Any Alternatives to dosing LaCl?

[ZoWhat]

I'm frustrated....

In order to keep my PO4 btwn 0.1 to 0.2 in my 220ish gal total water volume system....I've been dosing the SeaKlear Swimming Pool product at a rate of 1ml diluted in 2 gals of rodi water...then that slowly dripped thru a 5micron over the course of 4 days.

Yet Still! .... my Tangs FREAK OUT with the presence of any SeaKlear in the water. They bunch up in one corner, breath heavily and show little interest in eating or swimming around.

They maintain this reaction until it seems ALL SeaKlear is exhausted and removed by my skimmer or socks.

But...If I leave my PO4 unchecked, it seems to rise to above 1.0 until a good % of water change

QUESTIONS

Do I not worry about PO4 at 1ppm and quit chasing #s??

-or-

Any ALTERNATIVE METHODs to get PO4 to bond to smthg and get it skimmed or filter socked out?

Vodka?
Vitamin C carbon dosing?
Vodka Vinegar combo?

Looking for ALTERNATIVEs to LaCl if keeping PO4 under 0.5 is going to be a thing in my tank.


.

 

[sunken3]

i use brightwells phosphat-e with a bunch of tangs (yellow, gem, blue, sailfin) and have never had issues. Maybe there is something in the pool product they dont like, or you need to reduce the amount given.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

There are lots of other ways to reduce phosphate, but the organic carbon dosing methods you mention are not the best.

Are you also monitoring nitrate?

 

[Reef AquaCult]

Clean tank of detritus sinks, add powerful algae scrubber, install auto filter roller, feed less. Less in, more out, problem solved.

 

[mdb_talon]

Assuming your nitrates are where you want them then GFO may be a good alternative. If nitrates are also an issue then would lean more to export mechanisms like refugium, etc.

 

[X-37B]

Gfo, phosgaurd, and carbon in a reactor works well for me.
My 120 is now 28 months old.
It ran for over half that time at no3 1-2, po4 .04.
As the tank matured, more fish, more corals, more feeding no3 went to 20 and po4 to .2-.3.
I tried carbon dosing but eventually settled on large skimmer upgrade. No3 went to and has been 3ish since. Po4 was kept at .1 but I had to buy a larger media reactor and use more media, phosgaurd and gfo.
I just set up a remote 30 gallon fuge with the idea of eliminating po4 reducing media.
This also added another 25g's to the system so now around 150 total.
Running a 3" sandbed and chaeto, soon to be removed, and red macro. Cheato will be replaced with 3x current red macro.
The red is growing faster than I expected and the cheato is just a mess.
I have slowly reduced the po4 media and po4 is running .08-.1.
I would like to get po4 to .04ish and no3 to anything less tha 3 is ok for me.
I have very little green algae in my display. What algae I do have is green balls of it. Only way I can describe it. Pulled a few balls and added to the fuge too.

When po4 is low, <0.06, and no3 is <3, my colors look much better.

Also I have at last count 60+ snails of differnt type, 4 pepermint shrimp, 1 cleaner shrimp, 1 urchin as my other one died, couple brittle stars, 2 new harlequin shrimp to combat/eat my asterina army.
I also practice heavy in heavy out as I feed 8+cubes a day to my 15 fish.

 

[ZoWhat]

There are lots of other ways to reduce phosphate, but the organic carbon dosing methods you mention are not the best.

Are you also monitoring nitrate?

Yes I track po4 and no3 using Hanna checkrs

PO4 = Hanna phosphorus ULR
NO3 = Hanna nitrate HR

My po4 I cannot get below 0.1

My no3 is stable at 1-2ppm

.

 

[ZoWhat]

I ended up pouring a 1litre bottle of SeaKlear down the drain bc im tried of watching my Tangs struggle

I bought a 2litre of Brightwells phos-e and really a total guess on HOW MUCH I dose my tank : 180g DT with 100g sump but total water volumeis prob 220-240ish

I have this setup:

I basically can dilute x-amount of LaCl (brightwell phos-e) in 2 gals of rodi and drip slowly thru a 5micron sock.

I've been told to start with 5ml of Brightwell phos-e and watch-n-see.

How much would you use dose for a 220gish system?


.

 

[Hypnotoad]

I’m pretty sure Phos-E is also LaCl

 

[sunken3]

I’m pretty sure Phos-E is also LaCl

i think it is... but I am not sure what else they might add to the pool version (or its purity).

 

[sunken3]

I ended up pouring a 1litre bottle of SeaKlear down the drain bc im tried of watching my Tangs struggle

I bought a 2litre of Brightwells phos-e and really a total guess on HOW MUCH I dose my tank : 180g DT with 100g sump but total water volumeis prob 220-240ish

I have this setup:

I basically can dilute x-amount of LaCl (brightwell phos-e) in 2 gals of rodi and drip slowly thru a 5micron sock.

I've been told to start with 5ml of Brightwell phos-e and watch-n-see.

How much would you use dose for a 220gish system?


.

i dose about 25ml to my system.. its 250g plus about 75sump... never had an issue. every other day until i hit my number and then randomly (while running a bit of gfo)...

i had really high phosphates once and tried to reduce it with just gfo.. and that was way too expensive.. phospah-e was such a better deal.

 

[ZoWhat]

But I'm hear to tell you, SeaKlear Phosphate Remover is a TANG KILLER.

If it's straight up LaCl then it must be super strength or super dirty....

...or in a form that completely attacks the breathing gills of tangs.

 

[sunken3]

yes... i have read LaCl is bad for many tangs. though like i mentioned.. phosphat-e at my dosage has had no ill effects (and i did always pour it in the filter sock in the sump - just to be safe)

 

[Pistondog]

I ended up pouring a 1litre bottle of SeaKlear down the drain bc im tried of watching my Tangs struggle

I bought a 2litre of Brightwells phos-e and really a total guess on HOW MUCH I dose my tank : 180g DT with 100g sump but total water volumeis prob 220-240ish

I have this setup:

I basically can dilute x-amount of LaCl (brightwell phos-e) in 2 gals of rodi and drip slowly thru a 5micron sock.

I've been told to start with 5ml of Brightwell phos-e and watch-n-see.

How much would you use dose for a 220gish system?


.

20 ml of phosphate e will reduce my 125 total gallons by 0.2 ppm (0.4 to 0.2), repeatedly.
So double to 40 ml for similar results.
I drip mine, diluted into the overflow, over 5 hours, caught by 5 micron sox.

 

[Tombones]

Try NP-Bactor-Balance
It works to lower PO4 and nitrates. I have been using it for over a month now with great results.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Yes I track po4 and no3 using Hanna checkrs

PO4 = Hanna phosphorus ULR
NO3 = Hanna nitrate HR

My po4 I cannot get below 0.1

My no3 is stable at 1-2ppm

.

You do not need phosphate below 0.1 ppm, but with nitrate that low, if you want to use macroalgae or other balanced phosphate export method, you'll need to dose some form of N (nitrate, ammonia, or amino acids).

 

[SHINYSuccubus]

I'm frustrated....

In order to keep my PO4 btwn 0.1 to 0.2 in my 220ish gal total water volume system....I've been dosing the SeaKlear Swimming Pool product at a rate of 1ml diluted in 2 gals of rodi water...then that slowly dripped thru a 5micron over the course of 4 days.

Yet Still! .... my Tangs FREAK OUT with the presence of any SeaKlear in the water. They bunch up in one corner, breath heavily and show little interest in eating or swimming around.

They maintain this reaction until it seems ALL SeaKlear is exhausted and removed by my skimmer or socks.

But...If I leave my PO4 unchecked, it seems to rise to above 1.0 until a good % of water change

QUESTIONS

Do I not worry about PO4 at 1ppm and quit chasing #s??

-or-

Any ALTERNATIVE METHODs to get PO4 to bond to smthg and get it skimmed or filter socked out?

Vodka?
Vitamin C carbon dosing?
Vodka Vinegar combo?

Looking for ALTERNATIVEs to LaCl if keeping PO4 under 0.5 is going to be a thing in my tank.


.

i can’t tell you how to solve your phosphate problem, but i can tell you that i accidentally killed a gorgeous yellow tang w LaCl.

 

[SDK]

i can’t tell you how to solve your phosphate problem, but i can tell you that i accidentally killed a gorgeous yellow tang w LaCl.

Curious if you were also using a pool or other non aquarium brand, as I am looking for a common denominator here.

I've been using ElimiPhos for close to a year now. It's the Tropic Marin brand of LaCl3. I just drip it by hand into my overflow without all of the dilution, socks, etc. Nothing in my tank reacts to it at all. Including several tangs and supposedly sensitive inverts like cleaner shrimp and urchins.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

i can’t tell you how to solve your phosphate problem, but i can tell you that i accidentally killed a gorgeous yellow tang w LaCl.

thanks for the info, and sorry about the tang.

Just since we are nit picky chemists, let's call it LaCl3.

 

[SDK]

thanks for the info, and sorry about the tang.

Just since we are nit picky chemists, let's call it LaCl3.

Edited my post. Just for you