DarkDevil Posted July 28, 2003 Share Posted July 28, 2003 Hi, I am thinking to get a fuge for my 10g as it is growing hair algae like mad, I have heard ppl at the LFS trying to sell me the miracle mud for $40, wow another $40? do I really need the miracle mud, or can I just use some LS and put a small piece of LR in the fuge along with some feather caulerpa? I already bought some feather caulerpa from another reefer and I am thinking to put in the 10g tank for now, is it ok? coz I am going to move it to the fuge later, but while I am waiting to build the fuge, I want to put it in the tank first... anyways, thanks for all the replies. Link to comment
dickwayne Posted July 28, 2003 Share Posted July 28, 2003 Some fine sand should be alright. There's no need to waste your money on live sand, unless you're buying some from a tank that already has life in it. I've thought about miracle mud also, but I don't think it's worth the price. Link to comment
wetworx101 Posted July 28, 2003 Share Posted July 28, 2003 I use miracle mud in my tanks. Do you NEED it? No. Your salesman is full of it. Will it help reduce non-macro algae?? Not likely, in fact, it will most likely cause a big bloom...not that it is to blame. Take a look around places like wetwebmedia.com, some of the commercial coral farming sites, as well as reefcentral, and you will find articles that do everything from "make your own" to "scientific breakdown of miracle mud". You would be surprised whats in it. Many of the DIY mudders use potting soil mixed with silica sand and a few other things. Bottom line is that it is loaded with nutrients for many organisms, including algae...which would be the opposite of what you want. Dont get me wrong, I love the stuff...keeps trace elements high, buffers water parameters, adds calcium, no maint besides trimming the macro...but it is just the perfectly wrong solution for your problem right now. Have macro in it, as that is what will inhibit the pest algae. Hermits, snails, and some fish can help out as well, but the best thing I have done is to just keep the nitrates and phosphates down with macro in a fuge...and another suggestion: if the macro isnt working enough, light the fuge 24/7. The boost will prevent pest algae all in all. Beyond that, just good tank maint is a must. detrious and decaying matter in the sand should be removed before it adds to the nitrates of the tank. water changes kept up, low fish population/feeding, and minimal biological filtration...if any. Sure, maybe a small filter to polish off the water. but NO sponge filters, wet/dry, wannabe DSBs that end up adding nitrates instead processing. Maybe the mud would be better at a later date. BTW dickwayne, hes talking about mud, not sand, whole different ballgame. Link to comment
dickwayne Posted July 31, 2003 Share Posted July 31, 2003 I was saying he could just use sand for the fuge, and not waste fourty bucks on 5lbs of Miracle Mud. Link to comment
Gerard the fish Posted August 17, 2003 Share Posted August 17, 2003 There was a study done on miracle mud. Its chemical and biological make-up is exactly the same as regular plain old mud... dont waste your dough thanks - g Link to comment
wetworx101 Posted August 18, 2003 Share Posted August 18, 2003 Regular Mud was found to have a similar composition to Miracle Mud, but the Miracle Mud is not just that. It has much more silica in it suggesting a sand blend, as well as calcium sugesting some arag mixed in as well. I doubt regular mud would be a good idea in a reef. One of the articles where the mud is DIYed leaves very messy results for a while as well as a nasty algae bloom to follow. I'm not saying I'm the biggest fan, but it does do it's job well. It's funny, over in reefcentral I called Ca reactors made by PM, GEO, etc,...overpriced crap, because anyone who takes a few minutes to find out how to work with acrylic will realize how easy it is to work with and make one yourself. But over there I got blasted. Now, here, the noition of paying for Miracle Mud seems as proposterous since it is believed to be little more than regular mud. Funny. Link to comment
lee Posted August 18, 2003 Share Posted August 18, 2003 Quote: "Regular Mud was found to have a similar composition to Miracle Mud, but the Miracle Mud is not just that. It has much more silica in it suggesting a sand blend, as well as calcium sugesting some arag mixed in as well." End Quote I am needing to add some "Miracle Mud" to my refugium, and have been looking for an alternative. I did searches for DIY mud and mud recipes, but got nothing. Has any one successfully used a DIY mud? Where are the comparisions of MM to reg mud posted, couldn't find that either. Anyone got a good recipe??? Lee Link to comment
wetworx101 Posted August 18, 2003 Share Posted August 18, 2003 Oh Yeah, that is what I am referring to. I would have to search my saved pages files to find them, but I know I saved them. The best & most DIY site was for reef farming. At some farm they mixed potting soil, silica, aragonite and some other things and made their own. Cant remember off the top uf my head, but it was pretty easy to find under google ('reef mud'). Big article. They had a brown soup for a while, but when it cleared up it worked very well...boosted macro growth, had all the benefits of a dsb plus gave off many essential elements. Link to comment
Gerard the fish Posted August 19, 2003 Share Posted August 19, 2003 So its mud with some sand in it... Humm... Can someone say snake oil? Fill your fuge with some good deverse live sand from lots of tanks and the thing will get nasty as mud in no time! But in this case it will actually be beneficial. thanks - g Link to comment
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