Flow rate in Reactor

[mling]

In my fight to lower Ntrates, I have been using Seachem's de*nitrate.

I having been running it for over 3 months now and it does not seem to have made a difference.

I a wondering if the rate of flow thru my reactor is way too fast.  I have the reactor using a Maxijet.

The label ( below ) calls for flow not to exceed 50GPH.  I did read this when I first started uing it but did not have any pump with that low of a rating.

 

Do any of you use such slow rate of flows for your reactors ?

Is this why my nitrates are not being lowered ?

 

 

[Origami]

It very well could be. It looks like this product encourages the growth of both aerobic an anaerobic bacteria. A slow flow rate helps to reduce the oxygen in the water in the reactor and favors the nitrate-consuming anaerobes. Your high flow rate may be putting too much oxygen rich bacteria in the reactor such that there's little in the way of nitrate-reducing anaerobes to do the work.

[ridetheducati]

Put a micro ball valve on the Maxijet.

Edited April 20, 2014 by ridetheducati