Ecosystems Miracle Mud

[stagofdoom]

Hey everyone,

Im going to be building my sump here soon and Im trying to decide what to put in my refugium.

Ive been watching videos on it, and it looks like its a great product. The tanks that use it look amazing, but I also noticed they don't change the water as much with the system. I have an automatic water change system so I don't know if having that will influence my decision.

Anyone ever use Miracle Mud or anything like that? If so, what do you think about it and would you have to do anything different than setting up a sump for a regular sand bed refugium?

Thanks

 

[ErinCahir]

I did a mix of Miracle Mud and sand in my fuge on the big tank.

I have one word for it. MEH.

 

[d2mini]

Most people will say it's hooey. But I don't think there have been any real scientific non-partial studies on it's use in the aquarium.
And some analysis show it's got some WEIRD ingredients... like cardboard and other things that don't come from the sea. Then again, some people swear by it. I used it in my cube tank's fuge and I was kinda like Erin... not really sure if it did much? Hard to tell. Tank was healthy though.

For my new fuge, i used Walt Smith's Fiji Mud.
I figured at least this stuff actually comes from the ocean in Fiji... skimmed right off the ocean floor.

 

[stagofdoom]

Yeah I cant decide yet. Im 50-50 right now for either deep sand bed with chaeto and mangroves or miracle mud with chaeto and calerpa.

This guys tank looks amazing with Mircale Mud - THEBULLUK - YouTube

Also Mike Paletta, who has had tanks for 30+ years, uses miracle mud and a skimmer.

Decisions, Decisions.

 

[d2mini]

Yeah I cant decide yet. Im 50-50 right now for either deep sand bed with chaeto and mangroves or miracle mud with chaeto and calerpa.

This guys tank looks amazing with Mircale Mud - THEBULLUK - YouTube

Also Mike Paletta, who has had tanks for 30+ years, uses miracle mud and a skimmer.

Decisions, Decisions.

Yeah, i've seen Mike's tank videos. Very nice. And was one reason i was leaning towards miracle mud or something like it. My only reservation there is his friendship with the miracle mud creator.
Mainly I wanted some kind of mud as a substrate for mangroves and other marine plants. Any "miracle" benefit would just be a bonus. Something else to remember... with miracle mud it's recommended to replace a portion every so often. For Fiji Mud I've seen where you can just add more as the old dissipates over time. They say you can even add it to your current sand bed in your display at any time.

 

[mariobrothersleeve]

Most people will say it's hooey. But I don't think there have been any real scientific non-partial studies on it's use in the aquarium.
And some analysis show it's got some WEIRD ingredients... like cardboard and other things that don't come from the sea. Then again, some people swear by it. I used it in my cube tank's fuge and I was kinda like Erin... not really sure if it did much? Hard to tell. Tank was healthy though.

For my new fuge, i used Walt Smith's Fiji Mud.
I figured at least this stuff actually comes from the ocean in Fiji... skimmed right off the ocean floor.

D, id be shredding all my own cheese from now on if youre worried about cardboard. You ever wonder why shredded prebag cheese doesnt stick? You now have the answer!:D

 

[stagofdoom]

Yeah, i've seen Mike's tank videos. Very nice. And was one reason i was leaning towards miracle mud or something like it. My only reservation there is his friendship with the miracle mud creator.
Mainly I wanted some kind of mud as a substrate for mangroves and other marine plants. Any "miracle" benefit would just be a bonus. Something else to remember... with miracle mud it's recommended to replace a portion every so often. For Fiji Mud I've seen where you can just add more as the old dissipates over time. They say you can even add it to your current sand bed in your display at any time.

Yeah that's what really makes Fiji mud better, not having to change it. I just haven't seen as many reviews or videos of systems with the Fiji mud in it though.

My plan for right now is to build out my sump to be able to do Fiji Mud with Calerpa and Chaeto in it and have a skimmer as well. So Im going to build the sump where I can get a good amount of flow through the refugium. .

 

[d2mini]

Yeah that's what really makes Fiji mud better, not having to change it. I just haven't seen as many reviews or videos of systems with the Fiji mud in it though.

Tell me about it. There is almost zero user info out there.
And mine is brand new so not much i can say about it either. My only complaint so far is the stuff is VERY fine so just the simple act of sticking a plant into the surface creates a cloud of mud.

 

[stagofdoom]

Tell me about it. There is almost zero user info out there.
And mine is brand new so not much i can say about it either. My only complaint so far is the stuff is VERY fine so just the simple act of sticking a plant into the surface creates a cloud of mud.

As for right now my plan is to use the Fiji mud, and put chaeto and mangroves in it. Create my sump to allow for a good amount of flow through the fuge and use my skimmer. Might even put a fish in there at some point.

Luckily due to my little snag I have a little more time to plan before I get to plumbing and putting everything together. Dennis, I might check back with you in a week or two and see how your mud is doing. Still a short time, but wont hurt to check.

 

[stagofdoom]

Do you think I would need more flow than a regular sand bed refugium or can I set up my sump like I would for that and just put mud in it.

I was thinking of making it kind of like this sump, where the entry way for the water is lower so it will flow more through there.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnH8h_GLDY4&feature=c4-overview&list=UU00nMxE3rIUMgeVNROFzUFA]New Ecosystems Miracle Mud Sump - YouTube[/ame]

Thoughts?