To Remove or not to remove

[easilyconfused]

After reading a bit on removing dead plant material from the tank, I seem to have reached a stalemate. Most people say that it should be done but then others say that you don't have to worry about vacuuming around plants because they like a bit of detris. I may be extrapolating too much but on the farm, the easiest way to reduce fertilizer cost is to not remove the straw after a crop because it is lost nutrients. So, my question is, other than for aesthetics, does rotting plant debris cause many problems or does the nutrient cycling outweigh the problems? I've been cleaning out some of the plant material but not being meticulous about it and my plants seem to be stalled. Now to decide whether I should slacken on the cleaning or be more meticulous....

[Maverick2007]

Anything left to rott in the aquarium produces ammonia and for that reason alone IMO I would remove it.

Cheers

[Mgamer20o0]

big plant parts should be removed..... the reason not to gravel vac is so you dont mess with the roots of the plants. you still should go over the gravel. i do a circular pattern over the top kicking up dirt and sucking them out of the tank.

[TKOS]

I think you will have to describe your entire setup for us to figure out why your plant growth has stalled. Include water change frequencies.

[Plecosterone]

I only vacuum about once every 3 months and then only what is in the front of the tank. Everything except the very large stuff stays under the plants that are densely planted. I think the mulm is very beneficial to the plants. Ever step in water that is thick with plants and felt the gunk between your toes? If it is good enough for nature, it is good enough for me.

[tanker]

I would remove all dead material. Too much rotting stuff lowers PH too much, and is unsightly.