Say what you will about the Ecosystem Aquarium method but after all these years it still has staying power with a wide range of reefers. First developed by Leng Sy using Miracle Mud as a source of nutrient processing and mineral replenishment, Ecosystem Aquarium has been used on all kinds of aquatic environments from heavily loaded reef tanks, fish tanks, low nutrient stony coral setups and even ponds.
I think it was about 1997 when we first learned of the new methodology for keeping reef tanks, back when most people kept Berlin Mini Reefs. The Jaubert Plenum was gaining some traction and momentum for natural nitrate reduction and a legion of misled reefers were scooping up all the SouthDown oolitic sand they could find for their precious useless Deep Sand Beds. While most of these methods have faded away to obscurity, the Ecosystem Aquarium’s lasting appeal is still apparent in a variety of stunning displays around the world.
From the beginning Leng claimed that using Miracle Mud would allow for crazy high bioloads of fish in the reef aquarium. While we’re more of a coral junky ourselves, the video below shows Sy’s very large reef display with tons and tons fish, some very large showy corals in a clean looking reef tank powered seemingly by only the biology of the reef tank, a sump filled with Miracle Mud and no protein skimmer. Likewise, the other video of a reef tanks from Japan shows an Acropora dominated reefscape, lit with all LED lighting and once again using the Miracle Mud method with great result.
Are you using or still using Miracle Mud in your reef aquarium? If so we’d love to hear some new and long term feedback on who’s using it and what these Ecosystem Aquarium displays look and function like.
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