• Biological filter material which is degraded by bacteria to remove algae-promoting nitrate from freshwater and marine water.
• Just add filter material to internal or external filter and only refill when it has been degraded by the bacteria after approx. 6 month.
• Bacteria settle on the bio balls and form a thick biofilm. Underneath the oxygen level drops, so that the bacteria there can remove oxygen from the nitrate and thus degrade it.
• Water stabilising effect: since pH decreasing acids are created during the bacterial degradation processes, the bio balls contain acid binding minerals to stabilise the water.
• Package contents: 100 bio balls for the nitrate breakdown in 200-300 litres aquarium water; 1 ball / 2-3 litres of water.

PRODUCT INFORMATION 

If you don’t get anything to eat you’ll starve to death:

• Nitrates and phosphates form main nutrients for algae. If one or both nutrients are withdrawn from the water, the algae will stop growing!
• However, bacteria only break down nitrate under specific conditions: Only when there is no longer any oxygen, but there is a carbon source (a nutrient for bacteria) available do the bacteria remove the oxygen from the nitrate, thus breaking it down.

That’s how JBL BioNitratEx works:

• Bacteria settle on the surface of the JBL BioNitratEx bio balls within about 4 weeks and form a thick biofilm.
• Beneath the biofilm a low-oxygen zone forms, in which the bacteria start the denitrification process to degrade the algae-promoting nitrate (NO3).
• The bio balls serve the bacteria as food and the nitrate serves as a supplier of oxygen.
• That’s why the bio balls become smaller as time goes by (easy to check visually) and disappear completely.
• This takes about 6-12 months, depending on the nitrate pollution. Then you’ll need to replace the bio balls.

Snails:

• If lots of snails reach the JBL BioNitratEx balls they will eat the biofilms from the balls’ surface.
• As a result oxygen will reenter the lowest bacterial layers and the bacteria will no longer need to dissolve the oxygen from the nitrate to break it down with it.
• If you have a lot of snails it is better to put the JBL BioNitrat Ex balls into a mesh bag to block the snails’ access.

The difference to JBL NitratEx:

• JBL BioNitratEx works on a purely biological basis through bacterial nitrate breakdown.
• In contrast JBL NitratEx is a synthetic resin which binds nitrate from the water (only freshwater!) and replaces it with harmless chloride (ion exchanger function principle).
• The advantage of this system is that it works quickly and you can use it to remove nitrate from tap or well water etc.

FAQ

What is the diameter of a JBL BioNitratEx ball?

> The diameter is 20 – 20.5 mm.

How does JBL BioNitrat Ex act?

> JBL BioNitrat Ex acts more slowly than JBL NitratEx, with so-called denitrification by bacteria forming the basis. The material can be effective for up to 12 months.

Where did my algae come from?

> Algae problems in an aquarium can never be traced to just one factor or general condition, and instead, are always the result of a combination of different factors, which include light, fertilization, water changes – specifically, how often and how much – feeding, fish population and, of course, the specific water parameters.


According to analyses that were performed over a course of a number of years, red algae, at least the common brush algae and beard algae, occur in descending order at the following parameters:


1) too little carbon dioxide (in relationship to 100 % of the measured tank); the pH level should be in the slightly acetic range, depending on the carbonate hardness, in every case.

2) elevated phosphate levels (over 90 %); phosphate limitation by means of JBL PhosEx ultra is often helpful here.

3) too little and too irregular fertilization (there should always be traces of iron at least).

4) insufficient water changes; a weekly water change of over 30 % is recommended for algae problems.

5) not enough fast-growing plants.

Can I use BioNitratEx with an internal filter as well?

> Yes, of course, you can also use BioNitratEx in an internal filter. We have inserts for the internal filter series that are just for this purpose.