Refugium Mud

ReefCleaners brand Live Refugium Mud is the real deal, and has been tested on the most diverse array of seagrasses and algae kept in the hobby. We think our product is better for growing the flora you want in your tanks, because we are in the business of doing just that.

What this product is -an in-house grown LIVE mud substrate that is designed to facilitate the growth of macro algae in your refugium, or macro tank. Because it is comprised of mostly fine sediment, (and finely crushed shell to promote water transfer), it will provide a large amount of surface area for bacteria to colonize, and will reach anaerobic conditions by itself within 1-1.5 inches.

What this product is not - a strange way to dose your aquarium with trace elements every so often. (although it does have the nutrient capacity to grow macro algae, this is not a product to use for dosing, use chemicals or water changes to keep your trace elements in check). It is also live in the sense it has not been packaged overseas in a container, shipped to a distributor and finally to the retailer's shelves. It is fresh, live, mud. Taken from the tank on the day of shipment and sent to your door.

What you should know - as a live substrate that has to endure shipping, it should be cycled, just in case there is die off, which would contribute to the nitrogen cycle. This can be done in a bucket, or in a refugium that has been plumbed out of the system temporarily. NEVER pour this product directly from the shipping bag into an established tank, this hobby is not about taking unwarranted risks, it is about patience. If the tank is new, (brand new or in the process of cycling, no livestock), than that is fine, otherwise it needs to be "cured".

Where this mud comes from - it is not harvested from the wild, we have always felt that the sea floor is something to leave undisturbed, and we intend to stick by that principle. It is grown from a blend of fine dry sand in our macro holding tanks.

FAQS-

So how is mud grown? Sorry, I know you have legitimate reasons for asking us, but we cannot divulge trade secrets. I do apologize for that.

Do I need this product to grow macro algae? No, it isn't necessary, but it is helpful. In a young tank it should improve the growth of seagrasses.

Does this product need to re-charged like other muds? - No. Set it in and let it develop further.

Should I worry about anoxia with this product since it comprised of fine sediments? Yes, if you make the mud portion of your substrate to deep. Please do not go past 1.5 inches in your tank with this product.

How much does it cost? The mud itself is only $1.50 a pound. To make the "shipped to your door" price efficient we are packing it in Flat Rate Boxes from USPS. They hold about 10 pounds of product. So with the shipping cost near $10, the total price of a box of mud comes to $25.

Can we apply discounts to this product? Unfortunately no, because a good portion of the price is for shipping.

Additional information and a photo of the mud can be found here:
Live Refugium Mud.

We stand behind this product, and hope your refugium will benefit from its potential.

Thank you for your interest in ReefCleaners.org!

John Maloney

 

Our mud starts with a dry fine sand mix that is used in our systems. Over time it is colonized by beneficial bacteria and micro fauna. Utilizing a composting process that mimics natural mechanisms, the fine dry sand is matured and turned into mud. It is then mixed with the sand from the Halimeda tank which develops a layer of Halimeda hash, the calcareous skeleton of Halimeda. Halimeda hash, as it is called, makes the finest white sand in the world, and adds calcium to our mud mixture. It is then sifted, and mixed with finely crushed shell to a desired consistency. While our mud is designed to reach anaerobic conditions within 1'' of depth, the finely crushed shell allows water transfer to occur throughout the substrate, reducing the risk of anoxia.

I think you give away the trade secret on your web site John?

Interesting product and write up, thank you

Steve

 

Sort of, last time we ran the writeup as a new product item, we were getting a lot of emails about "how can I make my own? Please send step by step instructions". So while can give everyone a general idea, we didn't want to go too far, although yeah, there really isn't much left to the imagination. I think we left in enough info to make mud, but not enough to make our specific mud.