# Mulm, mulm, and more mulm



## Freshbest (Aug 3, 2020)

I've had a 29g dirted tank for over a year now. This is my first one, The plants grow and fish are happy.
However, I have piles and piles of gunk, mulm, plant matter, etc. Pictures below are two weeks apart to show you how much I'm getting.
I come to you guys because this aquarium I made originally close to Diana Walstad’s method.
However, I added a bubbler so the heater could have enough water flow and the filter very recently because I am so done with this messiness (It hasn't helped at all as you can see). But I want to do it her way.
I want to know if this is normal and I need to stop complaining or if there is something I can do about this. I think this is not normal and indicates something.
My ideas are:
-perhaps the leaches are disturbing the substrate. (I didn't get them purposely I assume they came in on the plants somehow.) 
-my plants lose leaves a lot so it must just be decaying plant matter. This is the one I suppose is most likely.
-my two fish, pearl gourami and a SAE, poo way more often then I think.
-too much water flow? 
I would like any other ideas and any solutions you guys may have to this. I don’t want people to see my aquarium only three days after I take the gunk out and I think I haven’t taken care of my aquarium in a month.


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

Welcome to APC! I have seen that in one of my tanks a few years ago. As I recall, it was a brown algae bloom, with them dropping off the leaves to the substrate. I don't remember how I got rid of it, but I suspect I stirred up the water as I was siphoning 50% of the water out for a water change. Eventually it quit.


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## Freshbest (Aug 3, 2020)

Hmmm perhaps it is related I do have a bit of brown algae in the tank. How do you deal with brown algae?


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## mistergreen (Mar 3, 2007)

looks like your plants are dying too. The dead plant matter can contribute. Algae is a symptom, not the cause.


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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

Not enough plants--for whatever reason. You need a biomass of 5-10 times more plants to process wastes in this tank.


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## Freshbest (Aug 3, 2020)

Woah 5 to 10 times more? Do you recommend any particular plants for the tank? Like some fast growing ones?


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## Freshbest (Aug 3, 2020)

I have the light on for two 4 hour intervals and I don't dose the tank with anything. Perhaps it could be a neutrient deficiency?


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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

It looks like some organism (blackworms) is bringing up debris from the soil layer. I would think that your fish would eat blackworms, since they are very tasty--at least for fish. 

You mentioned leaches. Now leaches in a tank is something I know absolutely nothing about. If leaches are bringing up debris and the fish don't like to eat them, then that could cause your tank's problem.


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## aquabillpers (Apr 13, 2006)

Whatever it is, it isn't plain old mulm. The technical term for it is "crud". <g>

I suggest that you siphon it out and then watch closely to see if you can spot where it's coming from, if it recurs.

I like Hoppy's comment about brown algae.

You might need more light. Insufficient light can lead to brown algae.

Bill


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## Freshbest (Aug 3, 2020)

Had to look up what blackworms are and haven't seen anything like that my tank. And they don't eat the leaches because the leaches burrow in the gravel and are quite fast.

I have tried to watch to see where it comes from and it seems like these small piles/hills of, as you say crud, appear over night. This where I came to theory of perhaps it's the leaches. I thought perhaps I was insane thinking that tho lol.


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## mistergreen (Mar 3, 2007)

Probably the leeches. I have them in my bog pond filter. These live on detritus, not sucking blood.


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## Freshbest (Aug 3, 2020)

I wish it wasn't the leaches causing it honestly because I think then the only way to get rid of them is to redirt the tank and clean off the plants.
Redo the tank basically.


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## mistergreen (Mar 3, 2007)

You might want to add a few cory cats. They'll eat any they find and they're always looking.


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## Freshbest (Aug 3, 2020)

Hmmm I don't know if I want to increase the bioload of the tank a lot by adding a school of fish. Tanks dirty enough.

If all of this is caused by the leaches
I'm tempted to redo the tank just saving the plants fish and some of the water, keep some of the old gravel I know doesn't have leaches.

What if I added carpeting plants would that slow things down?


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## mistergreen (Mar 3, 2007)

Freshbest said:


> What if I added carpeting plants would that slow things down?


no.

Your bioload isn't much. 2 cories should work.


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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

Those leaches lay eggs, so tearing the tank down may not solve problem. There will be eggs attached to plants, gravel, etc to hatch in any new setup.

I agree with Mistergreen. The mess really looks like what aquatic worms (e.g. blackworms) can create in a soil underlayer tank. Try shining a flashlight at night to see what's going on. Whatever... A worm or leach-eating fish should provide a long-term, permanent solution.

Your problem is not excess nutrients but "diggers" bringing up debris from the bottom. That said, you probably have a very _well-aerated_ substrate. A few Cory catfish would be very happy in this tank.


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## Freshbest (Aug 3, 2020)

I do like Cory cats. Perhaps I will bite the bullet and trade in the fish I have. I worry about to many fish in an aquarium so messy.
Y'all think Corys will eat the leaches? Or would just enjoy the messiness?
I have no idea what fish are big enough to each those leaches I get that would also be happy in my tank.
Should I siphon the mulm/gunk/dirt or leave it be? It feels like I'm sucking away all the soil I put in sometimes.


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## Freshbest (Aug 3, 2020)

Lol oops ok only now do I see what you posted last MisterGreen. Idk why it didn't show up. 
Thank you for that clarification that makes me happy. I would like to keep my two fish they're beautiful. 🙂


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## Freshbest (Aug 3, 2020)

So I searched around like y'all said and caught this beaut'.


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## mistergreen (Mar 3, 2007)

Looks like blackworms or tubifex.


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## Freshbest (Aug 3, 2020)

Yeah. 
Man it's big. 
I'll get some Cory's at my local fish store.

My thoughts now are maybe stop worrying and I leave the debris be? Because if it really is just the soil being brought up by the various diggers then I'm just siphoning my substrate away.


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## mistergreen (Mar 3, 2007)

You can vacuum out the mulm if you want for aesthetics. It's worm poop.


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## Freshbest (Aug 3, 2020)

Alrighty. That's for your help guys means a lot. I may post an update with the Cory cats.


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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

Freshbest said:


> Alrighty. I may post an update with the Cory cats.


Glad you photographed the culprit. (I had never heard of leaches in a tank.) Fish breeders here absolutely treasure blackworms and have them shipped in from California at a pretty penny. If the Corys don't work, find another type fish.

This is an easy problem to solve. Some lucky fish is going to _love_ being in your tank.


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## Karen in San Jose (Jun 1, 2020)

That is bigger than a blackworm and blackworms don't dig up the substrate like that. They don't make messes like that. You've got some kind of bigger detritis worm. They're actually beneficial, but I can see why you aren't happy with the ones in your tank.

I deliberately added a ton of blackworms to my tank and they were climbing all over the place, before I added fish. They were even up in the floating plants. I put them into the tank because I thought they'd be beneficial in aerating the soil when I first started my Walstad tank and they were great for that. They were so thick, they looked like grass in the substrate. Blackworms are great for cleaning up uneaten food and dead plant matter, and they don't eat live plants like snails do. But, they're really thin, though, not thick like the ones you have and they don't get quite that long.

I put in 6 corys and I can't find any worms now lol. As much as I like worms in my tank, I wouldn't be happy with the big ones you have, either. Blackworms go in and out of the soil, but they don't dig it up like that. 

I used to breed corys. They do much better in a group and they're really fun to watch. They're really active and they will separate from each other while eating, then they come together and swim in a group and it looks like a ballet. I just love them. The pygmy corys are really different, though, and I don't recommend them for what you want, and they're more hyper and not as fun to watch. But, any of the other corys will take care of your worms. Some get pretty big. I'd recommend you get one of the smaller types and get more of them, rather than a couple big ones.

I don't know how many gallons your tank is, but even if you don't want to get many corys, I suggest you get at least 3. They're a schooling fish and will be happier, and you'll enjoy watching them.

If you get 5-6 of them, they'll probably breed for you, too, which is fun. Live food and water changes triggers them.

At any rate, they really don't add a lot to a bio-load and they're easy keepers. They swim up to the surface for air, so they can tolerate water problems more than other fish. They're really hardy and live a long time, too.

By the way, I'm a newbie at this Walstad method, too. The plant that turned out to be the miracle plant in my tank, is vallisneria. I got two different types - the spiralis and jungle. The spiralis is a pretty bright green and sends out shoots like crazy, but doesn't root as well as the jungle vallisneria. You can almost watch it growing before your eyes. I think it's the best bang for your buck, if you're on a budget. I got my jungle valisneria from a supplier Ms. Walstad mentioned, AquariumPlants.com. They came with really great root systems - nice, really big plants.


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## Freshbest (Aug 3, 2020)

Ms. Walstad, that makes me happy 😄.
I know what ever these worms are they aren't leaches. Not to say I had a few, well at least one, in my tank. I had pictures on my old phone. (Phone met it's demise getting dunked in my tank accidently) It would latch onto the glass, hide in the substrate and when forced to, it would swim in that weird way leaches do where they flatten and mermaid swim in an effort to get away from me. Never messed with the fish. I read that freshwater leaches more pray on snails so I assume that's how it survived.
It was fascinating and gross at the same time.


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## Freshbest (Aug 3, 2020)

Thank you so much for the advise Karen! 

And yeah technically there is no problem with the worms. I wouldn't mind it if I wasn't trying to make the tank look pritty lol. I reeeeeallly hope the corydoras will do the trick.
I have 29g tank with two fish currently. I think I can do a group of 5 Cory's now that I do the math lol.

What I think I'm going to do, is get rid of that filter I've been testing out, because it only functions for a day before all the stirred up sediment renders it useless. Take vallisneria from my five gallon, my poor betta has zero space, and transplant it to the 29. Probably get other plants too. To help with any added bioload the Cory's will bring.


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## Freshbest (Aug 3, 2020)

Took about a third of the water out in the process of getting the gunk out. It was almost an inch deep in some places after what has been three weeks now of no vacuuming.


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## mistergreen (Mar 3, 2007)

I'm dealing with mulm myself. I have a jungle and sand substrate. It looks like mulm collects under the plants over a year or two. Sand doesn't allow for the mulm to settle into the substrate.

I've been dealing with some kind of pathogen and in the process of cleaning up the tank. 3 weeks of water changes to vacuum out the mulm.


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## Freshbest (Aug 3, 2020)

Cory Cat update:

I've had the Cory cats for a week now.
They are adorable, happy, and I don't regret the purchase.
However they have only added to the problem so far. Instead of all the mess staying and collecting at the gravel the Cory's are stirring it and making the water very turbid.

I check during the night and I can still see the worms going about their business in the same amounts as before.

I could get a larger fish like a loach but I feel like they will so the same as the Cory cats: only be adorable.

*PS: picture is taken 3 days after sucking up all the mess and replacing the lost water.


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## mistergreen (Mar 3, 2007)

The cats are going after the worms. I would vacuum out the mulm so it doesn't get stirred up.

Loach would dig into the substrate.


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## Freshbest (Aug 3, 2020)

Alrighty thank you for the advise you guys have been very helpful


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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

I suspect that your Corys have gone into an absolute feeding frenzy, stirring up the substrate in their enthusiasm. They've never been in a tank filled with delicious live blackworms. 

I would just wait it out. 

Thanks for the update. Fun to follow....


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## Freshbest (Aug 3, 2020)

Thank you for the reply Miss Walstad 😄
I guess it is a weird position I'm in XD.

It just feels like I am having to vacuum practically everyday to keep the tank looking decent.

I really hope that the Cory's are infact doing something, I guess I can wait it out a bit longer to see. 
I actually did just have a thought perhaps I'm feeding them to much and they don't care about the worms?


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## mistergreen (Mar 3, 2007)

yeah, you can stop feeding the cories for a few days. It won't hurt.


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## Freshbest (Aug 3, 2020)

Alrighty I'll give an update on any changes


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## Karen in San Jose (Jun 1, 2020)

Yeah, give the corys some time. When I first got mine, they were swimming right past all of the worms. The worms were so plentiful, they looked like grass was growing in the substrate in several places. And then one day, I realized I couldn't find one anywhere LOL. 

Why not just add a filter temporarily, anyway? It would help with the mulm. Now that I've added so many fish to my tank, I'll get a little mulm build-up. I went ahead and put my filter back in the tank and every now and then I stir the mulm up by blowing the substrate with a turkey baster, and then the filter takes care of it.

I see you got panda corys. They're so cute! I think it was panda corys that were the first ones to breed for me in my 20 gallon tank many years ago. At first, I just saw some eggs on the glass and thought they were snail eggs, and then I finally saw the corys were depositing them on the glass. They start swimming around in a group like crazy and aren't interested in food. They will swim up and down cleaning the surface of the glass together, then eventually, the females will deposit eggs on the glass, and the males follow them and fertilize them. It's really fun. I hope yours breed for you. Their eggs will probably get eaten by snails, if you have any in the tank, or you could scrape them off and put them into a breeding net in the tank. Sometimes they get fungus that way, but sometimes it works.


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## Freshbest (Aug 3, 2020)

Thank you, I only have three Cory's right now but I plan on getting more so they will be more comfortable. Also getting them hiding places.

What kind of filter do you recommend for a 29g?
The hang on the back filter I had I had to rince the media almost every day because of the amount of silt. Though it was this quiet flow brand it would becme very loud from the gunk. Not so desirable when the aquarium is right next to your bed.


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