Dosing Lanthanum Chloride - A Personal Experience

[SamMule]

Lanthanum phosphate will dissolve in acid (which drops the free PO4— concentration so low that insoluble phosphates will dissolve), but I have not seen analysis of any solids formed from lanthanum dosing.

Hey, Randy. I dose kalkwasser through my ATO. If I rerouted my dosing hose to go through the filter, could I add LaCl to the kalkwasser ATO solution? Or would it bind or precipitate out?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Hey, Randy. I dose kalkwasser through my ATO. If I rerouted my dosing hose to go through the filter, could I add LaCl to the kalkwasser ATO solution? Or would it bind or precipitate out?

I expect you would precipitate insoluble lanthanum hydroxide, as happens with magnesium in kalkwasser.

 

[juliomexico13]

Problem with using LC is that it rids phosphate really quickly. So I suggest the most diluted mix yiu can do start from there. I remember towards the end I was diluting 1 drop of seaklear in 1 gal of rodi water to keep my phos at 0.03. That 1 gal 1 drop mixture was being dosed 4 times a day just a few ml each time. It's been a while that I did this so I am not 100% of the excat numbers. But in the beginning I was using more and when phos started to fall I didn't need it that much.
Others may chime

How many gallons was the system?

 

[Subarcticreef]

Lanthanum (carbonate) is given as a drug to people with kidney failure since they have high phosphate in the blood. So it can’t be that toxic.

 

[chicago]

tell that to my dead fish.. easy to overdose...
lost too many nice fish dosing this stuff...
Stay away..
if you try to use.. make sure and its a must that it run through a filter sock before hitting tank water..

 

[Subarcticreef]

tell that to my dead fish.. easy to overdose...
lost too many nice fish dosing this stuff...
Stay away..
if you try to use.. make sure and its a must that it run through a filter sock before hitting tank water..

Or use a product from a reputable provider of chemicals for reef tanks (and not the stuff intended for pools) and follow the instructions.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Lanthanum (carbonate) is given as a drug to people with kidney failure since they have high phosphate in the blood. So it can’t be that toxic.

Lanthanum is very poorly absorbed by people , but my company showed that the little that is absorbed can get into bone. That may or may not be any concern or be related to toxic effects in reef tanks, but it does appear that a small but important fraction of users of lanthanum chloride in reef tanks see fish toxicity, tangs mostly.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Or use a product from a reputable provider of chemicals for reef tanks (and not the stuff intended for pools) and follow the instructions.

That is not the sole reason some folks see toxicity. It is not apparent what is different in those systems or those products used.

 

[chicago]

the by product if not removed by the filter socks hits the gills and you will see the issue when it hits.. all of a sudden you will see fish swimming like crazy on the surface.. no coming back.. lost a pair of personifiers, barb anthias and more... GRO in my book will not cause a crazy drop or kill fish.. just my 1000 dollars worth LOL

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

the by product if not removed by the filter socks hits the gills and you will see the issue when it hits.. all of a sudden you will see fish swimming like crazy on the surface.. no coming back.. lost a pair of personifiers, barb anthias and more... GRO in my book will not cause a crazy drop or kill fish.. just my 1000 dollars worth LOL

I’m not convinced that a sock solves the problem, and have not seen evidence the particulates cause the toxicity as opposed to soluble lanthanum or even an impurity.

 

[EugeneVan]

tell that to my dead fish.. easy to overdose...
lost too many nice fish dosing this stuff...
Stay away..
if you try to use.. make sure and its a must that it run through a filter sock before hitting tank water..

I use a dosing pump and divide the doses into 24 parts measurement. I have been using this method for over a year. All my fish are healthy and happy (I have 4 different tangs in my 210 gal)

 

[ZoWhat]

tell that to my dead fish.. easy to overdose...
lost too many nice fish dosing this stuff...
Stay away..
if you try to use.. make sure and its a must that it run through a filter sock before hitting tank water..

Not if you use this product and follow instructions. been using this product for yeeeears.

Zero deaths among Tangs and all other saltwater fish

BUY ON AMAZON, search keywords:
"blue life phosphate rx"

Drops PO4 readings overnight. It's quick

 

[areefer01]

Not if you use this product and follow instructions. been using this product for yeeeears.

Zero deaths among Tangs and all other saltwater fish

One can still use this product incorrectly and cause loss of animals. It is still lanthanum chloride albeit at a different dilution rate. Brightwell has phosphate-E and so on.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Not if you use this product and follow instructions. been using this product for yeeeears.

Zero deaths among Tangs and all other saltwater fish

BUY ON AMAZON, search keywords:
"blue life phosphate rx"

Drops PO4 readings overnight. It's quick

Everyone’s individual experiences are not telling the whole story, and IMO, there’s as of yet no foolproof product or method that will not ever result in fish issues.

That’s why it has been so hard to pin down the actual issue.

 

[ZoWhat]

One can still use this product incorrectly and cause loss of animals. It is still lanthanum chloride albeit at a different dilution rate. Brightwell has phosphate-E and so on.

Y'all just being difficult. it's safe, it works, I use it once every week with a $500 hippo tang in my tank for 3 years now

 

[areefer01]

You're just being difficult. it's safe, it works, I use it once every week with a $500 hippo tang in my tank

I am not being difficult or confrontational nor did I say anything about it working or not. I said that it can still cause fatalities in animals if administered incorrectly or too aggressively. It is still lanthanum chloride just at a different dilution rate. There isn't anything magical about it.

My display is running 2.2 ppm phosphate. I've used the product so very aware of how it works.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Y'all just being difficult. it's safe, it works, I use it once every week with a $500 hippo tang in my tank for 3 years now

Seriously, you need to recognize that there are other experiences than your own, and stop just saying it is always safe.

Brightwell phosphate-E

Maybe I missed it somewhere but what’s the point of a 5 micron sock and not the standard 200 micron sock? Probably to catch the particulate

www.reef2reef.com

Just wanted to offer that I just lost a yellow tang today, same deal, 340g tank, dosed 70ml slowly yesterday (well less than max dose) dripped into two nested 10 micron socks, didnt see any cloudiness in tank. Phos went from 0.33ppm to 0.08ppm, so reduction of only 0.25ppm. Didn't notice significant swing in alk or anything.

I wish I knew this product was such a danger to my fish, I would have stuck to GFO.

 

[ZoWhat]

I am not being difficult or confrontational nor did I say anything about it working or not. I said that it can still cause fatalities in animals if administered incorrectly or too aggressively. It is still lanthanum chloride just at a different dilution rate. There isn't anything magical about it.

My display is running 2.2 ppm phosphate. I've used the product so very aware of how it works.

I'm sure if one consumed an entire bottle of 500 capsules of multivitamins at one time, you'd probably die.

This is why we read instructions

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I'm sure if one consumed an entire bottle of 500 capsules of multivitamins at one time, you'd probably die.

This is why we read instructions

Read the posts from people who followed directions and lost fish.

 

[areefer01]

I'm sure if one consumed an entire bottle of 500 capsules of multivitamins at one time, you'd probably die.

This is why we read instructions

I understand your stance and opinion. Let me apologize for offending you or making it seem like your experience wasn't relevant.