Any planted tank keeper knows the situation: Every few weeks or so, the plants need trimming. Collecting the clippings and other bits and pieces off the surface afterwards is undeniably the most tedious part of the whole affair. With this photo gallery we'll show you how to make this job much easier.

In this aquascape several plant groups need trimming. We'll start with the ground cover Eleocharis sp. 'Mini'.

Soon the first clippings float upwards and gather on the surface. Now let's cut back the Rotala bushes.

After trimming, lots of different-sized bits and pieces are floating at the surface.

Let's remove the larger clusters of loose plant parts by taking them out manually.

The classic thing to do after that would be to scoop up the remaining small bits and pieces left over from trimming with a fish net - tedious and time-consuming work.

The clever alternative: Temporarily install a small skimmer, in this case, the Azoo Skim 250. In a few minutes it’ll suck away all the small, floating bits and pieces.

If there are some clippings still sticking to the glass: Just swipe them off moving your finger along the glass in the direction of the skimmer and let the device take care of them.

Pretty soon your water surface will be clean again. Now you can remove the skimmer. Pro tip: Move the skimmer slightly up so it protrudes a bit from the water before disconnecting it from the mains. As a result, the residue will remain in the filter chamber. Even though the skimmer will draw some air for a short time if you lift it up this will prevent small plant parts from escaping into the tank again when you take the device out.

We especially recommend this method for the removal of smaller plant pieces, for example after trimming fine-leaved ground covers such as Hemianthus callitrichoides "Cuba" or Eleocharis parvula.