# Mulm



## tomloebl!8 (Jan 24, 2018)

Hi,

my tank has now been going for 8 months and over the last few weeks the water has cleared, the algae is gone and the mulm on the gravel surface that had been piled high early on has completely disappeared. Should I be concerned that the mulm is gone? Medium strength LED lights are on for 4 hours in the morning, 4 hours off, and 5 hours on in the evening. It's a 10 gallon tank heavily planted with LOTS of rotala, duckweed I keep under control, and several crypts, all growing well, with 3 ember tetras and two otos.


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## mistergreen (Mar 3, 2007)

Somebody cleaned your tank? lol.

If not somebody, it's some critter that eats mulm.


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## Michael (Jul 20, 2010)

All those little detritivores and microorganisms are happily doing their jobs! Sounds like a healthy tank to me.


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## JinxXx0085 (Jul 2, 2005)

I'm curious to see what your set up looks like. Can you post a picture?


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## tomloebl!8 (Jan 24, 2018)

Thanks all. I was hoping the lack of sludge on the bottom is normal. The plants and fish seem to be happy and the chemistry is pretty much as it should be. I attached a photo but this tank is a test bed and learning tool so no fancy landscaping. Some of the new crypts in the foreground are still taking root and the rotala desperately needs trimming. It grows like crazy.


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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

I love it!


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## ObiQuiet (Oct 9, 2009)

Wow, yes, that's heavily planted. I love the look -- could try that for the next iteration of my 10g kitchen tank. What light do you have to let the rotala grow like that?


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## tomloebl!8 (Jan 24, 2018)

Thanks , I followed Ecology of the Planted Aquarium for the most part. About an inch of OCPM with the wood chips skimmed over 3 days, topped by apprx. 2-4mm gravel. The light shrouds also similar to the one in the book. Using a pair of 7W 3500K Home Depot special LED bulbs. I had the local autoglass store cut me a piece of 6/16" plate glass for the cover. It was my first full size tank after experimenting with a 1 gallon tank. I found the water stratified without some circulation so I put in a small power filter

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AWV4R8I/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It's a perfect size for this tank without stirring up the surface. I recently added a small bubbler I use intermittently to break up to a bacterial layer on the surface.


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## Michael (Jul 20, 2010)

The increased water circulation may have contributed to the disappearance of mulm. More oxygen at the substrate means all the little critters can do their jobs better.


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## tomloebl!8 (Jan 24, 2018)

Hi Michael,

that makes sense. Also, if I poke the top of the gravel I get bubbles escaping from the substrate. It does not seem to have any odor so I'm guessing (and hoping) it's CO2.


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## Gerald (Mar 24, 2008)

The breakdown of "mulm" depends on what exactly it is. Dead plant leaves and poop from fish eating typical Meat & veggie based fish foods will decompose pretty quickly. Poop from wood-scraping "plecos" can last much longer.


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