An apparatus and method isolating ion generation from target metal precipitation and flocculation rely on an ion generator and a precipitation reactor distinct, separated, optimized, and otherwise independent from each other as to flow regime and contained fluid at all times. No co-habitation of ion generation and precipitation nor their flow regimes is permitted in a single unit. Plug flow at hyper turbulence in the ion generator contrasts with quiescent to laminar flows in the precipitation reactor. Coating sacrificial anodes is avoided by avoiding over driving currents for ionization at the anode. A precipitation reactor is optimized by a dwell time effective to precipitate and flocculate heavy target metal precipitants and sacrificial ions relying on weak forces not tolerated by inertial forces in the ion generator.