# Brown mulm on aquarium gravel



## Jaap (Jun 24, 2005)

Hello,

I keep collecting this matter from the top of the aquarium substrate. This initially appeared when I started overdosing Excel to kill thread algae. The thread algae died and I think left this behind. The problem is that I keep collecting this stuff from the tank and it keeps coming back.

Is this because the algae grows and dies all the time? I don't see any algae any more for a long time but I keep overdosing Excel.

Maybe its my Azzoo substrate which deteriorates? I don't have any fish in the tank and my plant biomass is low-medium.

What is this anyway?


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## Jaap (Jun 24, 2005)

This mulm is unbelievable! I remove it and after a couple of days BAM its there again! No fish! Just snails and a low biomass of Eleocharis Parvula....I can't believe the malm gets created so quickly....something else must be wrong....


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## Spanosilvio (Mar 20, 2012)

I think this is diatom algae, they should disappear when the tank reach a good maturity, i still have some after 6 months in my tank, i don't even siphoned out, it just reduce the mass volume overtime and is good food i believe for fryes and shrimps. 

Sent from my SGH-I896 using Tapatalk 2


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## Jaap (Jun 24, 2005)

Definitely not diatoms. The tank is over a year old...if it was diatoms it would be all over the place and not free moving on the gravel...its detritus


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## TarantulaGuy (Apr 15, 2009)

Plant leaves decomposing, snail poo, dead algae, all of it will turn into this gunk. Many times, if you siphon all this stuff off the surface, a lot of it will still be locked away in the substrate. If you stir it up (or your snails/filter/powerhead do) this will release it into the water where it settles on top again. I suspect if you were to run your hand through your substrate this stuff would cloud up immediately from it.


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## Jaap (Jun 24, 2005)

TarantulaGuy said:


> Plant leaves decomposing, snail poo, dead algae, all of it will turn into this gunk. Many times, if you siphon all this stuff off the surface, a lot of it will still be locked away in the substrate. If you stir it up (or your snails/filter/powerhead do) this will release it into the water where it settles on top again. I suspect if you were to run your hand through your substrate this stuff would cloud up immediately from it.


So just leave it as it is?


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## TarantulaGuy (Apr 15, 2009)

Since you don't have fish you might try stirring it up (basically running your hands through your substrate) and then letting it settle on top and siphoning it out. It would at least let you get rid of a lot of it. Other than that, do you have a powerhead in your tank?


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## aquabillpers (Apr 13, 2006)

It's hard to believe that the mulm is reforming to that degree in just a few days, particularly since there isn't much in the tank to create it. I remove mulm from the corners of my heavily-stocked, heavily planted tanks when it becomes unsightly, but that's only every three months or so.

When you remove it, are you sure that you are getting it all? That stuff is very light and disperses easily. You might try removing it with a siphon held just an inch or so above it, maneuvered very carefully so as not to stir it up. 

Please let us know what happens.

Bill


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## DonaldmBoyer (Aug 18, 2005)

Just siphon it off. Chances are it has always been there, just not in plain view. All tanks have mulm, regardless of whether you see it or not, heavy or lightly planted, fish or no fish, and so on. It is completely natural, does no harm, and exemplifies a healthy and stable system. Remove what you wish to your liking, but it will (and should) come back again.


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## neilshieh (Jun 24, 2010)

As others have suggested, just siphon it off? I usually just have a siphon running and take something and stir it up next to the spout of the siphon so everything just gets sucked away. as to why it's reforming so quickly... maybe your currents are really strong?


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