i think the term 'nitrate factory' is misguided. nitrate comes from the conversion of ammonia and nitrite...and nitrate is definitely the most prefered. any aerobic biological filtration will be a 'nitrate factory', and that's desirable because nitrate is the least toxic. now if you ran a fluidized bed filter in a anaerobic environment...for instance, after the oxygen has been eaten up by aerobic bacteria, you would create a denitrator. but there are better options for reducing nitrate. nutrient export, sufficient LR for anaerobic biological activity, efficient skimming, and coil denitrators all seem like they would be more effective. a fluidized bed filter is nothing more than surface area for bacterial activity...therefor i don't think it would be any more effective for increasing fish capacity than some filter floss in your sump or bio-balls, and less effective than additional LR.
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