Dosing Lanthanum Chloride - A Personal Experience

[Subarcticreef]

Have done some searching on ion uptake via fish gills. It seems like it could be possible that latnhanum can be taken up through gills. If that is the case, lanthanum could theoretically mess with phosphate homeostasis in the blood of the fish which could cause toxicity.
Anyway, never add more lanthanum than you have phosphate. Following the directions of the calculator that I linked to earlier could be a good idea. Never add more lanthanum than required to reduce phosphate by more than half and then repeat with lower and lower dose.

 

[Jake Martensen]

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.

Can you add a link to the SeaKlear phosphate remove you used? I have a 400g DT and this will be a huge help but I want to make sure I am getting the right stuff. Did you have any negative side effects?

 

[Jake Martensen]

Can you add a link to the SeaKlear phosphate remove you used? I have a 400g DT and this will be a huge help but I want to make sure I am getting the right stuff. Did you have any negative side effects?

 

[Robert Minett]

i have been dosing lanthanum for a while now. i also experienced STN on corals. now over 2 yrs of Lanthanum use all phosphates have leached out of the rocks and i dont have to dose much. i mix 1 oz of SeaKlear in 1 gal of rodi water and only dose 250 ml once a week and it keeps my phos levels right at 0 to 0.01 range. no more damage to corals.
Although my experience with it has different effect on tank chemistry.
With lanthanum use i did notice sudden drop in Alk and pH (which both are directly related).

On what size tank?

 

[Dr. Reef]

250 gal.

 

[backbayreef]

I’ve been using LC for almost a decade, started with PhosphateRx. This year, I’ve been dosing Brightwell Phosphat-E (LC-based) on a doser at 6mls/day to keep PO4 at ~0.15ppm. It’s super easy to manipulate.

Tank is a 450gal with ~30 medium/large fish and I feed heavily.

 

[Dr. Reef]

same here I have been using LC for decades. But recently I have been using Tropic Marin Elmi-Phos rapid (its liquid form) I dose 5ml per day in my 500 gal and it keeps it at 0.05-0.08.

 

[backbayreef]

same here I have been using LC for decades. But recently I have been using Tropic Marin Elmi-Phos rapid (its liquid form) I dose 5ml per day in my 500 gal and it keeps it at 0.05-0.08.

Cool - I love the controllable way to inc/dec phosphate without the mess! I could go lower but figure it’s safer (more wiggle room) at 0.15 vs <0.10. If going lower will enhance growth & color, I will definitely consider it.

Several reefers reported that LC killed their tangs, esp yellow tangs. I have been dosing LC daily with 3 yellow tangs and had no issues. Guess I’m super lucky!

 

[chicago]

DR reef and bakbay... Are you dosing right into the tank and not through a micro filter bag ....
I lost so many nice fish when I dosed LC

 

[Dr. Reef]

DR reef and bakbay... Are you dosing right into the tank and not through a micro filter bag ....
I lost so many nice fish when I dosed LC

dosing straight into the 1st section of the sump where the tank drains into. then it goes into 100 micron filter socks and onwards.

 

[backbayreef]

DR reef and bakbay... Are you dosing right into the tank and not through a micro filter bag ....
I lost so many nice fish when I dosed LC

I dose into the first chamber with some macroalgae, before the skimmer & return. I don’t use any socks/rollermats (sump pic below). Some people dosed into the skimmer neck, which I used to do manually.

 

[backbayreef]

DR reef and bakbay... Are you dosing right into the tank and not through a micro filter bag ....
I lost so many nice fish when I dosed LC

Also, which brand did you use? I heard that some reefers used pool-grade LCs and diluting it. I’ve only used two: PhosphateRX and Phosphat-E so far so can’t comment on others.

 

[JGT]

I dose and am able to keep a fairly tight range on my PO4 levels. Much more than I could with GFO. Fish are also fine but I did notice that it did kill my snails. I found others who have had the same experience. Theory is there is some precipitation on the rocks that the snails consume which does them in. Doesn’t happen suddenly. I find them turned over. I right them and then in a day or so they are back to being turned over. Rise, repeat until they eventually die.

 

[Dr. Reef]

Decades ago I used to use Pool SeaKler Phos. I used to mix a small ml in a gal of rodi water and dose over time. But now I use Tropic Marin Elimi-Phos Rapid (its liquid) they do have Elimi-phos in non liquid form too. But I use liquid and dose directly into the 1st section of the sump. Never lost a fish.

 

[areefer01]

Several reefers reported that LC killed their tangs, esp yellow tangs. I have been dosing LC daily with 3 yellow tangs and had no issues. Guess I’m super lucky!

Zebrasoma tangs is more or less the common theme. There are a couple great threads on LC use on reef central archives going back to at least 2008 if I remember correctly. Product, dosage, application methods, etc.

 

[backbayreef]

Zebrasoma tangs is more or less the common theme. There are a couple great threads on LC use on reef central archives going back to at least 2008 if I remember correctly. Product, dosage, application methods, etc.

Yes - I’m aware but I have a lot of those tangs across 3 tanks that I’ve been dosing LC for almost a decade without any issues. Again, I’m still lucky but I don’t think that we as hobbyists have solved this riddle, yet. It would be useful to put a matrix together of these combos to see the common denominator and find root cause one of these days…

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Again, I’m still lucky but I don’t think that we as hobbyists have solved this riddle, yet. It would be useful to put a matrix together of these combos to see the common denominator and find root cause one of these days…

I agree, we have not, despite looking for it for a long time.

 

[areefer01]

Yes - I’m aware but I have a lot of those tangs across 3 tanks that I’ve been dosing LC for almost a decade without any issues. Again, I’m still lucky but I don’t think that we as hobbyists have solved this riddle, yet. It would be useful to put a matrix together of these combos to see the common denominator and find root cause one of these days…

I am not sure I would call your success luck. In all probability it is how it is being administered but that is just my opinion.

 

[Saltees]

Using LaCl products (ATM Agent Green, TM Elimi Phos Rapid, BW Phosphat-E) dosed into the display’s overflow ensures quick phosphate binding before the sump—efficient, targeted, and with zero fish loss.

 

[chicago]

for those reading this.. need to be clear... I have not heard of anyone that has dosed this into the system without it running through a micron sock before entering tank water.. I have seen first hand when I was asleep at the wheel and did not have the sock in place.. KILLED personifer pair, regal angles , potters, blue line and tangs.. some died after struggling for days.. I have been in hobby for 40 years.. and this was a total stupid mistake as i had used in the past with micron socks. On this occasion I also used pool grade and would not recommend.