Refugium set up question

[Peter Jones]

I am installing a HOT refugium. It has been suggested to me to use refugium mud. Has anyone tried it? Does it replace the live sand or do you put it below or above a few inches of live sand? Any comments on what to look for in the product when buying the mud? (it seemed bad enough when I was paying lots of money for rocks - now its mud!! What a hobby!!)

[Avi]

You can send your money directly to me....so I can sink it further into my reef. Well...anyway...there are folks that use the mud. I don't know how well it works in a hangon, where space is limited, but I have seen how it works in a refugium/sump and I am impressed. They have on going on a display tank at a fish store that I go to and the coral are, well, incredible...long term. They use the CPR system, and the CPR mud.

[gtriamy]

yea, the mud goes on the bottom, then live sand, depending on the flow and the plants ur puttin in there, ur sand depth will be different. BTW, if ur just growing macro and not sea grass or mangroves, don't use the mud just get ur sand bed really deep.

[Peter Jones]

I was surprised to read your suggestion not to use mud for just macro. I thought one of the benefits to the mud was to release trace elements into the display tank that benefited the coral and the fish. Is that not the case?

[sttroyiii]

I havent seen enough evidence that the different 'muds' make enough difference. Before you go too far, read the conclusion at the bottom of this page, even if you dont read the whole thing.

http://www.inlandreef.com/Testing/MManalysis.html

[Peter Jones]

Interesting article. Thanks. Others anecdotally seem to have success with the mud. Perhaps my best bet is to try without first and see how it all works and then go from there. Sounds like regular old LS and LR may do the trick.