[Sergio Henrique]

hi everbody,

I would like to know about the Miracle mud ecosystem, is It realy great ?

what's the best the traditional tank with skimmer or this miracle mud ?

this is one site I found about :

http://www.ecosystemaquarium.com/html/comparison.html

thanks

[Reefland]

Eco Systems with Miracle Mud can and are sucessfully used, however the cost associated with this method is a bit higher as regardless, I would use a skimmer. Most people have moved away from this thought and simply go with a protein skimmer and an attached refugium that contains macro algae for nutrient export.

[Poseidon]

I'll second that. My friend Matt started with a "mud" system, and has since went to a skimmer. Personally I use a skimmer and a sump with tons of macro algae growing in it!

[dougc]

Originally Posted by Poseidon

I'll second that. My friend Matt started with a "mud" system, and has since went to a skimmer. Personally I use a skimmer and a sump with tons of macro algae growing in it!

Although it is more expensive, I would go with both a skimmer and mud. I consider the mud filter to be an alternative to an in-tank sandbed. The mud gets replaced periodically, which may avert some of the problems seen with old sandbeds.

Even EcoSystem now advocates using a skimmer on tanks with high bioloads. Mike Paletta, who is a staunch advocate of EcoSystem, now uses a skimmer on on one of his tanks. Because of travel for work, he has been unable to stick to a program of regular water changes and the skimmer has filled the maintenance gap nicely.

At the end of the day, it is all about removing nutrients from the tank. The more export mechanisms, the better. On my tank, I am currently running just an EcoSystem filter, but my bioload is still pretty low. When I start to add larger fish to the tank, I will add a skimmer.