Lanthanum Chloride Dosing Instead of GFO

[bozo]

@Dr. Reef

Thanks for your response.

I plan on having a separate reactor for the lanthanum chloride/tank water contact. It will be fed exactly how you have it, from a manifold.

The effluent from that will go into a 3 chamber RODI unit with three 10 micron filters, just like how you have it.

Question:

I have the same doser as you. How do you have the doser line (LaCl) hooked up to your reactor? Do you have a check valve for back pressure?

Is the doser strong enough to push the LaCl into the reactor?

Thanks!

 

[Dr. Reef]

No check valve. Doser itself acts like a check valve.
I never had a problem with it backing.
Doser itself won't push into a flowing tube or pipe, I guess too much pressure.
So what I did was, i am using a clear 1/2" tubing from manifold to reactor.

Some where along that tubing just above the sump, so if leaks it goes into sump.
I drilled a very small hole and push the 1/4" tubing coming out from the doser into the 1/2" tubing and pushed it at least a foot or so deep.
So 1/4" tubing from doser is also flowing inside the bigger 1/2" tubing about a foot or so in.
This way when the doser pushed the solution pressure is not so great over the smaller tube and it gets injected into the flow.
I'll take a few pics when I get home.

 

[Dr. Reef]

 

[TherealplexiG]

bump

 

[TherealplexiG]

bump

 

[TherealplexiG]

bump

 

[TherealplexiG]

bump

 

[bozo]

@Dr. Reef Thanks for the photos!

Last question.

I have a 220 gallon water volume. How fast should the flow be going through the LaCl reactor?

Thanks

 

[Dr. Reef]

I have set very slow. I am going to guess 150-200 ml per min or about 2-3 gal per hour.

Phosphates had hit rock bottom. I normally stay 0 even with out any LC for almost 2 weeks before I start seeing increase.
I am currently programmed to dose 1 drop of very diluted solution one a week on a Wednesday.
That 1 drop keeps my tank at 0 mostly or at most 0.01.

 

[bozo]

@Dr. Reef beautiful

Just set up my reactor + 2 stage 5 micron filter.

I'm wondering if I could move the 2nd 5 micron filter to the 1st stage after I toss the 1st stage filter then replace the 2nd stage with a new one. Repeat.

What do you think?

Thanks again for answering all the questions!!!!

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

@Dr. Reef beautiful

Just set up my reactor + 2 stage 5 micron filter.

I'm wondering if I could move the 2nd 5 micron filter to the 1st stage after I toss the 1st stage filter then replace the 2nd stage with a new one. Repeat.

What do you think?

Thanks again for answering all the questions!!!!

That sounds like a fine plan to me.

How long are you finding it takes for them to plug?

 

[bozo]

That sounds like a fine plan to me.

How long are you finding it takes for them to plug?

The famous @Randy Holmes-Farley actually responded to me! Thanks for answering my question and big thanks to @Dr. Reef for all the info! My setup mimics his setup almost exactly.

I bought a 25 pack of 5 micron filters on ebay. They are on the way.

I will update you as soon as I get them hooked up.

My concern is that they will clog up really fast since I have saltwater running through them versus using them for making RODI water. Also worried that a bunch of critters may get stuck in there as well.

I'll post photos of my reactor set up soon!

Thanks!

 

[bozo]

I used an old mrc calcium reactor as the LaCl reaction chamber.

3/4 hose attached to the bottom of the reactor. Feeds water from my manifold.

I used a small jebao pump from amazon.

Water fills from the bottom and then leaves the top from the black 90 (1/2in) elbow you see in the photo.

LaCl/RODI mixture will be fed from a doser into the RO line you see in the photo. It will dump it into the bottom of the reactor for longer exposure to the SW.


Then goes into the 2 blue water filter housings in the back. I will add 5 micron sediment filters to the housings.

Then it will dump into a 100 micron filter bag probably. I haven't decided. I want to dump it into a fuge. Not sure if that will help the fuge all. Probably not.

The 2nd photo is the rate its currently at. I haven't dialed anything in. I will wait until the filters come and start dosing.


Currently my phosphates are at 0.22 using low sensitivity hanna meter. I am using expired powder, but whatever, it'll do for now.

 

[rockskimmerflow]

Very cool implementations guys! I used to use dilute lanthanum solutions on my client systems through their dosers, compensated by an elevated alkalinity dose. After a couple years I found - for the reasons many in this thread have encountered- that GFO in a reactor was actually the better long term solution. Especially in terms of equipment maintenance and material costs. The only advantage I foumd in lanthanum is that its way cheaper for the amount of phos ot can remove. In the long run it proved more complicated to manage and more expensive in tertiary costs.

 

[Dr. Reef]

AT the flow i mentioned earlier i would expect 2 weeks at most out of the filter. Most of it got tot do with how much LC you will dosing and rest the stuff in saltwater itself will clog the filter quickly.
I dont run filter anymore as i said before i am only using 1 single drop once a week and it keeps my tank at phos 0-0.01. The outlet of the LC reactor goes directly to skimmer and small particles get skimmed out.
I agree LC has its benefits for being cheap and doing a great job at dropping phos but it has its drawbacks as well. The residue will stick to anything and for a thin layer on pumps and magnets and inside the skimmer etc. hard to take off. in some cases making the pumps fail to work.

I never used 2 filters but my concern is pressure. with 2 filters you will see reduction in pressure of water coming out of the reactor and maybe even no water after few days as filters clog. When you will pull the filters from their chambers you will have a lot of LC residue and debris in the chambers and i highly recommend to use a filter sock at the output till it clears up.

 

[bozo]

I diluted 5 mL of LaCl with 5 Liters of RODI.

Been dosing 20 mL of the mixture stated above per hour. It's been around 48 hours so far.


Phosphates were at 0.3 ppm prior to dosing. Keep in mind that this is my first and only method of phosphate removal ever. I've never tried to remove phosphates before other then water changes and a fuge in a different tank.

Also this is my first time I've ever tested phosphates this frequently.

Tested yesterday afternoon they were at 0.064 ppm.

Just tested this morning. 0.0621 ppm.

I'm going to keep the same dosing rate and frequency to see where it can take me.

Wow.

 

[Dr. Reef]

Lol it's a magical thing. Drops phos quick.
I think you are good at the rate you have and soon you will see it to drop even more.
Good job and good luck.

 

[bozo]

The first stage sediment filter definitely was dirtier than the 2nd stage. 1st stage definitely catches the majority of the crap.

From the looks of the filters, the 2nd stage is more of a precaution.

What I do notice is that your pump that is pumping water through the reactor AND the 2 stage filters MUST be strong enough to keep the pressure consistent on the reactor.

No ill effects on my 4 tangs. Blue, Yellow, Powder Brown, or Lieutenant Tangs. Clownfish and wrasse are ok as well.

I will update soon.

 

[Dr. Reef]

Yes in my last post I did mention about the pressure between 2 filters.
I had problems keeping water flowing with 1 10 micron filter let alone 2.
But see how it works out for you. Eventually you won't need to dose but a few drops like in my case I do 1 drop a week now.
Good luck and safe reefing

 

[Atti2de]

Great post, glad to see updates in here still. I too have a phos problem and was going to pick up some Phosban-L once Two little fishes realizes it. My plan was to make a simple DIY drip container and drip it into a 5 micron sock in my sump. I was only planning on using it to get a handle on my phos and as needed. After reading though all this is my approach too simple?

 

[crabman85]

I've been dripping LaCl for several months now into a 10 micron sock. Using 20 mls SeaKlear to 1000 mls RODI. Never noticed anything escaping the sock, cloudy water, or abnormal behavior in fish. It's a few drips or less per second.

Size tank you dosing that much and how much brings po4 down