, 2014)

Gently stir the water over the carpet with the python, catch any garbage that gets agitated. Then it's off to siphon the detritus out of the corners and hiding places.

I ended up replacing my carpets with crypts. I think they look nicer and are easier to clean up.


----------



## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

BigJay said it best - if it can't be stirred up with some gentle current, just leave it. It'll eventually break down.

Most show tanks you see are prepped for photography sessions. But most stuff will disappear once the tank grows in.


----------



## Beast from the east (Oct 16, 2014)

cool cool, thanks guys!


----------



## Diana (Jan 14, 2010)

If it really bothers you, you can trim the carpet plants so there is a gap between the glass and the plants. Then you can fit some tubing or a siphon in there, and it will clean that bare band, and will pull the most obvious material out of the nearest ground cover. 

Another way is to use a power head, the same way a gardener uses a blower. Be careful if the ground cover is not well established. In this case just waving your hand over it is plenty of water movement.


----------



## jcmv4792 (Jul 15, 2015)

BigJay180 said:


> Gently stir the water over the carpet with the python, catch any garbage that gets agitated. Then it's off to siphon the detritus out of the corners and hiding places.
> 
> I ended up replacing my carpets with crypts. I think they look nicer and are easier to clean up.


What kind of crypts?


----------



## MJB13 (Jun 30, 2015)

I use a turkey baster to gently "hose off" the substrate, then use the gravel vac to suck up anything that comes out.


----------



## Beast from the east (Oct 16, 2014)

Diana said:


> If it really bothers you, you can trim the carpet plants so there is a gap between the glass and the plants. Then you can fit some tubing or a siphon in there, and it will clean that bare band, and will pull the most obvious material out of the nearest ground cover.
> 
> Another way is to use a power head, the same way a gardener uses a blower. Be careful if the ground cover is not well established. In this case just waving your hand over it is plenty of water movement.





MJB13 said:


> I use a turkey baster to gently "hose off" the substrate, then use the gravel vac to suck up anything that comes out.


thanks for the tips!


----------

