Phosphate help!

[Djbeasley05]

Looking for some advice. I just transferred my 60 gallon tank over to my new 150. I transferred rock, coral, fish, and a small amount of sand. I upgraded the skimmer at the same time. Overall, I put about 130 gallons of freshly mixed saltwater using fritz salt in the system. My phosphates are at .3ppm. My 60 had a phosphate level of around .03. I know this is crazy high and I'm trying to find the source.

My theory:
Stirring up the old sand and rock released quite a bit of detritus and the skimmer is still in its break-in phase so it isn't doing much at this point.


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[Lance A. Lot]

Look into lanthanum chloride

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[Djbeasley05]

Look into lanthanum chloride

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https://www.reef2rainforest.com/201...ok-at-lanthanum-chloride-use-in-the-aquarium/

Really interesting article. Is anyone dosing lanthanum chloride and if so how are you filtering out the precipitate before it reaches your DT?


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[bosshog]

Mine goes through floss and sponge, into the skimmer chamber, then into the fuge, then into the return chamber. Probably not useful for capturing it, but it seems to settle out before the return chamber as I’ve never noticed anything in the display tank. I despise filter socks.

 

[Tigé21v]

I used 5 or 10 micron socks when I used to dose it.
You have to be careful, better to dose a little of a diluted solution over a period of time.
Too much, and there will not be enough phosphate to tie up before the LaCl makes it through whatever you are using to catch the precipitate. It will then bind up with phosphates in the water column.

 

[Djbeasley05]

I'm assuming this method is more effective than a gfo reactor but potentially more dangerous?


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[clevername]

Rock leech?

but why not just run some High capacity GFO... get it back down if your 100% certain this isnt an overall long term problem. Keep is safe.

 

[Tigé21v]

To a point. Once phosphates get around .03, IIRC, it will start to precipitate out alkalinity instead of phosphates

If you want them lower than that, then back to GFO
It does work well though, for the heavy lifting of getting them down


I'd have to check my notes, but I think I diluted it something like 100:1 with water.
Had it feeding into a 55 gallon drum that's fed by a maxijet 1200, and with a 3000 gph power head in the drum.


Every 12 minutes, the maxijet would shut off, a few ml of the LaCl mix would be dripped in, and would thoroughly mix for a few minutes with the water in the drum. Then the maxi jet would kick back on and the water from the drum went through a small micron sock.

 

[Lance A. Lot]

https://www.reef2rainforest.com/201...ok-at-lanthanum-chloride-use-in-the-aquarium/

Really interesting article. Is anyone dosing lanthanum chloride and if so how are you filtering out the precipitate before it reaches your DT?


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I dose it but not consistently nor in large enough quantities to move the measurables more then .01 in 48 hours. I dose directly into the skimmer. I also run filter socks.

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[Djbeasley05]

I dose it but not consistently nor in large enough quantities to move the measurables more then .01 in 48 hours. I dose directly into the skimmer. I also run filter socks.

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Best idea so far in my opinion. It'll be easy to dose directly into the skimmer as I can put a sock on the skimmer output. It's an external recirculating skimmer. Would I have issues with the precipitate ruining my skimmer pump?


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[Lance A. Lot]

Best idea so far in my opinion. It'll be easy to dose directly into the skimmer as I can put a sock on the skimmer output. It's an external recirculating skimmer. Would I have issues with the precipitate ruining my skimmer pump?


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If you do then you and I would be in the same boat. I have been doing it for 2 years with the same skimmer and it has not had any effect that I can see.

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[Djbeasley05]

If you do then you and I would be in the same boat. I have been doing it for 2 years with the same skimmer and it has not had any effect that I can see.

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Good deal! I'll start dosing slowly this week and update this thread as I test.


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[Pife]

I've ran it for years if you have any questions please feel free to text me.

 

[Lance A. Lot]

Good deal! I'll start dosing slowly this week and update this thread as I test.


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I learned from Pife. Key is slow.

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[Djbeasley05]

Do I really need to get "œaquarium branded" versions or would any LaCl work?


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[Lance A. Lot]

Do I really need to get "œaquarium branded" versions or would any LaCl work?


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No, but the pool version is not watered down and can really quickly be over dosed.

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