starting new reef, MM all over, i am an idiot !

[mtb]

hi,

ar, i think i've screwed up right off the get go. i'm trying to set up a small 10g reef system with live sand, live rock, and a hang-on refugium.

i had the tank already, i went to my aquatics store for advice on the best way to get started, and was basically told to put 10 lbs of live sand in my tank, put about an inch of "miracle mud" (which, now that i am reading the forum, i realize was probably a waste of money) in the refugium, fill the refugium and add some live rubble, let the refugium sit over night so the mud would settle, then start the pump and proceed to get some live rock for the main tank, lighting, and go from there.

so this morning i turned on the pump and voila, fine dirt (aka mud) is immediately over the main tank, a thin layer of it on top of the live sand and the water basically looks like a muddy river.

am i screwed? will this pass in a few days? should i start from scratch while i still can and skip the mud?

any advice greatly appreciated.

 

[melosu58]

If you use the mud you have to cover it up with sand first. It will just dirty up the water if you dont. I used MM in my refuge but if I had to do it all over I would not use it as I dont see any value. BTW welcome to AA

 

[mtb]

Thanks, the LFS folks didn't mention that. I can attest without any shadow of a doubt that it does indeed just dirty up the water if you don't cover the mud with the sand. . Since I literally just started the tank do you think at this point I should just start from scratch all over again? I was given pretty poor advice at the LFS, which I can't say is surprising.

This is for a small 10g nano reef. (It looked very nice with the 10 lbs of "live sand" before my mud disaster.) I have the AquaClear 110 as hang-on-the back refugium, and my next move was going to add 15 lbs or so of live rock and work on lighting. That was before my mud disaster. Ultimately I'd like to have some soft coral, shrimp, h crab, and maybe a goby or two. The LFS folks said this was reasonable, bio load would be ok. Do you think so? What would you suggest for lighting? (The tank is 20").

Many thanks for your reply and welcome, I really appreciate it.

 

[mtb]

Hi again. I came in this morning (the tank is at my office) and things look 100% better. The water is not crystal clear, but it is night and day from where it was yesterday, and I think it will be OK. I think at this point I will proceed with adding live rock.

 

[land locked]

The guy I bought my tank and refugium from in Denver said I should put MM in the refugium, If you are saying I shouldn't, should I just to use the thin layer of cc and aragonite sand and live sand layers like I plan to do in my main tank? Also I know I am supposed to have plants in my refugium by I cant find what kind of plants are supposed to be best.

 

[melosu58]

Also I know I am supposed to have plants in my refugium by I cant find what kind of plants are supposed to be best.

Macro algeas. Cheato, Calerpa and others. Just be careful if you use calerpa. I use grape calerpa and they are good for nutrient export but they come with some risk. They must be lighted 24/7 and prunned regularly or they will go sexual and cause your water to turn white.