How do you clean the bottom of a heavily planted tank

[nuart]

Hi checking out how you would clean the bottom of a planted tank (carpeted)..... Do I need to?

[stormhawk]

You can use a small airline tubing to siphon out dirt among the bottom plants. Easiest way however is to use a net and swish it gently in the water column just above the plants. This dislodges the larger dirt particles which you can siphon it out. However, if it is heavily carpeted then just use the airline tubing. Con to using the tubing is that it will easily get clogged after awhile. Alternative is to use a normal gravel vac attachment to a siphon tube, but with a fine grid over the suction end so you don't disturb the plant bed too much.