Nitrifying Bacteria

[ron101]

Originally Posted by Snowmaker

So i have a question for all you expert reef keepers, How does one get more nitrifying bacteria??? Or increase the break down of nitrates????? I have 2 lbs per gallon of live rock and i do, do regular water changes about 20% every other week. IS there any way to add more nitrifying bacteria to an exsiting system like you can with a freshwater tank????

Not sure which you actually asking about.

Nitrifying bacteria is the type that converts ammonia to nitrite and nitrate. This is the type that is typically discussed in freshwater tanks and as already stated, will multiply to an equilibrium level with the ammonia output of the bioload. You cannot simply add more nitrifying bacteria to a system without supplying added ammonia to support them.

Denitrifying bacteria on the other hand, breaks down nitrate into nitrogen gas or nitrous oxides in the absence of oxygen (inside live rock or in deep sand beds). Generally maximum denitrification capacity in tanks is much less than maximum nitrification capacity, so we usually see a gradual buildup of nitrates. I'm guessing that this is the scenario that you are asking about...

Apart from the obvious like increased water changes, increased skimming, decreased bioload, and decreased feeding, some other ways of managing nitrate are: increasing sump/refugium/LR capacity, adding a plenum to your system, or installing a denitrification system.