CA Reactor 2nd chamber Act as Bio-Filter?

[Bodine]

After several years of zero nitrates and no testing....Out of boredom I tested for NO3 and suddenly nitrates have risen to 16ppm per LaMotte test kit. I re-tested and got second opinion and yes the results are correct.

I ditched the bio-bals years ago in my 180 reef that relies on LR filtration/BSD.
There are four tangs and a HTW that are fed sparingly every other day.....

My question is, I added this DIY 2nd chamber that hangs on to my wet/dry six months ago.....It has four chambers with crushed coral...Could this act as a bio-filter and produce nitrates or even my Korallin CA++ reactor act as a bio-filter?
Somewhere I have NO3 production.

I have removed it for now(2nd chamber).....
Any insight????

 

[esmithiii]

Does the effluent from the first chamber drip into the second chamber shown? If so, the pH is probably to high to work this way. Also, if the crushed coral is always submerged then I don't think it would be a big problem. Now if it works similar to a wet-dry, then it could be an issue.

E

 

[MattM]

It is unlikely that your CA reactor is acting as a bio-filter. Those bacteria need oxygen levels that are unlikely to be found inside a properly functioning CA reactor.

Some nitrate production is normal - it's where the nitrite goes. Your live rock is filled with bacteria that produce nitrate. The interior of the rock and your sand bad have bacteria that eat nitrate, but they usually don't keep up with production.

There is also good reason to believe that getting nitrate levels down below 10 ppm does more harm than good. In low levels nitrate is an essential nutrient for giant clams and many corals. Check the chapter on filtration in Modern Coral Reef Aquarium, vol 1 by Fossa and Nilsen.