# miracle mud marine in freshwater sump?



## jblasto (Jan 4, 2013)

So any thoughts on if I can put miracle mud that is geared toward reef tanks in a freshwater refugium? I had read a lot of people raving about miracle mud in their freshwater refugium sump and doing a search for it bought 5 lbs from dr fosters. Well, apparently there are different kinds of miracle mud, a freshwater, a pond, and a saltwater. The pond and freshwater apparently arent as easy to find, and not carried by Dr fosters... So, my question is is the makeup of the substrate tentatively harmful to a freshwater tank since I have the marine variety? The trace elements are as follows:

Aluminum, antimony, barium, beryllium, bismuth, boron, bromine, cadmium, calcium, cerium, cesium, chromium, chloride, cobalt, dysprosium, erbium, europium, fluorine, gadolinium, gallium, germanium, gold, hafnium, holmium, indium, iodine, iridium, iron, lanthanum, lithium, lutetium, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, neodymium, nickel, niobium, osmium, palladium, phosphorus, platinum, potassium, praseodymium, rhodium, rubidium, ruthenium, rhenium, samarium, selenium, silicon, silver, sodium, strontium, sulfur, tantalum, tellurium, terbium, thallium, thorium, thulium, tin, titanium, tungsten, vanadium, ytterbium, yttrium, zinc, zirconium.


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## jblasto (Jan 4, 2013)

Funny thing is that when those trace elements are compared to the freshwater miracle mud they list the exact same ones. This is off the manufacturers website. This leads me to believe they are actually the exact same product, just with different labels? Anyone with experience dealing with these products? Thanks.

Here is the freshwater trace element list: 

Aluminum, antimony, barium, beryllium, bismuth, boron, bromine, cadmium, calcium, cerium, cesium, chromium, chloride, cobalt, dysprosium, erbium, europium, fluorine, gadolinium, gallium, germanium, gold, hafnium, holmium, indium, iodine, iridium, iron, lanthanum, lithium, lutetium, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, neodymium, nickel, niobium, osmium, palladium, phosphorus, platinum, potassium, praseodymium, rhodium, rubidium, ruthenium, rhenium, samarium, selenium, silicon, silver, sodium, strontium, sulfur, tantalum, tellurium, terbium, thallium, thorium, thulium, tin, titanium, tungsten, vanadium, ytterbium, yttrium, zinc, zirconium.

Exact same... hmmm.... they just label the package differently dubbing one "freshwater"? hmmmmm...


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## jblasto (Jan 4, 2013)

I mean I guess I'm asking this primarily because I don't want to have to return the product for the "freshwater" variety IF it's the same thing and would save me time and money sending it back. Thanks.


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

is this a product that is absolutely critical to maintain a freshwater aquarium ? if it is then 99.99% of the freshwater aquarium keepers are doing it all wrong...
as far as i am concerned , it is just a waste of money..but if it something that you feel you need then go for it...


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## jblasto (Jan 4, 2013)

*necessary, probably other ways to remove nitrates*

Well, I don't know how necessary it is as there are alternatives to remove nitrates but I have read that it removes nitrates extremely well. I have a fish store near me in Pittsburgh that specializes in freshwater fish and everything I have ever bought from them is the most healthy FW fish and plant you can get. They use that stuff in their refugium set ups. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqdrtVYBQDY The store is Wet Pets and is a very reputable local store. I trust them for the evidence in their tanks. They are probably kept better than the Pittsburgh Zoo's Aquariums so when someone who really has their hobby down tells me that's what they use I am willing to listen.

Anyway, all that aside, I wasn't trying to validate whether the product was legitimate. I was simply asking if the two varieties (freshwater vs saltwater) seemed to be one in the same, to save me packaging mine back up and shipping it back to Dr Fosters and Smith. Thanks.


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

sorry; not trying to knock you for wanting to use it...just giving my thoughts...wetpets has a good reputation so i am sure you can trust their advice...
as i said...for me personally i have no use for it and would find it a waste of money...part of that is because it takes up a lot of space..and here , space is at a premium...there are 75 aquariums set up in this small basement almost all have fish in them..many have fry that will be sold and replaced with new fry...and the mud is not cheap..i couldn't afford it...doing water changes is less costly....
i'm not saying it doesn't work....just not logical for me...i would not badmouth a product that i haven't used or used incorrectly if i did......i have seen a lot of people use a product incorrectly and then complain that it is junk....
now.....are the 2 the same formulas the same ? just how different are they ? can marine be used in fresh ? these are questions best answered by the manufacturer...
what i suggest you do is contact the manufacturer by email and ask them....the information they give you should be the most accurate....

oh yeah....i have been the the Pigsburg (old browns pittsburgh rivalry thing...lol) Aquarium...it is a pretty awesome place....i especially love the rift lake and south american tanks...


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

Same stuff, but the SW is natural, the FW has been rinsed clean of salt & critters. Using SW version in FW tank WILL work, but only after first making a mess.


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