Recommendations needed: Refugium mud, plants, etc.

[AndrewAbo]

Just purchased a large new sump/refugium (THANKS, JEFF!), and wanted advice on the following:

Refugium mud:
Is it worth it? Does it make a difference? Product recommendations, if so?
I read good reviews about the following:
http://www.amazon.com/Fiji-Gold-Refu...words=fiji+mud

Plant life:
Recommendations? Cheato is the staple, but are there other recommendations? I know California has limitations on what can be bought/sold.

Snails or other life?
Do you add any other life to your refugium? Snails, crabs, etc, if so, what types?
Do you supplement Copepods?

Thank you in advance for your time!!

[smirkis]

i don't run mud in mine. i'd prefer no type of sand to get sucked into my return pump.

i go bare bottom, live rocks, and chaeto. lots of chaeto. turbo snails, hermits, and if you get seeded chaeto you don't need to add any copepods. should pupulate its self.

and, with such low flow through a refug, i add a pump in each chamber that doesn't have any flow.

[AndrewAbo]

Solid info, and reiterates other recommendations I've received and read online.

If anyone else has anything to add, please post. We all have an opportunity to learn from one another's experiences.