dsb question / miricle mud question

[bolton reefer 1]

im tackling a high nitrate problem my sand bed was about 2" i beleive under 3" has no benificial effect so today iv removed all of it now instead of throwing it i cleaned it through and placed it in the sump on top of the 3" of miricle mud thats about 6" altogether will this creat a none oxygen layer to help remove nitrates or should i have binned it has anyone anything to say about miricle mud.

[bertoni]

I think Miracle Mud is expensive and doesn't do much. I doubt that the 6" layer in the sump is going to do anything useful. I would remove it, and try adding a lighted area for growing (then harvesting) macroalgae. This article talks about a numbe of approaches:

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/august2003/chem.htm

You could also check your feeding levels.