Just ordered some miracle mud for the fuge. thoughts?

[cristoe]

40lbs of miracle mud and we love it. I just got rid of a bunch of the mangroves and cheato. It seemed to perk up colors of corals and anemones seemed way happier after it was added

nice sump, my fuge is much smaller. i was gonna throw a sponge in there. you think will be sufficient...

 

[cristoe]

40lbs of miracle mud and we love it. I just got rid of a bunch of the mangroves and cheato. It seemed to perk up colors of corals and anemones seemed way happier after it was added

corals perked up after getting rid of the mangroves?

 

[Fourstars]

I did not realize Palette was drinking the kool aid too., maybe I should give it a try in one of my tanks.

 

[d2mini]

It's mostly snake oil.
Mud can have it's uses, like mentioned earlier... for planting certain items. Mangroves for instance.
But you have to change it out periodically (use the tupperware suggestion) and it's expensive. So in that sense, not good for mangroves because they dont like to have their root systems disturbed.

I've used it several times and never saw any benefits to it.
You're better off doing a deep sand bed in your fuge, and never disturb it.

 

[Fourstars]

Bringing up miracle mud is almost a bad as bringing up climate change.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Bringing up miracle mud is almost a bad as bringing up climate change.

Not as bad as bringing up the best salt mix though.

 

[cristoe]

So what's the general consensus? Return it and leave it without substrate?

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

It works for a lot of people.

It’s basically deep sand bed.
(Denitrifying area for bacteria)


It’s Reefing. There’s never a real consensus.

 

[Leo58]

I wish someone sold ocean floor mud that was not dried out, but teaming with life. I drop some dollars for ten pounds of that!

Go to floridapet.com, they have live mud by the ounces.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Go to floridapet.com, they have live mud by the ounces.

That’s cool!

 

[Hermie]

Go to floridapet.com, they have live mud by the ounces.

https://floridapets.com/

(with an s)

 

[Leo58]

I have mud that I keep in a container in the sump. Water need to flow over it and not through it, I successfully grow seagrass and shaving brush plants until my caulerpa overun the sump and kill my Seagrass. I don't believe in replacing the mud instead I add live mud or silt to replenish them.

 

[SPR1968]

lol i was hoping you did!

so if were just to dump it in the fuge it would make it's way around the sump and to the display? wouldn't it be difficult to try and grow mangroves when it's a set up like that?

You could just dump it in the sump, just put it in slowly otherwise it will cause a lot of cloudy water which could easily get in the display.

Once the mud is at the bottom of the sump I imagine it would stay there and no get blown around having seen the texture.

To be honest I’m just having a play around with growing a refugium which I haven’t tried before. My nutrients are all under control anyway with other systems, but I thought I’d try a bit if algae farming, well until I get bored or it starts to get in the way, or generally no longer ‘pleases me’! Lol

 

[johnthehermit]

I had an Ecosystem with MM type sump years ago which worked very well. I packed up the hobby/obsession for over ten years and restarted about three years ago. This time I went for a large quantity of siporax in crates in the sump with reactors for rowaphos and occasional activated carbon use. I was also carbon dosing to control nutrients and it worked well for a time. However after a while No3 and Po4 started to rise and it was difficult to control so I decided to go back to my old method. I ripped out the baffles in the sump and rebuilt it to suit a MM and macro algae set up. I have a 100 gallon tank and a large sump with a decent area for the refugium with 30 pounds of Miracle mud and caulerpa prolifera, chaeto and a couple of other macros. It's lit with a 125 watt 6400k CFL on a reverse cycle and my Deltec sc 1456 only runs for 6 hours a day. I use no other No3 or Po4 removal equipment. My display is overstocked with fish and I feed quite heavily. I employ the balling lite method to maintain calcium and alkalinity for my corals which are doing well with good growth and colour. My refugium is teeming with life, mysids, pods, worms and mini brittle stars plus stomatella snails etc. No3 and Po4 are at low levels. I also employ two A model Sochting Oxidators in my return section. It'a a good natural, low maintenance system IMHO. It sure ain't snake oil my friends.
John

 

[cristoe]

I had an Ecosystem with MM type sump years ago which worked very well. I packed up the hobby/obsession for over ten years and restarted about three years ago. This time I went for a large quantity of siporax in crates in the sump with reactors for rowaphos and occasional activated carbon use. I was also carbon dosing to control nutrients and it worked well for a time. However after a while No3 and Po4 started to rise and it was difficult to control so I decided to go back to my old method. I ripped out the baffles in the sump and rebuilt it to suit a MM and macro algae set up. I have a 100 gallon tank and a large sump with a decent area for the refugium with 30 pounds of Miracle mud and caulerpa prolifera, chaeto and a couple of other macros. It's lit with a 125 watt 6400k CFL on a reverse cycle and my Deltec sc 1456 only runs for 6 hours a day. I use no other No3 or Po4 removal equipment. My display is overstocked with fish and I feed quite heavily. I employ the balling lite method to maintain calcium and alkalinity for my corals which are doing well with good growth and colour. My refugium is teeming with life, mysids, pods, worms and mini brittle stars plus stomatella snails etc. No3 and Po4 are at low levels. I also employ two A model Sochting Oxidators in my return section. It'a a good natural, low maintenance system IMHO. It sure ain't snake oil my friends.
John

I have have much smaller refugieum area. Did you just lay it down there? Do you ever replace or change the mud?

 

[johnthehermit]

I have have much smaller refugieum area. Did you just lay it down there? Do you ever replace or change the mud?

The mud are is divided into three with short glass walls just over an inch high so I will change out a third of it soon. After that I'll change another third each year or so. If you're careful and don't stir it up too much it only takes a couple of hours to settle and then you can put the return pump back on. Any remaining dust after that is picked up by my X-Filter. In a smaller area using plastic boxes like Tupperware is a good idea.
John

 

[cristoe]

The mud are is divided into three with short glass walls just over an inch high so I will change out a third of it soon. After that I'll change another third each year or so. If you're careful and don't stir it up too much it only takes a couple of hours to settle and then you can put the return pump back on. Any remaining dust after that is picked up by my X-Filter. In a smaller area using plastic boxes like Tupperware is a good idea.
John

3 what?

 

[RCS82]

3 sections I think they meant.

 

[johnthehermit]

3 sections I think they meant.

Yup, age related cockup I did mean the fuge/mud section is divided into 3 with glass dividers about 1 1/4 inches high, siliconed in place. Should have been mud AREA.
jOHN

 

[steallife904]

I would not just dump it in, put it in a container like mentioned... or just skip it. I used it years ago and never noticed anything positive from it. I had an algae issue years ago and cant say 100% it was the mud but when I removed the mud it started to go away. I believe over the 2 years I had it in the fuge it trapped a bunch of stuff like a sandbed can and started to break down in there which dumped the nutrients back into the tank....
And let me tell you when I was cleaning it out not only was it hell getting the mud out and wiping everything down but it smelled like death. Never again for me