I think some of this has long been over looked and forgotten, about every 3-5 years, someone brings it up and suddenly several folks discover something that's been known in the hobby for at least 70 or more years now.
So it's good to have it appear and show up.
But this one single method is hardly the tip of the iceberg with sediments.
the sediments can be boiled or baked (thermal oxdiation), some folks in Brazil suggested the boiling method(10 min ought to do) and for 15 minutes of fame, everyone thought they knew everything. Baking is an old method, dating at least back to the 1970's when I started.
Simply allowing it sit out for several weeks in shallow pan and add water every so often will allow bacteria(Biological mineralization) to do the work.
There's the chemical method as well.
Using zeosand(Lesilie pool supply etc), and adding a mix of this in the sediment will remove the NH4 as well.
You can also mix the mud/sediment with 75% sand and then add a 2-3" layer instead of a 1", to 3/4" layer of solid mud on the bottom, this makes less mess and allows more O2 in there/less reduction(but not too little as well).
I think many have moved too far away from nutrient rich sediments these days. Then those that use them make all sorts of kooky claims. So the end result is muck for many folks and poor understanding about the benefits and uses.
Regards,
Tom Barr
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