Finally, someone who looks at mulm more like compost and less like a pile of cow patties! I had to abandon my tank when my mom got sick, at the end of six months with only one fish food feeding per month, I had only lost one or two Mississippi grass shrimp and the same for White Cloud Mountain minnows. To this day, I am convinced they survived on algae, plant matter and micro organisms.👍
Your timing couldnt be more perfect. All points noted n well-taken. Im starting up (4) 10 gal tanks just med-coarse gravel n heavily planted w some snails, shrimp, n endlers. Im going to patiently wait n embrace the mulm. Thank you! Roland
It all makes sense now.Thank you for talking about mulm. In the wastewater industry they have a mulm called activated sludge and they analyze these to the max (of course, they have a lot of funds to go into scientific research). Interesting about your observation in regards to a different fish behaviour in a very clean tank. Also that jello consistency of mulm in certain tanks. Maybe they are a form carbonaceous gel. Bacteria stores them outside of itself in cases where there is not enough nitrogen or phosphorus.
I put my excess mulm into an aerated bioreactor to breakdown to release the nutrients and minerals to fertilize planted vegetables. I add all my nonmedicated fish waste water to the same bioreactor. The bioreactor is a 15 gallon HDPE sump tank that has three large air stones in it. I cut any excess potable water grade HDPE pipe scraps into rings that float in the bioreactor to provide more surface area for beneficial bacteria.
@@FishmanEricRussell I've started filming some of my stuff. I need to get around to making a new account and posting it. I want to keep this account anonymous because posting opinions people disagree with can have a huge personal cost. Especially when a comment is from a decade ago and societal norms have changed since.
Thank you for the video, it gave me an epiphany about the tank I had as a kid. Interesting topic for sure. My dad set up an aquarium for me at my mom's when I was a kid 20-25 years ago, and now this video made it make more sense what he did in the setup. It was pea gravel substrate, couple of rocks, some plants like anubias, plus some other plants that reached the surface and covered parts of it (that I don't know the name of). Can't remember ever having any other maintenance routine than changing the water every now and then, and then just quick rinses of debris from the sponge on the powerhead filter. I'm sure there was some minor algae on rocks and so on, but also that the fish kicked up "gunk" regularly as they swam close to the substrate or was interacting with it. A bit long comment, but point being that I had 3 F1 firemouths my dad got ahold of somehow, and I don't quite remember which other fish were there except a handful of congo tetras. All the fish had amazing coloration, the firemouths were constantly breeding and pretty much always had that dark grey coat, all beautiful fish, and can't remember ever having sick fish. Thing is, despite being a kid, I think it was a good approach to by my dad to simply let me have something that was low maintenance but was all the more interesting to look at because of the more natural-looking environment that the fish apparently thrived in. That "the brown gunk", or mulm, and associated beneficial ecosystem of the tank maintained a healthy environment makes a lot of sense in retrospect, and the powerhead filter probably cleared up the water column of the loose mulm that got kicked up so it never looked unappealing to me. That's the epiphany I got now from watching your video. The mulm might just have been what made it turn out so well, and been a strong contributing factor to why it was so enjoyable for me. Your video helped put that into perspective, thank you for that. I remember so well my dad brought a used and dirty sponge covered in mulm, saying it's good to have to get started, and emptied into a bucket and poured it in. The mulm left in the tank probably helped a lot to act as a buffer, as I realize now I might have been too thorough with the rinsing of the sponge on the filter (thinking of it more like vacuuming under the bed), and likely overfed a bit. I hope more kids (and adults) get to experience a more ecologically balanced tanks like I did, rather than more artificial ones that need a lot of maintenance to keep the fish alive and healthy. I really do believe most people would prefer a tank that grows and evolves over time, so I hope they can learn it can be less active effort to maintain it that way and that it gives them more time to just observe and enjoy it. Especially if it greatly increases the chances that the tank won't crash and the fish will be healthier, even if the owner makes a mistake here and there, or has some bad routine.
It's facinating. I enjoy your videos like this. I leave mulm in my fry tanks like in your video, had no problems. Had more issues with immaculately clean tanks...
Jack says he’s going to start calling the “hall pass” at school the “mule pass” we’ll see if it catches on😆😆 awesome video Fishman....we tend to vacuum it out with water changes if we see a lot but if there’s not too much we let it ride out and it usually breaks down and reduces on its own and this also lets us know we need to feed less if we see too much....
Thanks for the video. I have heard a few of these points before, but you articulate the information better than the rest. Additionally, you are a more trusted source. I have noted with my son’s , Neolamprologus multifasciatus, aka “Multies” , that their habit of building with sand constantly sifts the substrate. I expect that this limits the size and toxic content of anoxic pockets. The detritus also gets turned over into the substrate. I assume these factors make it easier to have a balanced “planted” tank. (The plants float.) Thanks again, Jim
Lucas Bretz sells his mulm on his website. Dr. Novak might disagree that the mulm may be anoxic rather than anaerobic and still be good for the tank. In summary this may justify my sometimes delinquent efforts at gravel vacuuming (LOL). Thanks Fred O
Hey Fred! Selling mulm got to love that. I've always used it when starting new tanks. Whether it's anoxic or aerobic is all about amounts and currents. As always in what we do here balance balance balance
I have lots of this, even though all I have are 2 nerites, & 2 teeny MTS’s. It’s on every surface, leaves, rocks, driftwood & substrate, and appears immediately after each weekly water change! No fish food. Only occasional cucumber, zucchini, algae wafers. Is it my substrate! It is Aqueon Plant & Shrimp substrate (clay) & sand. This was a problem before I even added snails… I use a sponge filter & air stone. Tank is 10 gal. The sponge filter gets filthy quick. I’m lost & very frustrated! My gravel vac doesn’t get it out. I have to use turkey baster & it takes forever! My plants, only anubias & java ferns look bad too. Tank has only been cycled for 4 weeks…
It's hard to tell without seeing the tank. I have had a few instances where mulm actually grew in the tank, but that was rare. The only thing I can think of is some kind of reaction involving your substrate. Then again this is just a guess as I haven't seen the tank
See the mulm, Feel the Mulm, Be the Mulm.... Embrace the mulm🤗 It can be a beautiful thing 😂🤣 I never realized how important it was in the filtration though 🤔 it makes sense. I had heard that if you have a buildup of mulm that your biological filtration of your substrate might not be enough? And you needed to add more substrate? Thank you for always teaching me stuff Fishman🧠😉💪 I hope you have a wonderful day!!🙏🌿🐟🌿💚
I should have got you to right my thumbnail Mary! I love that! Mulm buildup is actually a combination of a bunch of things like tank flow, mechanical filtration, amounts of fish and food etc... So many things and it all comes back to that elusive thing for most aquarists balance. Have a great day too Mary!
buy far the most informative video in the shortest time out there on this subject a true pro short and sweet videos like this are good for all with subject's like this you should try making a second video going as in depth as you can 50min+ and see what the response from it is I'm confident the majority of us will appreciate it 👍
@@FishmanEricRussell having only a few years of experience going beyond having 1 tank your video's have been buy far the best any chance of a live stream with a phone number
@@FishmanEricRussell I'm not sure what changed but six months to a year ago the mulm buildup on my filters drastically accelerated. Does it work kind of like culling back plants where it takes some sequestered nitrate with it?
@@Aaron.Reichert I'm not sure of the whole mechanism, but I have had a few tanks over the years where they just manufactured the stuff. Tanks where the population of fish and the amount of food would normally only require a GV every few months or so. I could GV these tanks every week and not deplete the amount of mulm. It was never a problem and if I get another one I will look into it more.
If you deal with chronic diseases with bloat and skinny, it's likely fish TB, Mycobacterium. Cleaning out the mulm help to keep the bacteria number down.
Hey ProfessorM! That's one of the main reasons I go to such great lengths to quarantine and avoid cross contamination in my systems. An outbreak of any disease is to be avoided at all costs.
Hey bro thanks for video Small note that i have noticed you keep guppies and angel fish together that is what i wanted to do too 😊😅 so could you please give me some advice on keeping them together and happy
So glad you like the video! There's no real trick. It's more about what the fish become used to seeing in their environment. If you buy the angels young and raise them with guppies always being there, they don't see them as food as they grow. I had a friend who once kept guppies and predatory Haps together. I'm sure he lost a bunch of guppies, but in time they just saw them as just being there and stopped eating them
greetings brotha, a timely share which I am happy and please about. Thanks boss, have a blessed weekend. Never heard of " Mulm " before, know it as either either sludge or just waste hahahahahaha. Informative. Question do you think fish waste have a particular smell, one which can help to determine when system definitely needs cleaning....a different smell from dead fish hahahaha, what do you think ?
That is a very good point Raliegh! One I should have covered but also one that is so hard to explain. Whenever I get a new client or I'm trying to figure out what is going on in a tank, I smell the filter and also a handful of gravel. There is so much one can tell from that but how to explain what to sniff for. Have a great day too my friend!
The simple answer is no. Mulm is the final end product after everything in your aquarium has had a go at it. There are still some microorganisms that very slowly break it down but the majority of available nutrient has been removed.
Finally, someone who looks at mulm more like compost and less like a pile of cow patties! I had to abandon my tank when my mom got sick, at the end of six months with only one fish food feeding per month, I had only lost one or two Mississippi grass shrimp and the same for White Cloud Mountain minnows. To this day, I am convinced they survived on algae, plant matter and micro organisms.👍
So true! There is so much going on in our tanks and all of that cleaning is often counter productive. Better to try for a balance
Your timing couldnt be more perfect. All points noted n well-taken. Im starting up (4) 10 gal tanks just med-coarse gravel n heavily planted w some snails, shrimp, n endlers. Im going to patiently wait n embrace the mulm. Thank you! Roland
Cool! Let me know how it goes
I found your channel today and subscribed to it today 😊
Thanks so much and welcome!
Thanks for all the valuable information
Thank you for taking the time to watch!
Great educational video!! thanks for the great content!
Thank you for taking the time to watch!
As always, perfectly time for my drive to work!
Funny how things work out! have a great day!
It all makes sense now.Thank you for talking about mulm. In the wastewater industry they have a mulm called activated sludge and they analyze these to the max (of course, they have a lot of funds to go into scientific research). Interesting about your observation in regards to a different fish behaviour in a very clean tank. Also that jello consistency of mulm in certain tanks. Maybe they are a form carbonaceous gel. Bacteria stores them outside of itself in cases where there is not enough nitrogen or phosphorus.
So glad you found this interesting! So much going on in mulm for sure
I put my excess mulm into an aerated bioreactor to breakdown to release the nutrients and minerals to fertilize planted vegetables. I add all my nonmedicated fish waste water to the same bioreactor. The bioreactor is a 15 gallon HDPE sump tank that has three large air stones in it. I cut any excess potable water grade HDPE pipe scraps into rings that float in the bioreactor to provide more surface area for beneficial bacteria.
Fish tank water and mulm are excellent for plants. Love that setup you have for using it!
@@FishmanEricRussell I've started filming some of my stuff. I need to get around to making a new account and posting it. I want to keep this account anonymous because posting opinions people disagree with can have a huge personal cost. Especially when a comment is from a decade ago and societal norms have changed since.
Thank you for the video, it gave me an epiphany about the tank I had as a kid. Interesting topic for sure. My dad set up an aquarium for me at my mom's when I was a kid 20-25 years ago, and now this video made it make more sense what he did in the setup. It was pea gravel substrate, couple of rocks, some plants like anubias, plus some other plants that reached the surface and covered parts of it (that I don't know the name of). Can't remember ever having any other maintenance routine than changing the water every now and then, and then just quick rinses of debris from the sponge on the powerhead filter. I'm sure there was some minor algae on rocks and so on, but also that the fish kicked up "gunk" regularly as they swam close to the substrate or was interacting with it. A bit long comment, but point being that I had 3 F1 firemouths my dad got ahold of somehow, and I don't quite remember which other fish were there except a handful of congo tetras. All the fish had amazing coloration, the firemouths were constantly breeding and pretty much always had that dark grey coat, all beautiful fish, and can't remember ever having sick fish. Thing is, despite being a kid, I think it was a good approach to by my dad to simply let me have something that was low maintenance but was all the more interesting to look at because of the more natural-looking environment that the fish apparently thrived in.
That "the brown gunk", or mulm, and associated beneficial ecosystem of the tank maintained a healthy environment makes a lot of sense in retrospect, and the powerhead filter probably cleared up the water column of the loose mulm that got kicked up so it never looked unappealing to me. That's the epiphany I got now from watching your video. The mulm might just have been what made it turn out so well, and been a strong contributing factor to why it was so enjoyable for me. Your video helped put that into perspective, thank you for that. I remember so well my dad brought a used and dirty sponge covered in mulm, saying it's good to have to get started, and emptied into a bucket and poured it in.
The mulm left in the tank probably helped a lot to act as a buffer, as I realize now I might have been too thorough with the rinsing of the sponge on the filter (thinking of it more like vacuuming under the bed), and likely overfed a bit. I hope more kids (and adults) get to experience a more ecologically balanced tanks like I did, rather than more artificial ones that need a lot of maintenance to keep the fish alive and healthy. I really do believe most people would prefer a tank that grows and evolves over time, so I hope they can learn it can be less active effort to maintain it that way and that it gives them more time to just observe and enjoy it. Especially if it greatly increases the chances that the tank won't crash and the fish will be healthier, even if the owner makes a mistake here and there, or has some bad routine.
Thanks so much for sharing your experiences with me! Your Dad was definitely right about adding that old sponge to start thing s off.
wonderful video. thanks!
Your welcome!
To quote Mike from Michael's Fish Room... "Mulm is life."
There is lots of good in it for sure. Thanks for watching!
Great informative video, thanks!
Thank you for taking the time to watch!
It's facinating. I enjoy your videos like this. I leave mulm in my fry tanks like in your video, had no problems. Had more issues with immaculately clean tanks...
That's usually the way it goes. Thanks for coming by!
Thanks for the info Mr Fishman. Love the vids
So glad you liked it!
Jack says he’s going to start calling the “hall pass” at school the “mule pass” we’ll see if it catches on😆😆 awesome video Fishman....we tend to vacuum it out with water changes if we see a lot but if there’s not too much we let it ride out and it usually breaks down and reduces on its own and this also lets us know we need to feed less if we see too much....
The "mulm pass" love it!
Thanks for sharing
Thanks for taking the time to watch!
Great video!
Much appreciated!
Thanks for the video.
I have heard a few of these points before, but you articulate the information better than the rest. Additionally, you are a more trusted source.
I have noted with my son’s , Neolamprologus multifasciatus, aka “Multies” , that their habit of building with sand constantly sifts the substrate. I expect that this limits the size and toxic content of anoxic pockets. The detritus also gets turned over into the substrate. I assume these factors make it easier to have a balanced “planted” tank. (The plants float.)
Thanks again,
Jim
That's so very kind of you Jim! Much appreciated!
Lucas Bretz sells his mulm on his website. Dr. Novak might disagree that the mulm may be anoxic rather than anaerobic and still be good for the tank. In summary this may justify my sometimes delinquent efforts at gravel vacuuming (LOL). Thanks Fred O
Hey Fred! Selling mulm got to love that. I've always used it when starting new tanks. Whether it's anoxic or aerobic is all about amounts and currents. As always in what we do here balance balance balance
These guppies are amazing!!
Thanks so much!
I have lots of this, even though all I have are 2 nerites, & 2 teeny MTS’s. It’s on every surface, leaves, rocks, driftwood & substrate, and appears immediately after each weekly water change! No fish food. Only occasional cucumber, zucchini, algae wafers. Is it my substrate! It is Aqueon Plant & Shrimp substrate (clay) & sand. This was a problem before I even added snails… I use a sponge filter & air stone. Tank is 10 gal. The sponge filter gets filthy quick. I’m lost & very frustrated! My gravel vac doesn’t get it out. I have to use turkey baster & it takes forever! My plants, only anubias & java ferns look bad too. Tank has only been cycled for 4 weeks…
It's hard to tell without seeing the tank. I have had a few instances where mulm actually grew in the tank, but that was rare. The only thing I can think of is some kind of reaction involving your substrate. Then again this is just a guess as I haven't seen the tank
See the mulm,
Feel the Mulm,
Be the Mulm.... Embrace the mulm🤗 It can be a beautiful thing 😂🤣
I never realized how important it was in the filtration though 🤔 it makes sense.
I had heard that if you have a buildup of mulm that your biological filtration of your substrate might not be enough? And you needed to add more substrate?
Thank you for always teaching me stuff Fishman🧠😉💪
I hope you have a wonderful day!!🙏🌿🐟🌿💚
I should have got you to right my thumbnail Mary! I love that! Mulm buildup is actually a combination of a bunch of things like tank flow, mechanical filtration, amounts of fish and food etc... So many things and it all comes back to that elusive thing for most aquarists balance. Have a great day too Mary!
@@FishmanEricRussell😂👍😁
buy far the most informative video in the shortest time out there on this subject a true pro short and sweet videos like this are good for all with subject's like this you should try making a second video going as in depth as you can 50min+ and see what the response from it is I'm confident the majority of us will appreciate it 👍
Much appreciated Colin! I'm so glad you liked it!
@@FishmanEricRussell having only a few years of experience going beyond having 1 tank your video's have been buy far the best any chance of a live stream with a phone number
@@colinhamer6506 One of these days I will have to give that a try
👍👍👌👌
Thanks so much!
I get that gelatinous mulm buildup on my hang-on-back filter cartridges.
I blast it clean with the water hose once or twice a week.
Hey Aaron! That's fast buildup. It gets into one aspect of mulm which I forgot to cover and that's mulm that replicates itself.
@@FishmanEricRussell I'm not sure what changed but six months to a year ago the mulm buildup on my filters drastically accelerated.
Does it work kind of like culling back plants where it takes some sequestered nitrate with it?
@@Aaron.Reichert I'm not sure of the whole mechanism, but I have had a few tanks over the years where they just manufactured the stuff. Tanks where the population of fish and the amount of food would normally only require a GV every few months or so. I could GV these tanks every week and not deplete the amount of mulm. It was never a problem and if I get another one I will look into it more.
If you deal with chronic diseases with bloat and skinny, it's likely fish TB, Mycobacterium. Cleaning out the mulm help to keep the bacteria number down.
Hey ProfessorM! That's one of the main reasons I go to such great lengths to quarantine and avoid cross contamination in my systems. An outbreak of any disease is to be avoided at all costs.
@@FishmanEricRussell Sadly, Mycobacterium is everywhere, especially in dirt/soil.
Have you done a feeding video? I find myself not 100% sure I am feeding or over feeding.
I have, but they weren't directed at over vs. under feeding. I will think on that and see if it can be explained in a video. Thanks for watching!
Hey bro thanks for video
Small note that i have noticed you keep guppies and angel fish together that is what i wanted to do too 😊😅 so could you please give me some advice on keeping them together and happy
So glad you like the video! There's no real trick. It's more about what the fish become used to seeing in their environment. If you buy the angels young and raise them with guppies always being there, they don't see them as food as they grow. I had a friend who once kept guppies and predatory Haps together. I'm sure he lost a bunch of guppies, but in time they just saw them as just being there and stopped eating them
greetings brotha, a timely share which I am happy and please about. Thanks boss, have a blessed weekend. Never heard of " Mulm " before, know it as either either sludge or just waste hahahahahaha. Informative. Question do you think fish waste have a particular smell, one which can help to determine when system definitely needs cleaning....a different smell from dead fish hahahaha, what do you think ?
That is a very good point Raliegh! One I should have covered but also one that is so hard to explain. Whenever I get a new client or I'm trying to figure out what is going on in a tank, I smell the filter and also a handful of gravel. There is so much one can tell from that but how to explain what to sniff for. Have a great day too my friend!
Will mull cause algae ?
The simple answer is no. Mulm is the final end product after everything in your aquarium has had a go at it. There are still some microorganisms that very slowly break it down but the majority of available nutrient has been removed.
muuuulm 8i
Thanks for watching!
I think you hit on the key word a few times in the video "BALANCE" too much of anything is no good.
The ever elusive and hard to explain to aquarists concept. So true!
That's too much poop 💩😅
LOl! Hope your having a great week Joe!