Overview
Designed to be used in marine and hard freshwater aquariums with a pH of 7.5 or over
Highest porosity and largest useable surface area, per unit weight or volume, of all filtration media available anywhere
Provides huge amounts of aerobic and anaerobic surface area for efficient bacterial colonization.
Laboratory Tested: Provides over 71,000 square feet (6,596 square meters) of surface area per liter of medium. One plate has about 125,000 square feet of useable surface area for bacterial colonization.
When properly colonized, and used as directed, it will reduce toxic ammonia and nitrites to near zero in ponds and all aquariums, marine or fresh.
Also reduces phosphate significantly and dissolved organics.
Works excellently as the only filtration medium for the aquarium or pond or may be employed in addition to other filtration media.
Doped with Aragonite to buffer pH at the bacteria level, preventing acid buildup which eventually would kill the bacteria and reduce capacity. (Which is what happens in competing products)
Instructions Guidelines
Use one XPort Bio Plate for every 1,250 U.S. gallons ( 4,750 L ) of system capacity, more for heavy bio loads. Normally do not use more than one plate per 100 gallons of tank capacity. Plates may be cut in half for smaller systems or cut in any shape you like. Rinse material well with aquarium water or purified tap water to remove any dust. For superior results, seed the material using only the specific bacteria product that you are using in the aquarium. If using MicrōBacter Start XLM, use one capful to seed (add balance of bacteria directly to the aquarium). If using FlorinBacter7, MicrōBacter7 or MicrōBacterCLEAN add full recommended dose. Place XPort Bio Brick in a plastic container, filling it with aquarium water, and then add the bacteria to that container. Allow to stand overnight and then add the seeded XPort Bio Plate to your system. It is recommended that you use sponge, fine filter floss or other mechanical filtration ahead of XPort Bio Plate to prevent clogging with organic material. For maximum results, also provide a good carbon source for growing bacteria, such as Brightwell® Katalyst bio pellets or liquid Reef BioFuel or Florin Axis, as appropriate for your aquarium, as directed on their label.
Recommendation: Do not use different bacteria products in an aquarium, particularly during startup! When an aquarium is new, the available nutrients for bacteria to consume are scarce and if the kind of bacteria you introduce requires organics, they will likely not be available and the two different bacterial cultures can fight each other. It is best to start out with MicrōBacter Start and cycle the tank, and then progress to MicrōBacterCLEAN at cycling completion. Then progress to MicrōBacter7 or FlorinBacter7at 4 to 6 months of age. This will provide the cleanest and fastest route to meet your goals and provide a beautiful and sustainable bacterial ecosystem. Particularly do not introduce foreign strains of bacteria such as "live sand", pre-cultured dry man made "live rock," etc. It is ok to use rocks from other aquariums that have already cycled and live rock purchased from stores. All forms of man made or natural live rock (except dry pre-cultured), aragonite and marco rock will work fine. If you introduce the wrong strains of bacteria, at the wrong time, you can slow down the whole process.
Additional information
It is prudent to use a whole plate even in smaller systems down to about 100 U.S. gallons. If the system is smaller than that, then use the Xport Bio Cubes or Xport Bio Blocks instead or cut the plate in half with a hack saw or to any size you like. To cut the plate, we recommend that you wet it first and place it on a piece of wood so that it is full supported. If you hang it over an edge, it may break unevenly. For nitrification, or removal of ammonia and nitrite, employing the plate aerobically, or above the water line will provide maximum results. To do this, mount the plate in air, above the water level, and run a small stream of water through the plate. It is not necessary or desirable to run the whole flow of the main system pump through the plate. A flow of about 40 liters per hour is ideal. An adjustable flow control will allow you to adjust the water flow to only that which will flow through (and not around) the plate. On the other hand, removing nitrate is an anaerobic process and limiting oxygen to the plate as much as possible will maximize the nitrate removal. In this case, mount the plate beneath the water surface in the sump in a very low flow area, if possible.
To use one plate for both aerobic nitrification and anaerobic denitrification, mount the plate below the water surface and provide medium flow around it. The bacteria growing in the top 1/4" of the surface of the plate will be aerobic and will use up all the oxygen so that the inside of the plate goes anoxic or anaerobic. Anaerobic denitrifying bacteria will then colonize the internal surfaces of the plate and you will get both nitrification on the surface and denitrification in the internal parts.
While the BIO plate will perform both nitrification and denitrification, if your need is primarily for denitrification, you should purchase the NO3 Plate instead or in addition.
One important criteria in marine systems is gas exchange. Xport is the best bacterial media in the world, but it is not good at gas exchange. Bio balls are the best for gas exchange, so any system will work better with a small stack of bio balls placed in the main flow (in air).
Shipping
How is my order shipped and what does it cost?
Orders are shipped either by Courier [currently FedEX Ground] or Postal Service --- the choice is yours!
For delivery by Courier, you pay the actual charges based on a 1 kG package [2.2 lbs] shipped via ground service, plus a nominal $1.00 service charge to cover the cost of insurance and packing materials. We pay any additional charges.
For Postal Service (your best value), shipping on orders under $100.00 is $13.95 to most locations in Canada, exceptions noted below. For orders between $100.00 and $150.00 the rate is $9.95, for orders between $150.00 and $200.00 the rate is just $4.95 and for orders over $200.00 shipping is FREE. The more you order the more you save! The delivery standard for this service is between 1 to 7 business days between all major centers.
NOTE: Additional Shipping Charges apply to orders being shipped to the NWT, YK, NU and some rural or remote locations in Canada as well as on over sized or heavy items indicated by the the - Additional Shipping symbol.
When will my order be shipped?
On weekdays, in-stock merchandise is shipped the same day if received by 2:00 pm EST. Orders received after that, or on weekends or holidays, are shipped the next business day.
Do you ship to the US or to other International destinations?
Currently we are only shipping within Canada.
Returns
What if I want to return an item?
Should you find it necessary to return an item, please call us first. All returns should be properly packaged to avoid damage and should include all original boxes and paperwork to receive a refund, replacement or credit. Shipping fees are not refundable, unless, of course, you are returning defective merchandise or merchandise we sent in error.
What do I do if a product breaks or doesn't preform as promised?
Keep all warranties and owner's manuals you receive with your merchandise. In the event an item becomes defective or just doesn't live up to your expectations, please refer to the warranty information you received for proper handling procedures.
![Brightwell Xport BIO Plate [9 in. x 8 in. x 1.5 in.]](/PH820/skus/BW/BW-BioPlate.jpg "Brightwell Xport BIO Plate [9 in. x 8 in. x 1.5 in.]")