cleaning sand substrate with plants

[WOGGIES]

Hi everyone! When you guys clean the sand substrate with plants in it, how do you stir it up with plants (to get rid of chemical pockets) ? Can't the plant be damaged by stirring up the parts where the roots are? Also, will plants absorb the waste in the sand?

[smaug]

The glory of a healthy planted tank is the fact that gravel vaccing is really not necceasry.If you wish to aerate the sand just use yor fingers and gently poke down in the sand here and there gently.If the plants are growng well they will use up any garbage in the sand.Is it plain sand?

[WOGGIES]

The glory of a healthy planted tank is the fact that gravel vaccing is really not necceasry.If you wish to aerate the sand just use yor fingers and gently poke down in the sand here and there gently.If the plants are growng well they will use up any garbage in the sand.Is it plain sand?

Yea i believe its play sand. I've had it in there for a while now, but just put plants in there. I wasn't sure how to go about stirring it up. Ill just poke holes in there now i guess. Also, do the plants use the fish waste in the sand?

[smaug]

the plants will use whatever nutrients that get in the sand ,yes.

[gm72]

Agreed. I have a play sand planted tank that is doing just fine with no problems.