ICP shows high lanthanum... should I be worried?

[nim6us]

I got my quarterly ICP test back yesterday and everything looks fairly in check, with the exception of lanthanum, it's off the chart high!

Full ICP Results: https://www.triton-lab.de/en/showroom/icp-oes/166104

I've been using lanthanum for a little under a year for phosphate control. I've got a 100g system and dose roughly 3-4ml every other week or when the PO4 gets too high. I drip it right into the skimmer air intake line, and I had thought the idea is it all gets removed that way.

My previous two ICP results showed lanthanum at zero, this is the first test to show any lanthanum reading. The only change I made since my last ICP was switching from Brightwell Phosphat-E to now using Tropic Marin Elimi-Phos.

Full disclosure I did dose Elmi-Phos the previous night around 10pm and then I took my ICP water sample 8am the next morning. Again, my understanding is that lanthanum binds quickly after hitting the water, but perhaps I have that wrong. And taking my sample less than 12 hours after dosing is what produced these results?

@Lou Ekus it'd be great to get your feedback.

I'm unclear if I need to be taking some rapid action so anyone with experience, I'd appreciate your thoughts.

 

[Dan_P]

I got my quarterly ICP test back yesterday and everything looks fairly in check, with the exception of lanthanum, it's off the chart high!

Full ICP Results: https://www.triton-lab.de/en/showroom/icp-oes/166104

I've been using lanthanum for a little under a year for phosphate control. I've got a 100g system and dose roughly 3-4ml every other week or when the PO4 gets too high. I drip it right into the skimmer air intake line, and I had thought the idea is it all gets removed that way.

My previous two ICP results showed lanthanum at zero, this is the first test to show any lanthanum reading. The only change I made since my last ICP was switching from Brightwell Phosphat-E to now using Tropic Marin Elimi-Phos.

Full disclosure I did dose Elmi-Phos the previous night around 10pm and then I took my ICP water sample 8am the next morning. Again, my understanding is that lanthanum binds quickly after hitting the water, but perhaps I have that wrong. And taking my sample less than 12 hours after dosing is what produced these results?

@Lou Ekus it'd be great to get your feedback.

I'm unclear if I need to be taking some rapid action so anyone with experience, I'd appreciate your thoughts.

You will likely need to obtain another ICP. Sounds like it did not all bind immediately or the fine precipitate was not thoroughly removed when you took your water sample.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I think the risks from lanthanum are low. It is given in large quantities to people, and while some gets into bones (and is almost certainly getting into coral skeletons), I doubt it is much of an issue at the level you report.

 

[Lou Ekus]

I got my quarterly ICP test back yesterday and everything looks fairly in check, with the exception of lanthanum, it's off the chart high!

Full ICP Results: https://www.triton-lab.de/en/showroom/icp-oes/166104

I've been using lanthanum for a little under a year for phosphate control. I've got a 100g system and dose roughly 3-4ml every other week or when the PO4 gets too high. I drip it right into the skimmer air intake line, and I had thought the idea is it all gets removed that way.

My previous two ICP results showed lanthanum at zero, this is the first test to show any lanthanum reading. The only change I made since my last ICP was switching from Brightwell Phosphat-E to now using Tropic Marin Elimi-Phos.

Full disclosure I did dose Elmi-Phos the previous night around 10pm and then I took my ICP water sample 8am the next morning. Again, my understanding is that lanthanum binds quickly after hitting the water, but perhaps I have that wrong. And taking my sample less than 12 hours after dosing is what produced these results?

@Lou Ekus it'd be great to get your feedback.

I'm unclear if I need to be taking some rapid action so anyone with experience, I'd appreciate your thoughts.

I'm assuming that you mean you dosed the ELIMI-PHOS Rapid liquid. That is a lanthanum chloride product. So it may be a case where there were some lanthanum crystals that made it into your ICP water sample and pushed the test result up. Not being a chemist, I'm not totally sure about that. But thought it might be a possibility since you said you had just dosed it.

In any case, I agree with @Randy Holmes-Farley that even that value is valid (also who knows form one isolated ICP result?) that is is not anything to worry about.

 

[nim6us]

Thanks for responding @Lou Ekus you're one of the rare company reps that actually respond to customers and a big part of the reason I use TM products!

Not taking anything away from you @Randy Holmes-Farley , you're consistently awesome as well.. most likely why you have your own section on the biggest reefing forum in the world right now.

 

[Dimorb]

If the value stays high over time I would stop dosing for a while top have the level drop down.

I dosed lanthan chlorid automatic into a coral cultivation system and it was easy to see the difference on specific corals when the values become to high - some acros changing colors and in the end died.

A little bit like dosing zeo prep and doing it to heavy so zooanthell gets affected.

 

[Saltees]

FWIW, I dosed 5ml TM Elimi Phos Rapid into the skimmer neck of my 132G, thrice to five times a week for about 6 months, and my ICP reads…it wasn’t there from the last ICP. I had ordered some 5 micron socks for my future use since.