DIY Lanthanum Chloride reactor - Need advice.

[mooch1982]

Hey guys,

Need everyones opinion on wheter this would work or not. So here is the idea. You have two ractors. The first reactor pushes water from the bottom up the chamber. This chamber in the first reactor is stuffed with filter floss. Near the bottom, there is a input for the Lanthanum to enter the reator. The input source would be the top off which has a mix of RO water and Lanthoium cholride on a flow switch. A picture may help:

So as you can see in the image below there is a built in bubble plate in the reactor which would hold the floss on top of the pump intake and the intake for the Lanthanum/RO water. The small 1/2 inch area below the bubble plate would be the area where the water would react with the Lanthium cholride.

It would then be pushed up through the filter floss in the white CAD lights reactor, go out the spout on top and enter the BRS deluxe reactor in the next picture.

The BRS reactor would act as a second filter to make sure no Lanthanum enters the tank. I have thought about two ideas here. Either place filter floss in the BRS reactor OR a 5 Micron sediment filter (http://www.amazon.com/Culligan-P5-D...id=1367868905&sr=8-2&keywords=5+micron+filter). The filter would need to be changed weekly but would still work out chaper than GFO with high levels of phospahtes.

Total cost to build this reactor with quick connect, and reactors is about $140. It would cost $5-10 a month for filter floss and sediment filters which is still far less than GFO if you feed very heavy or have high phosphates.

Any thoughts on this?

 

[miatawnt2b]

I'd probably elect to run through filter floss then through an external filter sock that you can change weekly. Then you can wash the socks in the washing machine to reuse.

 

[mooch1982]

I'd probably elect to run through filter floss then through an external filter sock that you can change weekly. Then you can wash the socks in the washing machine to reuse.

Ya I thought about that, but I am trying to avoid the "washing" and just making it a changing activity. It may cost a little more, but it's still cheaper than GFO.

I'm wondering if the 5 or 10 micron sediment filter would work though as a secondary filter?

 

[Skinnysloth]

Your build looks very similar to this one: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2288470

Maybe pop into that thread with your questions.

 

[mooch1982]

So just an update. I have used the floss with a 5 micron filter in the BRS reactor and so far results have been great. Not Lanthium has entered the tank yet!

Will post results again after one month of use.....

 

[rwb500]

you don't need to worry so much. as long as massive clouds of lanthanum phosphate are not forming in your tank, everything will be fine. the LaPO4 is not poisonous; it is only harmful in extreme quantities because of its fine particle size.