reef Posted February 8, 2008 Report Share Posted February 8, 2008 Almost 3 years to the day when i was using Miracle mud. Used it for a few months and stopped as my sump was to small to go totally skimmless. Well i am looking to got back to using MM as it seems to be so much easier to look after and based on all the great tanks i see on teh net. Hollywood fish use it on the coral tank and you have to be impressed how well the tank runs with it. Will update photos when i change over soon. Photo on how it works. The sump is designed to hold caulerpa algae which takes out nutrients http://www.ecosystemaquarium.com/products/miracle_mud.cfm here was my sump full of caulerpa Very nice tank http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showt ... genumber=1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilson Posted February 8, 2008 Report Share Posted February 8, 2008 time for a second sump? :lol: one for skimmer one for MM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reef Posted February 8, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 8, 2008 Lucky i dont have to change much except move all the corals out the sump. i will run my skimmer at night only as i dont want to remove to much nutrients otherwise the algae might have nothing to use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anthony law Posted February 9, 2008 Report Share Posted February 9, 2008 what size is that sump, also what size tank is it running. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jolliolli Posted February 9, 2008 Report Share Posted February 9, 2008 How hard is it to get caulerpa in auckland, i don't see it for sale in chch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reef Posted February 9, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 9, 2008 what size is that sump, also what size tank is it running. how hard is it to get caulerpa in auckland, i don't see it for sale in chch Sump is about 1.2m x .6 x .6 You can't buy it , just have to ask around as a few hobbyist have it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilson Posted February 9, 2008 Report Share Posted February 9, 2008 im sure you could get a small plant from someone it wont cost much to send and it grows fast Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drifty Posted February 9, 2008 Report Share Posted February 9, 2008 IMO its a great system. I used miracle mud on my old tank and will on my new tank which gets water this week. My brother uses it on his tank with great results. Sure you have to pay extra to get the mud but you save in less water changes etc and you will get a great looking tank in the long run. Heres a few tanks running mm http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showt ... id=1053276 http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showt ... id=1305485 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reef Posted February 9, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 9, 2008 Nice tanks. I like the ease of it and there is so much life in the sump with the caulerpa. Will see if it will improve my acropora colours which is good but not so important for me as i run a all round tank with lots of coral species so i want something that will benefit all live not just the hard corals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gannet Posted February 9, 2008 Report Share Posted February 9, 2008 what sort of light does it need? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reef Posted February 9, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 9, 2008 The algae just needs floros. 6500 k would be very good li. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drifty Posted February 9, 2008 Report Share Posted February 9, 2008 dont bother with an aquarium light. I have a 26w energy saver bulb costs $7.50 works great. Check out melevs website its a simular bulb to what he uses, 5600k I think Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reef Posted February 9, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 9, 2008 $7.50. man someone is making a big profit. Good idea i might try two over my sump. my yellow the better as the caulerpa will go nuts. Will also add ammonia chloride as the alage takes on a nice lush green colour. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tangtastic Posted February 15, 2008 Report Share Posted February 15, 2008 So correct me if I am wrong but you are going to add nutrients (ammonia chloride) and reduce skimming (reducing nutrient export) so you can grow algae to remove nutrients? If your skimmer is more than capable of keeping up with waste production then why bother? Would it not just make more sense to reverse light the tank and use it as a refuge? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reef Posted February 15, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 15, 2008 If your skimmer is more than capable of keeping up with waste production then why bother? skimmer can't remove everything desolved organics for example. vs algae that will use it. but you are going to add nutrients (ammonia chloride) Initially to get the algae growing and so i can increase nitrates. ammonia gets converted to nitrates. Miracle has other benefits other than just removing nitrates. it adds iron and other vitamins. Would it not just make more sense to reverse light the tank and use it as a refuge? Is that not what miracle mud is for? to use as a refuge Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markoshark Posted February 15, 2008 Report Share Posted February 15, 2008 i'm going to be doing the same as well, thanks to my home-bodged phosphate reactor splitting and sending clouds of thick red crap flowing around my tank having to do a massive w/c and empty the sump out... grrr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reef Posted February 15, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 15, 2008 Mud has arrived so time to add, will add over the next few days. Also trying out NF metal and Iron supplements Will add mud and then leave lights of on the sump for a week so that that mud settles. Algae to be added soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camnbron Posted February 15, 2008 Report Share Posted February 15, 2008 Cool, I'll be watching out for updates of this subject with interest. Good to see people giving other products and methods a go Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reef Posted February 16, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 16, 2008 First step taken today to get the mud system going. Cleared sump and then added 4 bags of mud. will let it settle in the dark for a few days and then add 3 species of caulerpa to see which grows the best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reef Posted February 17, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 17, 2008 Day two, Added Caulerpa Tank has cleared form the initial mud addition. Algae has only been in the tank for 6 hours and already it is taking hold on the mud. Should double in size by next week, Tanks looks good today, however cyno bacteria could be a problem over the next few weeks which is normal when adding MM. Checked out Hollywoods coral tanks in Albany today, Still looking outstanding especially since they dont run a skimmer on the tank, only MM. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilson Posted February 17, 2008 Report Share Posted February 17, 2008 looks good reef i have a small bit of that algae in my tank on a small rock hasnt grown much if anyone in chch wants a go they can use mine to getem started its looking good reef hope it turns out good Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VinsonMassif Posted February 17, 2008 Report Share Posted February 17, 2008 I think it's a cool idea. Have you ever seen a SW tank, that is non-reef, full of Caulerpa and fish? Or is that not practicable? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markoshark Posted February 17, 2008 Report Share Posted February 17, 2008 full of Caulerpa and fish I had a little bit, my Naso destroyed it in less than 3 hours Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reef Posted February 17, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 17, 2008 Yes you can have a tank full of caulerpa and fish, only problem is that if you have tangs they will eat the caulerpa if you don’t have it well established. its looking good reef hope it turns out good Should work fine, i did it before but did not run a skimmer, the mud sump could not keep up with waste as it was too small. This time i have the same sump but will run a skimmer during the day and turn of at night, here is another tank using MM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wasp Posted February 17, 2008 Report Share Posted February 17, 2008 Very practicle, it would be something like a planted fresh water tank. The potential disadvantage I would see would be a large swing in pH from day to night due to the abundant photosynthesis during daylight, then plenty of Co2 production at night. However i've seen photos of some pretty awesome algae packed fuges overseas, with a miriad of life forms living among the greenery. The main time to watch all the critters is at night with a torch. The sign you have a really awesome ecosystem up and running in the fuge is when you are watching it with a torch in the late hours of the night, then you are suddenly disturbed by an angry wife yelling at you wanting to know why you have spent "hours" staring at the tank at night with a torch! :lol: (Yes, personal experience! Time can slip away! :lol: ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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