I do not believe in any way that happened. there's constant flow through them, oxygenating surfaces, and simply refusing to clean one allowing it to become sludge dominant/eutrophic doesn't make it a nitrate reducer at all. you might pack them full of nitrate adsorbing media instead of high surface area media, but simple filter materials among high flow and common tank detritus waste did not convert into nitrate removing strains. I wouldn't even believe the testing that was used to determine that change in ability was right, it's only right when a point is being made. on any standard comparison thread, nitrate test kits range 100ppm difference among brands.
it would be different if you advised that setup and then someone else reported it working, before this thread- and on a digitally- tracked and calibrated nitrate measuring setup/ but when it's from someone's own home all evaluations are positive and perfect and all attributions are completely assured. we'd need to see it functioning on about ten other people's systems to validate it.
*if that ever comes into mainstream bookmark this thread it may be some crow I have to eat
Unfortunately, that would never happen because using a canister filter in a reef system is viewed as a stigma, few people do. Those people that do also clean their filter on a regular basis. The only time I would clean the filter, would be when the flow would not start up again after feeding (6-8 months). I barely did water changes, substrate was small gravel 1 inch or less, I would never have to clean the glass.
I don't want to come off as this was an instant thing and there was another contributing factor. It took about a year for the tank to mature enough for this to happen and the canister filter had a pre filter that was regularly cleaned. All media in the canister filter was rinsed in old tank water as to not disturb the bacteria.
You are welcome to try it out for yourself in a 10g.
Found this on the web BTW, Same concept but with a canister filter.
Dec 12, 2008
Taken from thekrib.com becuase I'm lazy and didn't want to put it in my own words...lol
The basic coil denitrator is a long section of small diameter tubing
with a slow flow of oxygenated water containing ammonia, nitrites and
nitrates, i.e., normal aquarium water. Aerobic bacteria naturally
colonize the insides of the tubing and transform ammonia to nitrite
and nitrite to nitrate. This process uses up the dissolved oxygen in
the front section of the coil and produces anaerobic conditions in the
rest of the length. Anaerobic forms of bacteria grow in this area
and reduce the nitrates and nitrite to gaseous nitrogen.
