JBL BioNitratEx - Biofilter material for removing nitrates

• Biological filtering material, degrades bacteria, eliminates nitrates favorable to the growth of algae in fresh water or sea water.
• Simply place the filter material in the inner or outer filter and only replace it after about 6 months, after it has been degraded by bacteria.
• The bioballs are colonized by bacteria which form a thick biofilm. Under this biofilm, the oxygen content drops to such an extent that the bacteria there will extract the oxygen from the nitrates and thus eliminate them.
• Water stabilizing effect: As bacterial degradation processes generate acids which lower the pH, bioballs contain acid-binding minerals to stabilize the water.
• Contents: 100 bioballs to break down nitrates in 200 to 300 liters of aquarium water. 1 ball / 2 to 3 liters of water.

Who has nothing left to eat will die of hunger!
Nitrates and phosphates are the main nutrients in algae. By removing them from the water, we prevent algae from growing!
But bacteria only degrade nitrates under certain conditions: when there is no more oxygen and at the same time they have a source of carbon (food for the bacteria), the bacteria extract the oxygen nitrates and in this way eliminate them.

How the JBL BioNitratEx works

With JBL's BioNitratEx, bacteria colonize the surface of the bales within 4 weeks and form a thick biofilm. Beneath this film, an oxygen-poor zone forms where the bacteria go into the “nitrate breathing” phase and break down nitrate (NO3) which promotes algae. The bioballs serve as food and the nitrates as oxygen suppliers to the bacteria. The bioballs will therefore shrink over time (visually controllable), then completely disappear. It takes 6 to 12 months, depending on the nitrate load. It is then necessary to reload in bioballs.

Snails: When snails land on the balls of JBL BioNitratEx, they devour the biofilms on their surfaces. Oxygen again reaches the lower layers of bacteria, which then no longer need to extract nitrates and thus destroy them. If there are large numbers of snails, wrap the JBL BioNitratEx balls in a thin bag to prevent the snails from accessing them.

Difference to JBL NitratEx / JBL BioNitratEx works purely biologically, by bacterial degradation. JBL NitratEx, on the other hand, is a synthetic resin that binds nitrates from water (only soft water!) and exchanges them for harmless chloride (ion exchanger function). The advantage of this system is that you can also use it in an emergency, e.g. ex. to remove nitrates from tap or well water.