What type of Iodine do you dose with??

[mdmaquatic]

Hi everyone, i'm curious what everyones opinons are to the best iodine out there to dose with and why?? We are using Kent's Tech-I this is some sort of time release formula and we are still out on a verdict for it yet. It does seem to keep the levels at a constant .04 ppm. I'm just not seeing the results in the tank i'd like to see. Maybe we need to seperate the softies and polyps to another system?? Is our skimmer taking out too much of the trace elements?? I'm using a My Reef Creations mrc-3 HSA skimmer, it does a fantastic job, maybe too good of a job. Anyways just looking for some insight to this. Thanks everyone.

[MikeS]

Iodine is quickly removed from the water by skimming and usage from livestock. Fortunately, it finds its way back into the tank from numerous souces, ie feeding and water changes. Be careful when dosing iodine, it's easy to overdose it.

Mike

I use SeaChems although that may not be any better than Kents product. Skimming will quickly remove it if your adding to a system that has one. FWIT, i have had more luck running all softy set ups than I have had running combination set ups, one reason I am looking to expand a little bit.

[mdmaquatic]

Yeah Roger on the seperate systems imaexpat2....as soon as this kaelini live rock is cured its going back to a soft coral and poly system.

[jman785]

I use SeaChems, and I use reef iodide, close enough to be iodine.

[romunov]

Iodine in reef aquaria part I (http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/mar2003/chem.htm)
Read before you pour one more in. ;)

I don't see the need to dose iodine... if you decide to do be careful.

[tinyreef]

i like tech i. but i also dose lugol's (pharmacy source, much cheaper).

i've experimented with various dosages, light doses to mega amounts. while i believe certain softies grow better with the lugols but haven't found the same reactions to tech i or KI.

often i'll increase dosages for new additions though. kinda like a antiseptic is my reasoning. other than that, i really take my cues from the livestock on dosages for any chemical. hth

[firefish2020]

Be careful with Iodine it can cause massive cyano out breaks that can quickly become catastrophic in a system. If you are doing regular water changes every 2 weeks or so you shouldn’t need to add any at all. If you would like, try adding a trace element that contains iodine as one of the ingredients, it is usually a small % and shouldn’t cause any problems. However add this only on the weeks between your water changes.

[MoonSoft]

I would ask to add to that, if you are keeping a large number of crustaceans, then you might want to do more than water changes to replace iodine as it aids in the biochemical process of molting, and exo-skeletal growth, but it is a oxidizing agent so be aware of what you are doing to your system, that article is a very concise piece of information alough it's a little deep, i would just remember not to trust a test kit, there are 3 testable forms of iodine each one is just as important as the other, total iodine is not a reliable source of dosing regimes, there needs to be more work done in this area before people start to maintain a certain level. i genreally use lugols, but have noticed that dosed on it's 1 drop per 25 gallons a week causes a NICE algae bloom!, so i have since stopped dosing it, or dose it only at half strength.

[Condiman]

I ll have to agree with Aaron on this one.

[MoonSoft]

Pertaining to Iodine i would wonder if this would be some of the causes of algal blooms?, i had about a year ago perfect water quality using ro di comlete system fill with only that water, and almost no feed going into the aquarium, the tank was ALWAYS growing algae, used multiple test kits for silicates and phosphates, all tested at very minute or undetectable levels, the only thing i would think to do is test iodine..... only to find most test kits were inconclusive or didn't teat the types of iodine that could be causing the prolems.. mainly iodate, after seeing what algae is made up of one would assume that a iodine deficiency would cut the amount of algae that can form, but then in turn what other life forms are effected...sponges, tunicates, gorgonians corals????

Most research has found that these animals are capable of obtaining iodine / iodide from their food source corals mainly by that since they eat phytoplankton, same with most fish as far as i know.

Is there anyone running a system not dosing iodine at all???? i would be curious to see what their algae problems are like and what speceis of algae thye are growing or not growing

[Condiman]

The only problem I see about trying to identify if your algae problem is caused by excess iodine and excess nutrients or caused by another source may be difficult to determine.

[MikeS]

Is there anyone running a system not dosing iodine at all???? i would be curious to see what their algae problems are like and what speceis of algae thye are growing or not growing

I rarely dose iodide, only when I add a new coral or have an injured coral in the tank. I have had some sporadic algae growth since december, when my tank went into flux because of a failed heater. On the rare occasions I do use iodide, however, I have seen no coresponding algae blooms...well none that I have noticed anyway....

Mike

[MoonSoft]

Can i ask what form of Iodine/Iodide you dose with?

[MikeS]

sure...SeaChem's Reef Iodide

Mike

[MarineScientist19]

i use the standard kent iodine, but its almost not needed, u get about all u need in essential elements but everyone has there favorate brand and method