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Common Refugium Substrates

A topic of much debate is which particular substrate is best for use in a refugium or marine planted aquarium. There are so many choices and many claim to be superior than others. Most commercially available products range in price from about two dollars a pound to well over five. The problem with many of these products is that in order to fill a good size refugium with enough mud to support seagrasses and mangroves it would cost a small fortune. Many of these products however can be mixed with existing live sand or new aragonite.

Another question thats asked is "why not use Mud from Mangroves where I live?" Most of this mud is a mixture of quartz, silica sand and sediment that is full of who knows what, heavy metals, fertilizer and other runoff could seriously pollute an aquarium. Unless your setting up a standalone ecosystem it's simply to much of a risk to add it to an existing system. However sifting through this mud to retrieve worms and such is fine and can help populate sand beds even faster.


	EcoSystem Miracle Mud Miracle Mud^Ž is a product of EcoSystem Aquarium^Ž. Miracle Mud is comprised of up to 80% oceanic mud, harvested from deep underwater and then dried on land. The remaining 20% is a scientific formulation of minerals and trace elements that make Miracle Mud a true "MIRACLE". The minerals and trace elements composition is as follows: Aluminium, antimony, barium, beryllium, bismuth, boron, bromine, cadmium, calcium, cerium, caesium, 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, sulphur, tantalum, tellurium, terbium, thallium, thorium, thulium, tin, titanium, tungsten, vanadium, ytterbium, yttrium, zinc, zirconium. This product was the substrate that started it all. It claims to be superior in it's ability to provide all needed trace elements for plants and corals. Looks like dried dirt and is much lighter in color than mineral mud. The mud is available in several sizes from 3 to 10 lbs. Prices range from $25-$75 a bag. As one of the most expensive substrates around it has been tested by independent research facilities and found to contain roughly the same amount of elements as other products available including silicate sand.

	Refugium Mineral Mud The ideal substrate for refugiums, it supplies trace elements, iodine, minerals, and nutrients, helping create a beneficial environment for aquarium food such as copepods, burrowing worms, decapods, and other sump organisms. It can also help boost your refugium's filtration, as it supports many types of nitrifying bacteria. Similar to varied sand in texture, its layers include marine bacteria, organic rich clay, iodine and chelated-element rich substrate, and super-fine aragonite organic acids. 1 gallon This product has a dark brown color that can really make a cloudy mess. It is very silty and requires that you wait until it settles until starting your pump(s). Overall a good choice for refugiums, it's soft composition is readily colonized by worms and other inverts and doesn't compact like natural mangrove mud would. This product can be mixed with live sand to create a deeper bed. Mineral Mud is one of the most reasonable substrates and sells for about $25 a gallon which weighs about 7lbs.

	Walt Smith Refugium Mud Walt Smith's reef mud feeds your reef aquarium the essential minerals and nutrients. Natural ocean mud from the islands of Fiji in the South Pacific feeds and nourishes your hard or soft corals. Contains naturally-occurring major and minor trace elements. The mud is also rich with a multitude of 5 to 100 micron-sized organisms that benefit Acropora and other small polyp stony corals. This particular product is unique in that it is from Fiji. Walt Smith claims it is from a deep ocean mud patch between the reef zone. A very rich dark substrate that has a thick sticky consistancy. Overall an expensive product that does provide an interesting hard to find substrate and could be benefited by again mixing with live sand to create a deep bed. Available in 2 sizes, refugium booster and starter. This product currently sells for about $5 a pound.

	Kent Marine Biosediment Composed of minerals typically found in and around tropical reefs, lagoons, and mangroves. Although designed for use in refugiums or mud filters, Marine BioSediment can be used as the main substrate in reef and fish-only aquariums. A blend of completely suitable materials; no organic matter, phosphate, nitrate, or silicate. Provides ideal substrate for mangroves, macroalgae and turtle grass. The average particle size is in accordance to natural reef sediment composition. Facilitates rapid denitrification. Slowly releases calcium, magnesium, strontium, potassium, carbonates, and other minerals. This product is very fine and silty and does work well as a refugium substrate, however it is basically a fine araganite which is readily available and less expensive in other products. Available in 2 sizes, the larger retailing for $25 for 12lbs.

	(FORM) 8.5 oz Funky Old Reef Mud (FORM) is a great nutritional supplement for your tank! All the trace elements and microbial stimulants your reef needs in an all-natural, "bio-available" form, making it easy for your corals and other animals to use! Calcium, magnesium, strontium, and more, in this highly economical form called FORM! Just sprinkle it in and watch your reef thrive! This product contains iron, magnesium, calcium, sulfur, sodium, iodine, selenium, molygdenum, copper, yeasts, quartz supposedly from fermented sea-vegetables, yeast, freshwater and sea water earths. I'm not sure what those products are, sounds like smelly dirt. This product has been around for awhile and is basically a reef supplement that readily disolves in aquarium water. Not really much use in the refugium as it is very expensive and turns to soup.

	Carib Sea Aragonite This mixed-grade aragonite substrate is perfectly suited as a reef tank bottom cover or for use with nitrate-reducing systems. The addition of small shells makes it ideal for aquariums with mature jawfish or burrowing invertebrates. 1 to 1.7 mm grain. Natural aragonite sand is available from many different vendors, but the sugar fine sand is best suited for refugium use. Compared to the commercially available reef muds this is the most economical and can be mixed with mud if you want to deversify your ecosystem. It is available in several different sizes and retails for about $30 a 40lb bag.