Reducing po4 with cerium chloride

[ramasezz]

Hi.. I'm battling with po4.. It tested to about 1.666 ppm.. I have an app that allows me to drill deeper than the normal 1ppm that my salifert test kit registers.. This has been rock steady at 0.25 and the Spike happened die to the reactor dying.. I use PO4x4 as media in it.. My no3 is at 18. Ca and Mg I maintain at 500 and 1480.. Strangely my kh is also up at 10.2 for the past 2 weeks.. I wanted to try dosing lanathum chloride in the sump but getting the purest form lab grade is difficult and makes it 3 times the cost.. So I was suggested cerium chloride. I've tried and tried but cannot see anyone having used it or talking about it on the Internet.. So am posting this here now.. I should have done this earlier but better late than never..

Tank is about 230 gallons including sump.

Strangely I don't have any kind of algae issue, its just that the few sps frags I have are under duress now..

Tks..

 

[ramasezz]

Hi.. I'm battling with po4.. It tested to about 1.666 ppm.. I have an app that allows me to drill deeper than the normal 1ppm that my salifert test kit registers.. This has been rock steady at 0.25 and the Spike happened die to the reactor dying.. I use PO4x4 as media in it.. My no3 is at 18. Ca and Mg I maintain at 500 and 1480.. Strangely my kh is also up at 10.2 for the past 2 weeks.. I wanted to try dosing lanathum chloride in the sump but getting the purest form lab grade is difficult and makes it 3 times the cost.. So I was suggested cerium chloride. I've tried and tried but cannot see anyone having used it or talking about it on the Internet.. So am posting this here now.. I should have done this earlier but better late than never..

Tank is about 230 gallons including sump.

Strangely I don't have any kind of algae issue, its just that the few sps frags I have are under duress now..

Tks..

Just to add on the availability of lanathum.. I'm in India so there are some challenges in obtaining it here..

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I've never heard of someone using cerium for this purpose. It looks like an expensive choice to me. I expect it will bind phosphate, but I'm not certain what else it might do.

Why not GFO or aluminum oxide phosphate binders?

 

[ramasezz]

I've never heard of someone using cerium for this purpose. It looks like an expensive choice to me. I expect it will bind phosphate, but I'm not certain what else it might do.

Why not GFO or aluminum oxide phosphate binders?

Thank you for the reply. Sorry its late in coming, been keeping hectic work hours.. Right, so to answer your question.. I do have PO4x4 that o run in a reactor but I'm not getting the expected outcomes in reduction. I'm also dosing vodka and vinegar as well. I went the PO4x4 route after reading reviews in how much better they are and that they don't leech back anything into the display besides not disintegrating in a reactor.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

PO4x4 is likely a fine product, but will be less effective than standard GFO on a volume basis, and the claims about not leaching are unlikely to be true.

The part about it not getting pulverized may be true, but I do not know how much of an issue that is anyway. I used GFO for years and never thought that was a concern.

 

[ramasezz]

PO4x4 is likely a fine product, but will be less effective than standard GFO on a volume basis, and the claims about not leaching are unlikely to be true.

The part about it not getting pulverized may be true, but I do not know how much of an issue that is anyway. I used GFO for years and never thought that was a concern.

Aah.. Many thanks again.. I will read up a bit in alternates especially on some tried and tested one like rowa phos 5hen amongst others.. Cerium chloride I am getting a free sample to try but without knowing what it can do besides precipitating the po4 is like playing Russian roulette..