[Tracy]

Ghost shrimp are scary -- they are so hard to see I would be afraid of siphoning one up (I accidentally killed a small albino cory like that years ago and I still have nightmares about it). Just gravel vac lightly around the plants -- the fish poop stays on top of the gravel anyways and you can siphon it out without disturbing the plants. As for uneaten food etc., your shrimps or corys will look after it and keep it clean. I find that the water in a well-planted aquarium stays very fresh.