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After a while, mulm begins to accumulate as a layer on your substrate. It is the remanants of fish poop and decayed/ing plant parts. This layer can become quite thick. There are two schools of thought related to what it is good for.
The first say that it must be removed ASAP as it will lead to uncontrollable NO3 and PO4. Students of this school will vacuum it out or use diatom filters and stir it into the water column. They also believe it clogs the substrate and doesn't allow for freshwater to mix with the substrate solution.
The other school considers is as valuable fertilizer for the plants much like compost. Bacteria is converting (recycling) the organic material into inorganic food for the plants. Students of this school don't touch the mulm unless it is getting unsightly and then only vacuum a small area.
What school are you in?
The first say that it must be removed ASAP as it will lead to uncontrollable NO3 and PO4. Students of this school will vacuum it out or use diatom filters and stir it into the water column. They also believe it clogs the substrate and doesn't allow for freshwater to mix with the substrate solution.
The other school considers is as valuable fertilizer for the plants much like compost. Bacteria is converting (recycling) the organic material into inorganic food for the plants. Students of this school don't touch the mulm unless it is getting unsightly and then only vacuum a small area.
What school are you in?