[APD] RE: Mulm generators

["Thomas Barr" <tcbiii at earthlink_net>]

> Tom Barr recommends using mulm and peat in a Flourite substrate, doesn't 
> he?

Sometimes daily.

 I have a 18"x12"x10" gallon goldfish tank with three small goldfish 
> and I was wondering if they would ever generate enough mulm to add. When
I 
> gravel vac, I get a lot of horrible-looking stuff mixed in with a good 
> deal of goldfish poo. But although (after a few months) it can cover the 
> whole of the bottom of the bucket in a thin layer, I wouldn't have
thought 
> that this was enough. But can mulm be stored? If I decant of the water
and 
> pour the dregs into a bucket, and add more each time, would it turn the 
> remaining fish poo into mulm, and would it still be any good? Would it 
> matter if it dried out? Tom Barr recommended 1/4 of wet stuff per square 
> foot (2-3 times this amount for a non-CO2/carbon enriched tank). Any 
> guesses how long this would take to make?
>
> -- 
> Andrew McLeod
> thefish at theabyssalplain_freeserve.co.uk

Andrew, yes, mulm can be stored.
I would suggest drying it out if you plan on a longer term storage.
You can refrigerate it, but.........just don't do this if you have other
people living there:)

Dried, it can work somewhat like soil in this manner rather than an
immediate bacterial culture, but.......it has the bacterial spores that
will spring to life quickly after water is added.

Many aquatic systems are intermittent, they dry up and get inundated
frequently.
These bacteria simply wait, along with many other smaller invertebrates,
shrimps etc till the rains come.

The commerical cycling products are similar.

You don't need a lot to get a tank going, but if you can add roughly a 1 cm
layer on the the bottom, mix with the same or a tad less of ground peat,
this will do the trick. 

To this, you can add the sand/laterite, Eco complete, Flourite, Onyx,
Profile etc.

But you can also add the dried mulm as well as an amendment. 

Regards, 
Tom Barr



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