Miracle Mud

[dogmatix]

Has anyone seen a miracle mud system running in N.Z, if so who did you get it from and how much as i am not going to set up a marine system untill i get my hands on some of that stuff. It just sound awesome

[Ira]

It'd probably cost you a lung to buy enough of it. Maybe you can find it cheap and it'll only cost a kidney, though.

I guess you could import it yourself. I think in the US it costs something like $50US for 5 kilos, so that's $120NZ, plus probably the same again for shipping. REEALLY pricy.

[Caryl]

What on earth (no pun intended) is a miracle mud system? Is someone giving fish facials to make them look younger? :lol:

[Ira]

It's basically just a mud or sand that's got all the trace elements and minerals mixed in with it that you'd need for a marine tank and plants.

[Caryl]

How boring! I was picturing all these fish milling about putting mud packs on their little faces, using the cucumber slices (dropped in for the bristlenoses) to refresh their eyes, and discussing the possibility of getting melanomas from the glare of the lights :lol:

[Ira]

Who knows, maybe it would work?

[RobH]

Are you after the mud to create a deep sand bed style aquarium?

You can use some types of playsand from hardware/toy stores to make the bed and when your cycle is complete you can add the elements to it.

There are places to get live sand activators, wondermud and detrivores online. Im not sure if customs would mess with your package though.

Or. If youre talking about the bioactive reef sand you can buy in sealed twenty pound bags that stuff isnt so expensive, shipping would be the big killer. However they claim all the bio stuff will stay alive for a year or so, you could ship it the slowest cheapest possible way.

[Warren]

Sounds like expensive dirt to me. Why not make it yourself! There is plent of information available on planted tank substrate fertilisers and even more available about the minerals and trace elements required for marines.

The elements are not hard to find at chemical suppliers. Just get the right quantities, mix it with a little water an add it to the mud / clay. Its what I do. It only costs about $100 to make 100kg of the stuff (if you buy the clay).

[RobH]

I would quite happily recomend this process for freshwater. However saltwater is a different kettle of fish. The cheapest way to do it is to add play sand and let the tank cycle for ages. The fastest way is to pay through the nose for bioactive sand from the get go.

[david]

might be ok

[Ira]

So, they're complaining that it's basically 60%ish sand? Yah think? My fish is 50% water! I want a refund! Seriously, though. It's the other 30% that's important. The alternative is basically to have 100% send with none of that other 30% minerals and trace elements.