Wiping Mulm

[Josef]

There are things that drive me crazy about Discus keepers and this is one of them...

Some people actually wipe their glass walls!

Now in any other fish forum, be it fresh water or saltwater, have I ever read about hobbyist wiping down the Mulm off of their glass. Typically, hobbyist will wipe algea off since it is unsightly and obscures visibility, but rarely outside of Discus keepers have I ever heard of this, if I ever heard of it at all. The Mulm on the glass is basically invisible and is part of the biological fauna in the aquarium, how can it posibly heart Discus but not other fish?

Is this an obsesive behaviour? It sounds like it to me :(

[Chicago Discus]

I can only share with you what's works for me, in my breeding and fry tanks I wipe the walls and floors down everyday and change 150% of the water in the fry tanks and 80% respectively in my breeding tanks. Ok first the reason why I do this is that I feed these fish a lot more often then I feed the non discus fish and Discus fish grow a very heavy slim coat that sticks to the sides of the tank and cause some bacteria issues. I have tested this theory with my own fish and the ones that I clean the walls and floors daily eat better and Are less likley to come down with issues. I know that this might seem obsessive to you but it works for me. I have African chiclids that I wipe down the walls ones a week if that with no problems but the discus are just a little more sensitive. If you are not breeding or raising fry you can go much longer in between wall cleanings but when I am breeding and raising Fry I attempt to have a very sterile environment........Josie

[LizStreithorst]

I am a Discus purist. I set myself high standards. I get slime on the glass of the tanks that don't have BN. I wipe them down weekly. I can't imagine having mlum.

Other people raise their Discus differently. I'm open to new ideas. I'd like to see pictures of your Discus tank with mlum that includes good pics of the Discus.

[JenTN]

I read somewhere that it is necessary because Discus shed so.much mucous and other fish dont. I would look it up to see what book it was in but I am tired and have my feet up. But makes sense to me, it is pretty gross and I wipe down everything. I had a tooth abcess last week and had a lot of pain. My main tank got neglected. Pains me to see the gunk.

[dprais1]

I wipe down all the glass walls because josie told me to

[Trier20]

I wipe down every two days. It may be invisible to your eye but get it on a white paper towel and you'll see why you wipe them down.


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[Josef]

I just deleted my reply.

[Chicago Discus]

I wipe down all the glass walls because josie told me to

Lol....that's cute.

[shoveltrash]

another wiper here :D

.....now off to google "mulm" :confused:

[Skip]

Um.. I dont..

I should

[LizStreithorst]

Why? I want to hear what you have to say. Don't worry, I won't slap you down. I'm no longer the intimidator. I've devolped a curiosity about different ways of keeping Discus.

[LizStreithorst]

I just deleted my reply.

Why? I want to hear what you have to say. Don't worry, I won't slap you down. I'm no longer the intimidator. I've devolped a curiosity about different ways of keeping Discus.

[kent1963]

I wipe the side walls once a week in any tank that doesn't have plecos. I just cant stand slimy tanks.

[Josef]

When they breed - the slime - yes I can see why one would wipe. I've experienced that... but I haven't had the need to wipe down a Discus show tank.

I think the lack of clarity is what raises my hairs here sometimes. For instance - daily water changes - sure, for growing Discus....but would that be the rule for all Discus keeping?


Clarity is so much needed by some :(

[Trier20]

Everyone has a way that works for them. What works for you might not work for others and visa versa. It's everyone's personal preference how they like to keep and maintain their tank(s).


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[OCD]

First- my name on here is OCD-- so yes, it is probably and obsessive dirsorder... LOL ;)

i've kept regular/community tanks for years before getting into discus, and in my experience, those types of tanks do not produce the slime that discus do. Especially if you are growing out young discus.
personally, i never used to wipe down walls except using the scrapers if i saw some algae. etc..

When i started keeping discus, i thought that what i read about wiping down the walls every water change was obsessive.
so i didn't....

Well.....OH MY GOD.....
the amount of slime those little guys produced when growing out...
amazing.
I was going to take a picture of it and post it in a thread, but was too embarrassed by the amount i found.
needless to say, i now wipe down the walls weekly.

[PhishNFilly]

I know this is going to sound er.......dumb but........what is the best paper towel to wipe down the tank? Is one brand the best for this job? I am a wiper but I use a sponge on the end of a wand:(. Thanks, Julia:confused:

[LizStreithorst]

I use a cloth baby daiper. They make great dust rags, too. If I'm scrubing algea I use a Scotchbrite pad.

[korbi_doc]

VIVA seems best to me....next is Liz's cloth soft diapers ....& I don't do it often enough...lol

Dottie

[shoveltrash]

Bounty paper towels! hands down, the best :). they don't disentagrate.

[baeya]

I love this thread! I'm new to Discus and was wondering why everyone was wiping down their inside walls. Well, now I know and I will do it too. So, from what I am reading, having BN in the tank will help with keeping the glass clean. Do they do a good enough job so that you won't have to do frequent wipes?

[LizStreithorst]

Yes. My 100 gallon tanks have 2 bristlenose in each. The glass never feels slimey. I still give them a wipe down every couple of weeks to keep from feeling guilty about being lax.

[baeya]

Yes. My 100 gallon tanks have 2 bristlenose in each. The glass never feels slimey. I still give them a wipe down every couple of weeks to keep from feeling guilty about being lax.

Great! Thank you!

[DiscusDrew]

I viva Kleenex towels as well, very sturdy, I can submerge them in the water to wipe and no particulates come off or otherwise. I do all tanks once a week, more if breeding or a medical issue.

[Boyd Luth]

I have been out of the Hobby for six years now, and have been reading info. to reaquaint myself. I had purchased some beautiful Discus from Gabe at Wattleys in Miami. Never heard of wiping down the walls ? I do not breed Discus, maybe that is why, used to just use a magnet on the walls once a week. What do you use to wipe down the glass ? I am considering BB tank for ease. Also I got away with once weekly WC about 50%.....will keep reading and learning :-)

[Elliots]

I wasn't going to wipe down the walls but I guess I am now. Something else I learned on SD.

[DerekFF]

Just to clarify.....mulm is is nasty brown puffy doodoo and leftover food on the bottom of the tank (detritus) its not the slime on the walls. That would more appropriately be called biofilm or something, but not mulm

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[Josef]

Just to clarify.....mulm is is nasty brown puffy doodoo and leftover food on the bottom of the tank (detritus) its not the slime on the walls. That would more appropriately be called biofilm or something, but not mulm

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Mulm to me is Biofilm and that is what I meant since the start. Cause I rarely had slime on the glass except for a couple of really slimy breeders! Then again I've always had an Ancistrus in the tank so that may be the reason why. And there was never any left over food in my tank. Guess my fish were really hungry when I fed them.

So many particulars in each tank that's why we can't make cookie cutter rules :)

[Larry Bugg]

Mulm to me is Biofilm and that is what I meant since the start. Cause I rarely had slime on the glass except for a couple of really slimy breeders! Then again I've always had an Ancistrus in the tank so that may be the reason why. And there was never any left over food in my tank. Guess my fish were really hungry when I fed them.

So many particulars in each tank that's why we can't make cookie cutter rules :)

http://theaquariumwiki.com/Mulm

Mulm (also called detritus) is the organic debris that builds up in and on the aquarium substrate.

Mulm is usually the unattractive dark brown or black material that settles on the substrate of a tank. It is caused by the waste material ejected by the aquarium animals and left over food and decomposing plants.

In a tank this mulm is slowly digested over months up by the bacteria living there and is broken apart into useful chemicals that plants and other life living in the gravel can absorb.

While non-planted tank owners often remove this material to keep their tanks clean, it is rich in essential chemicals for plants, so planted tank owners rarely remove it.

http://freshaquarium.about.com/od/termsandtables/g/mulm.htm
Definition: Mulm is the undecomposed fish wastes and other solid matter that accumulates in the aquarium as a fine, brownish, fluffy material requiring periodic removal by siphoning.

[DerekFF]

Mulm to me is Biofilm and that is what I meant since the start. Cause I rarely had slime on the glass except for a couple of really slimy breeders! Then again I've always had an Ancistrus in the tank so that may be the reason why. And there was never any left over food in my tank. Guess my fish were really hungry when I fed them.

So many particulars in each tank that's why we can't make cookie cutter rules :)

Its not a rule....it is what it is. Youre just using the word wrong and i was politely letting you know that you are incorrect. You never have a little poo pile at the end of the day? Thats mulm

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[RiceEggsandSpam]

I never knew about this and therefore I will add it to my aquatic chores. Thanks

[Josef]

ah ha ha! lol

Well look at that there is an actual definition for mulm! lol Thanks for the enlightenment :)

Well since I cannot used Mulm, I will just have to call it Discus Slime. And apparently i must have instinctively done the right thing to avoid Discus slime since I have always kept an ancistrus type in my show tanks. I guess that is why I have never seen Discus Slime in them. However as I stated before I did see the slime build up in breeding tanks. I just attributed the slime incidental to breeding:p