Bdonaldson
Aquarium Advice Addict
I wanted to get opinions on what is best to put in my refugium. Miracle mud or sand?
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Neither, bare bottom. This way things are easier to clean up if necessary. If you have the lbs per gallon in your display, there is no need for additional sand in a refugium. By going the bare bottom route, this gives more room for macro algae to grow. More algae = more nutrient export.
What if you decide to use rooting plants instead of macro algae though
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Are putting any plants in it? If so the mud is great for mangroves if not sand can work to I had both in mine I preferred the sand cause it was easier to clean
Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice
Neither, bare bottom. This way things are easier to clean up if necessary. If you have the lbs per gallon in your display, there is no need for additional sand in a refugium. By going the bare bottom route, this gives more room for macro algae to grow. More algae = more nutrient export.
+1Neither, bare bottom. This way things are easier to clean up if necessary.
Refugium mud is nonsense. I saw a study done on it years ago, and the findings were that there was nothing in it that proved it came from the ocean. The jar I had had pieces of what appears to be red brick in it and shiny, man-made plastic things. IMO, it's from someone's back yard.
That said, I have never vacuumed a sand bed in any of my salt tanks, and never needed to either. If you have a detritus build up, you need to increase flow. If there's a lot of food laying on it. you are overfeeding. A 1" sand bed needs no maintenance.
I think a sandbed in the display is a good idea. It is a good filter too. Keeping the sump bare for a scrub if necessary is a good idea IMO. But still gives more room for more algae. Want rooting macros then toss it in on some rock.