DIY Lanthanum Dosing

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I never heard back from Randy so I went ahead and just reordered from Chemsavers as I didn't want to take a chance. The one I linked to is signficantly less expensive but it comes from China and seller is a company I never heard of. So I decided to stick with what I now works well.

If you decide to try another source, let me know how it goes.

Also, just an FYI - the Chemsaver product is in crystal form and slightly damp so sticks together. Doesn't give me any problems but I've seen some posts or maybe it was Amazon reviews complaining that it isn't a powder.

Sorry. Both AR grade and 99.99% metals basis should be ok. Metals basis means that for each 100 gram of lanthanum there should be less than 10 mg of other metals. If accurate, that is very pure.

 

[Mickey]

I didnt see chemsaver on Amazon you buy it from ebay ?

It's on Amazon. Just search for lanthanum chloride and their product comes up. Amazon product

I see Randy thinks the other one is okay too so let me know if you try it.

 

[Jasonak]

It's on Amazon. Just search for lanthanum chloride and their product comes up. Amazon product

I see Randy thinks the other one is okay too so let me know if you try it.

The amazon one is showing sold out and I found on ebay but they dont ship to Alaska so I might end up trying the other stuff.

 

[Mickey]

I just bought it so maybe that was the last one but it comes back in stock quickly, usually anyway. Not sure about shipping to Alaska.

If you try the other stuff let me know how it goes.

 

[Fasthandsslowmind]

I ordered the Chemsavers one too, but then found the 2 little fishies product that seems to be all I’ll need for a very long time for like $25.

 

[BryanM]

The math has an issue, making you go more slowly, but that 's OK.

I said:

Let's pick a dosing volume of 1 mL, so we are dosing 6.7 mg of lanthanum, which will remove 6.7 x 0.68 = 4.6 mg of phosphate.

If that is added to an aquarium that has a total volume of 100 L, then we will be expecting to remove about 4.6 mg/100 L = 0.046 mg/L (~0.047 ppm) of phosphate.

But you calculated per 100 gallons.

To consume 0.05 ppm phosphate, you'd use 14 mL. I'd use that each day.

I am about to embark on this again, and I'll admit my math is sometimes quite suspect.

1ml in to 100L, which is 26gallons... it seems to me you'd dose 4ml, not 14.

I don't mind being wrong, I just don't want to get this wrong, and I'm dosing into approx 180 gallons, so if my math is right it would be 7ml, but if I use the above math is approx 25ml... a huge difference.

Thanks!

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I am about to embark on this again, and I'll admit my math is sometimes quite suspect.

1ml in to 100L, which is 26gallons... it seems to me you'd dose 4ml, not 14.

I don't mind being wrong, I just don't want to get this wrong, and I'm dosing into approx 180 gallons, so if my math is right it would be 7ml, but if I use the above math is approx 25ml... a huge difference.

Thanks!

I give the recipe in the first post of this thread. It is 1 mL per 26 gallons. The person I was responding to had a tank volume of 375 gallons, hence he needs 14 mL.

 

[BryanM]

I give the recipe in the first post of this thread. It is 1 mL per 26 gallons. The person I was responding to had a tank volume of 375 gallons, hence he needs 14 mL.

Thank you, I confused that and thought it was for 100 gallons.

At least my math was okay :)

 

[Cow]

I ordered the Chemsavers one too, but then found the 2 little fishies product that seems to be all I’ll need for a very long time for like $25.

This seems like the best deal, if my math is right Phosban-L is about 4-5 times the value of TM Elimi-Phos.

 

[500gal]

Someone asked for a DIY lanthanum dosing recipe.

Be sure you understand that some folks have issues with fish (especially tangs) before embarking on lanthanum dosing.

it is also preferable to catch as many of the solids that precipitate out as you can, so dosing before some sort of mechanical filtration is desirable. Many folks use a filter sock.

Finally, note that lanthanum dosing will tend to drop alkalinity a bit, both from binding phosphate and from forming some lanthanum carbonate.

OK, so here's the rationale...

Lanthanum precipitates phosphate as LaPO4. Thus, each one lanthanum ion will remove one phosphate ion (ignoring lanthanum that ends up in other compounds, such as lanthanum carbonate, bound to organics, or remains dissolved in the water).

One phosphate weighs 95 grams per mole
One lanthanum weighs 139 g/mole

Thus, one mg of lanthanum ion removes 0.68 mg of phosphate.

I was asked to use lanthanum chloride heptahydrate ( Lacl3 7H2o; mw 371.5 g/mole) ) to make the dosing solution.

That material is 37% lanthanum by weight.

Dissolve 9 grams (~2 level teaspoons) of lanthanum chloride heptahydrate in water to make 500 mL total.

That solution contains 6.7 grams/L (3.33 g/500 mL)of lanthanum, or 6.7 mg/mL.

Let's pick a dosing volume of 1 mL, so we are dosing 6.7 mg of lanthanum, which will remove 6.7 x 0.68 = 4.6 mg of phosphate.

If that is added to an aquarium that has a total volume of 100 L, then we will be expecting to remove about 4.6 mg/100 L = 0.046 mg/L (~0.047 ppm) of phosphate.

Remember that due to binding to rock and sand, and release from that reservoir when you try to lower phosphate, one may see phosphate come back up close to the starting point within a day or two after dosing, and lowering phosphate can be a lengthy process.

Thank you for being you. You're a great help to the reefing community. I've only been dosing lanthanum for about 3 months and finally have good control of phosphate. I dose into the overflow into a micron sock. As you stated I now need more alkalinity than calcium. I use BRS Soda Ash and Calcium. I have been just adding more soda ash once a week or so and not adding equal amounts of calcium (I did once). Is this a correct way to deal with the lanthanum lowering alkalinity? Thanks again!!!

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Thank you for being you. You're a great help to the reefing community. I've only been dosing lanthanum for about 3 months and finally have good control of phosphate. I dose into the overflow into a micron sock. As you stated I now need more alkalinity than calcium. I use BRS Soda Ash and Calcium. I have been just adding more soda ash once a week or so and not adding equal amounts of calcium (I did once). Is this a correct way to deal with the lanthanum lowering alkalinity? Thanks again!!!

Thanks very much, and yes, that’s a reasonable approach. There may be other reasons as well for the alk demand, such as increasing nitrate, but regardless it’s fine to be somewhat off 1:1. If you are way off, that’s a concern.

 

[500gal]

Thank you for being you. You're a great help to the reefing community. I've only been dosing lanthanum for about 3 months and finally have good control of phosphate. I dose into the overflow into a micron sock. As you stated I now need more alkalinity than calcium. I use BRS Soda Ash and Calcium. I have been just adding more soda ash once a week or so and not adding equal amounts of calcium (I did once). Is this a correct way to deal with the lanthanum lowering alkalinity? Thanks again!!!

 

[500gal]

Thanks very much, and yes, that’s a reasonable approach. There may be other reasons as well for the alk demand, such as increasing nitrate, but regardless it’s fine to be somewhat off 1:1. If you are way off, that’s a concern.

Ok so I need to check to know if Im way off. I do 1:1 @ 56ml a day into 300g water volume, never have to add nitrate which stays between 10 and 20 but about once a week I dose about 106ml sada ash to raise alk from 8.0 back up to 8.5 which is my goal. Seams like a lot to me espacially since everythinh was staying stable with 1:1 dosing before I started using lanthanum highly diluted (don't remember exact dilution right now) into a 5 micron sock

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Ok so I need to check to know if Im way off. I do 1:1 @ 56ml a day into 300g water volume, never have to add nitrate which stays between 10 and 20 but about once a week I dose about 106ml sada ash to raise alk from 8.0 back up to 8.5 which is my goal. Seams like a lot to me espacially since everythinh was staying stable with 1:1 dosing before I started using lanthanum highly diluted (don't remember exact dilution right now) into a 5 micron sock

Are you doing any water changes, and if so, might the alk in the mix be lower than the tank?

 

[500gal]

Are you doing any water changes, and if so, might the alk in the mix be lower than the tank?

l rarely do water changes

 

[Miami Reef]

l rarely do water changes

How low is the phosphate?

Just confirming, are you dosing ammonium chloride or using a sulfur denitrator?

 

[500gal]

How low is the phosphate?

Just confirming, are you dosing ammonium chloride or using a sulfur denitrator?

Phosphate float between .07 and 2.3 when I start dosing phosban L. I do feed heavy. Since I commented here I'm starting to not feed 1 day a week. Maybe I'll get up to not feeding twice a week

 

[Miami Reef]

Phosphate float between .07 and 2.3 when I start dosing phosban L. I do feed heavy. Since I commented here I'm starting to not feed 1 day a week. Maybe I'll get up to not feeding twice a week

I wouldn’t concern myself with skipping feedings. Pure lanthanum chloride from Amazon is very inexpensive and has the best bang for your buck per phosphate removed by weight. I personally put mine in the ATO, and it’s effortless.

Reducing feedings aren’t very effective for reducing nutrients.

I only use 100 micron socks and a protein skimmer. I personally never had any tang issues.

 

[500gal]

I wouldn’t concern myself with skipping feedings. Pure lanthanum chloride from Amazon is very inexpensive and has the best bang for your buck per phosphate removed by weight. I personally put mine in the ATO, and it’s effortless.

Reducing feedings aren’t very effective for reducing nutrients.

I only use 100 micron socks and a protein skimmer. I personally never had any tang issues.

My ato gets auto refills every day from my basement so adding it to my top off would be very inconsistent so right now I dose by hand but whenever I get to the point of knowing how much to dose maybe I'll put the unused pump on my doser to use

 

[Cow]

Noticed a new listing on Amazon for 500g of Lanthanum Chloride Heptahydrate for around $90. No reviews yet but at that size it might be worth splitting with someone. Works out to about the same price as the old 25g listing when split https://a.co/d/j7l2obs