Miracle mud?

[dochow]

Anyone using miracle mud in their Refugium? What are the opinions out there on how well it works?

I'm looking to buy some for my Refugium which currently only has a 3inch sand bed.

Can I get some suggestions for making my Refugium more productive?

Thanks!

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

If you already have sand in there dont sweat the mud. IMO.
You can add a little if you want I uses FIji mud w tank water. in a syringe to inject it int the bed for my rooting plants(see the ecosystem video)
Also plant diversity imo. Good light(ugly shop lighting cool white + warm white) and flow up top to keep the food flowing down and nature takes its course.
3in is plenty i think its right in line with a dsb. Id look into seeding bristle worms and spagetti worm types or it wont be able to breathe. the rooting plants will help with that too.

 

[dochow]

Ok I thought DSB's were close to 6" or so. Where did you pick up Fiji mud and bristle/spaghetti worms? I also eventually need to get a better amphibod copepod population going. Do you use a specific vendor other than LFS?

 

[hatrix11]

Ipsf.com sells package deals. They are way over priced it's ridiculous. I used this for my dsb but I was desperate. I didn't have a reef club nor did I know any hobbiests. Plus none of my Lfs used sand. I've found bristle worms on eBay but no spaghetti worms. You could also try garf.org

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

The method I follow. I keep adding live every year. Bout an inch. I poke n prod it over a couple weeks then add. I figure in six years I'll get there or have a new tank. Seeded bristles by buying Chato from the Lfs from the bottom of the tank. Worms from a super friend Lfs and careful collecting. Reef cleaners ISPF? I think. GArf is prob the best. It's what I asked for for Xmas.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Around my reef club I can't give them away.
Bayer is pretty popular round here.

 

[Pfisherman]

Anyone using miracle mud in their Refugium? What are the opinions out there on how well it works?

I'm looking to buy some for my Refugium which currently only has a 3inch sand bed.

Can I get some suggestions for making my Refugium more productive?

Thanks!

I think it's a gimmick, all you are really doing is adding nutrients that your tank likely produces on its own. Let's find out more about your refugium before we do anything. What type of lighting do you run over it now, What type(s) of algae are you growing and how large is it in comparison to your tank?

I'm gonna tag @Randy Holmes-Farley because I believe he was involved in a thread somewhere else about this a couple years ago.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

That would be cool. From my research it was a bit gimmicky but one that worked for a lot of folks. Most agrees even ecosystem a skimmer was most often used for best success. I don't agree that the nutrients are in the tank already. Esp if it's a fresh build. It's kinda like adding a good topsoil to enrich the soil. IMO. Like seeding from an established tank.
I personally wouldn't unless I had a bunch of tanks go full ecosystem. It would be fun though. And I'd stay Planette method with the skimmer.
With the Fiji I did seed transfer from a smaller tank but added the Fiji to both deeper sand bed. Let it waift through the system. I had a lot quicker appear ant cycle.lots of corraline colors I never had and now 11 months later a much more mature appearing tank.

Btw OP. Amazon has the little bucket for like ten bucks. And had enough to share.
I hope to need the big bucket on the next build.

 

[dochow]

Hey Pfisherman, below is my current tank set-up. I have a Wavepoint 8watt LED over the refugium. Some chaeto which isn't growing well a mix of other things. Looks like caulerpa, a red algae and something else I don't know.

 

[dochow]

Here's my tank info.

Current DT set-up, start date 10/5/15:
75 gallon, 75 lbs live rock
ph 8.2, SG 1.025, 0 ammonia and nitrite, trace nitrate
Mg ? Ca 450 Phosph ?
30 gallon sump/refugium w/ mix of macro algae (chaeto, caulerpa, red). Coralife skimmer (actually works well)
All RO/DI water from spectra life 90gpd unit.

20 gallon QT, start date 11/31/15:
SG 1.023, ph 8.2. 2lb live rock, no sand. HOB filter and small pump.

Fish in DT:
Kole Tang (12/15/15)
Starry Blenny (11/14/15)
2 Stubby Ocelaris (11/14/15)

Invertebrates in DT:
Skunk cleaner shrimp (12/13/15)
Fire Shrimp (11/28/15)
4 mixed snails
4 hermits (Cortez and blue leg)

Corals (all frags):
Leather toadstool
Birdsnest
Candy cane
Stylophora
Psammacora
Encrusting Montipora
Frogspawn
Chalice

Fish in QT:
Royal Gamma (12/13/15)
Six Line Wrasse (12/13/15)

 

[dochow]

 

[dochow]

Turned it 180, shot from above

 

[9balliw]

I'm using miracle mud in this setup and it has been by far the best results I have had but I can't say what part is the biggest help I have a a.t.s and mud with skimmer I'm also getting more experienced in reef keeping all things are helping

 

[Pfisherman]

I wonder what is the spectrum of that little light? By any account that C. Prolifera should be growing at an invasive rate. The thing with the mud is that you are wanting these algae to be getting the nutrition it takes for them to grow out of your water, not from your substrate.

 

[Pfisherman]

Also now I'm looking at the dates and I'm going to tell you now that there is just not enough age in your aquarium to have massive growth of your macro.

 

[dochow]

The spectrum is 6500k, the caulerpa has some nice sprouts, has been there about a week. The chaeto has just been wilting. I still have yet to see signigficant Coralline algae, tank is very young still, but so far fairly stable

 

[dochow]

Here is the set up

 

[dochow]

I'm using miracle mud in this setup and it has been by far the best results I have had but I can't say what part is the biggest help I have a a.t.s and mud with skimmer I'm also getting more experienced in reef keeping all things are helping

Yeah I was thinking of adding just a smaller amount to my sand bed and see if I can get some added organisms, specifically worms for the movement of sand layers.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Yeah I was thinking of adding just a smaller amount to my sand bed and see if I can get some added organisms, specifically worms for the movement of sand layers.

There are no animals in the mud. BTW.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

The spectrum is 6500k, the caulerpa has some nice sprouts, has been there about a week. The chaeto has just been wilting. I still have yet to see signigficant Coralline algae, tank is very young still, but so far fairly stable

In crease the intensity of the Fuge light.
Also led's are misleading. 6500 can be achieved in several ways. Color mixing can be cheated. . And not give enough spectrum too. A single full spectrum spiral was not quite enough for my fuge. 30g tall.
Ignore watts a little too. Look at lumens. If it's not there it usually means they are cheating you. Home Depot clip light is an easy way to experiment.
If the calurpa is going sexual. Sprouts it's prob getting enough food. Ecosystems method leaves the light on full time to avoid this as it makes the water a little green. See their web site.
Corraline is a combo of nutrition and spectrum. If the DT doesn't have the spectrum it won't grow that fast.
It also relies on seeding. See above Fiji.