vanpire
Valuable Member
I thought I would document my experience so that others might benefit. This is not a recommendation on what to do, just my experience.
Suddenly, my SPS, especially some of my largest colonies started to die. It occurred over several weeks. I didn't do anything differently.
To make a long story short. I had ATI check my water and the phosphate was was 1.26. I checked with my Hanna Phosphate PPM (NOT ULR), and the Hana had it at 1.1. I neglected checking phosphates for a while until this problem. I guessed that this was my problem.
Did water changes but the damage was done.
I increased my nitrate to ~5 as measured using Red Sea Nitrate test kit - dosed with potassium nitrate. Nitrates was nearly undetectable before dosing with potassium nitrate. Chaeto growth improved noticeably after dosing. Even with water changes, the phosphate level was only lowered to about 0.91 over 4 weeks. I say about because it fluctuated +/- 0.06. Corals stopped dieing but they didn't grow at all, even fast growing ones like red planet and JF sour twist didn't grow.
Decided to dose lanthanum chloride. Got the SeaKlear Phosphate Remover - 32 oz bottle, the one that stated that will remove 9,000 bbp of phosphates in a 10,000 gallon pool. This bottle will last me forever.
Mixed 5ml of Seaklear phosphate remover into 1 gallon of RO water. Dripped the gallon into the a 5 micron sock into the sump connected to a 300 gallon DT over a 12 hour period. No clouding observed in DT or sump at any point.
24 hours later - no noticeable affects on corals, inverts or fish, including my 7 tangs. Phosphate is now .44 ppm. This was a surprise. I thought it might lower it by about 0.2 PPM and 0.46 PPM was a big surprise. I didn't want phosphate to drop that much due to potential harmful effects on SPS.
No drop in Alk but I did change the pH on my CARx from 6.35 to 6.30 to compensate. My DT pH was 0.2 lower during this exercise, but it could be due to the decrease in CaRx pH or a number of things.
My goal is to get my phosphate to 0.1 PPM, steady state. I will do another dose but this time, I will only add 2ml in 1 gallon of RO.
Will post my results when I do.
Suddenly, my SPS, especially some of my largest colonies started to die. It occurred over several weeks. I didn't do anything differently.
To make a long story short. I had ATI check my water and the phosphate was was 1.26. I checked with my Hanna Phosphate PPM (NOT ULR), and the Hana had it at 1.1. I neglected checking phosphates for a while until this problem. I guessed that this was my problem.
Did water changes but the damage was done.
I increased my nitrate to ~5 as measured using Red Sea Nitrate test kit - dosed with potassium nitrate. Nitrates was nearly undetectable before dosing with potassium nitrate. Chaeto growth improved noticeably after dosing. Even with water changes, the phosphate level was only lowered to about 0.91 over 4 weeks. I say about because it fluctuated +/- 0.06. Corals stopped dieing but they didn't grow at all, even fast growing ones like red planet and JF sour twist didn't grow.
Decided to dose lanthanum chloride. Got the SeaKlear Phosphate Remover - 32 oz bottle, the one that stated that will remove 9,000 bbp of phosphates in a 10,000 gallon pool. This bottle will last me forever.
Mixed 5ml of Seaklear phosphate remover into 1 gallon of RO water. Dripped the gallon into the a 5 micron sock into the sump connected to a 300 gallon DT over a 12 hour period. No clouding observed in DT or sump at any point.
24 hours later - no noticeable affects on corals, inverts or fish, including my 7 tangs. Phosphate is now .44 ppm. This was a surprise. I thought it might lower it by about 0.2 PPM and 0.46 PPM was a big surprise. I didn't want phosphate to drop that much due to potential harmful effects on SPS.
No drop in Alk but I did change the pH on my CARx from 6.35 to 6.30 to compensate. My DT pH was 0.2 lower during this exercise, but it could be due to the decrease in CaRx pH or a number of things.
My goal is to get my phosphate to 0.1 PPM, steady state. I will do another dose but this time, I will only add 2ml in 1 gallon of RO.
Will post my results when I do.
). I know a couple of other public aquariums that has linked the death of tangs to lanthanum chloride, but I have never seen any papers or numbers so I don't know any details. 
