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Is mulm useful after a couple of days dry?

Tony Swinney

Member
Joined
14 Dec 2008
Messages
1,185
Location
Cobham, Surrey
Hi all

My new tank has arrived, so I'm going to start scaping it in the next few days.

If I add mulm from my other tanks filters below the substrate, but then dont add water to the tank for a few days, will the goodness in the mulm be useless ? I'll be playing around with hardscape for a few days before filling the tank.

Ta

Tony
 
I guess so, because the useful bacteria would need water to survive. I'm not sure though.
 
Is it not the 'cr*p' that you are after to start a colony? If so then dry or fresh it still has the 'cr*p' in it to start that colony?

I do tend to just empty the whole filter content (after squeezing sponges etc) including water into the bottom of mine before adding the substrate on top so I have never done it 'dry'

AC
 
What SuperColey1 is true. the purpose of the mulm is not necessarily to seed the substrate with live bacteria colonies because that will happen anyway. The mulm consists of carbohydrates and other nutrients that feed the bacterial colony so that they will increase in population more rapidly and more robustly.

Cheers,
 
The only reason I add mulm is because of the large population of bacteria which kick starts the substrate into action. If the bacteria are all dead I see no great benefit of adding it. Adding small amounts of peat moss would IMHO be more beneficial.

James
 
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