SPS and Lathanum cloride

[tdb320reef]

I seem to have run into a phosphate issue lately .18 and some corals are showing stress. Any hardcore sps tanks using lanthanum chloride? I really don't want to go back to GFO. I also have a ton of tangs so worried about the health as I heard it burns the gills? Discussion? Anyone use it long term? Id love to see pics of the tanks.

Thanks

 

[ChadRaay86]

I've used the Thrive Aquatics and the Brightwell stuff (Phos-E?) with success. It won't mess with coral much (nothing compared to what you're getting with the high phosphate), but it will deplete your alkalinity severly if you're not careful.

Straight LaCl (pool store stuff) is not good for fish in high dosages and should only be dripped into a 1 micron sock and in a small amount.

Honestly, I've been through it all and LaCl is a short term solution, not really a long term thing.

If you want to avoid GFO use, your best bet is to improve your nutrient export through a bigger skimmer, carbon dosing, running filter socks, feeding less and improving flow. Bigger water changes more often helps temporarily.

Having battled it all, I can tell you that more flow, daily sock changes and a little lighter feeding have helped immensely and honestly running a little GFO in a full blown SPS tank isn't that much of a pain. With LaCl you run the risk of doing a lot of damage, where with GFO its a known commodity.

This is all just my opinion though, derived through many months of phosphate battles

 

[jeffm59]

Actually have been using an apex to control a dosing pump which pumps a very dilute solution of rodi water and Lan Chloride into a reactor. First chamber is empty for the lan chloride and the incoming water to mix -- the second chamber is packed tightly with filter floss to capture the precipitate. I can control the phosphates in the system to a very fine degree. In nine months, phosphates have stayed between .04 and .09 - I up the dosage slightly if the levels start to wander up. The tank is a 360 gallon sps/clam/anemone tank that is heavily fed as it has tangs and a lookdown as the main fish.

I would never go back to GFO again - my cost for phosphate control is 1/20th of what it would be if I was using GFO.

Check the DIY section here for the series on Lan Chloride Reactors - and I buy the Lan Chloride from the pool section at Lowes for $14 a bottle which would last the average reefer with a 100 gallon tank a year

 

[sahin]

I used LC (and then GFO once levels reached around 0.05ppm) to dramatically clear my rocks of PO4. Without LC/GFO using my levels used to rise to above 0.14ppm within a day or two.

The mass of filter floss reactor is a very good idea. I simply dosed into a 10micron filter sock. Other times I would add 1 drop or 2 into the skimmer.

As long as you have an efficient way to capture the fines then you are good to go.

I used LC when I had at least 30 SPS frags/small colonies.

If you can isolate your sump from the display then you can treat the water volume in the sump, get it all clear and then run the system again for a few hours and repeat. I have also used this procedure as I can completely isolate my sump (which is 2/3 the size of my display).

Now I dont even need to use LC or GFO. My rocks are clean enough that even with increased feeding, my PO4 doesn't go above 0.03ppm.