Iodine levels in reef tank

wayne334 · 09-21-2005, 10:44 AM

It seems that my Iodine level is .02-.03. I guess .06 is what I need to strive for... Each week , I add a capful of Kent Iodine as suggested on the bottle. Evidently, I'm losing it in the skimmer. Is there a "safe" way to increase the Iodine level? Also , I'm losing some yellow polyps-- noticed shortly after placing a brown brittle star in the tank. I haven't observed the star at night eating anything other than scouring the floor of the tank. Any suggestions?

Bruce · 09-21-2005, 11:08 AM

YES! get lugals solution, that is what i use, also since it is more concentrated you can add a little bit exta to get the levels up then add the recommended ammount

Bruce · 09-21-2005, 11:10 AM

erm actually..what size. if its a small tank just add a little bit more of the kents til the level is up..eventually if it is going to be a reef aquarium it does get very stable...for my tank if i forget to dose for a week (usually does every 3-4 days...) my tank is fine

Jay · 10-16-2005, 02:50 PM

I have always been afraid of overdosing Iodine. I was using Iodide which is just like watered down iodine ( at least thats my understanding ). I know that too much iodine will nuke your tank. Personally I would never just follow the directions on the bottle while dosing Iodine. Test for it b4 you dose any is what Ive lived by when it comes to iodine. I have switched to Lugals like
Bruce said. I dunno....Im just paranoid about killing the good bacteria in my sand and rock. Plus lots of supplements have Iodine in them.

Jay

Covey · 10-16-2005, 03:50 PM

I was using b-ionic and Reef plus at the same time and got a Iodine reading of .12 it didn't kill anything but i would not suggest it. I stop using both of them at once.

Birdlady · 10-16-2005, 04:30 PM

Water Changes with a good brand of salt that has decent Iodine levels...

I personally, use Lugol's as well. One or two drops per month keeps me where I need to be and I aggressively skim and use ozone. What test kit are you using to test for the Iodine? Some test for iodine, some for iodide, and some for iodate, so be sure you are comparin apples to apples

Covey · 10-16-2005, 04:59 PM

It was the seachem kit and seachem iodi?e. I'd have to look at the bottle

Birdlady · 10-16-2005, 05:11 PM

Same question for Wayne as well...

Birdlady · 10-16-2005, 05:18 PM

Here is a quote from Salifert.com

Iodine is present in NSW (Natural seawater) in a very low concentration (0.06 mg/L or 0.06 ppm).

Iodine occurs as different species. Some of them are iodide, iodate and hypoiodite.

Generally when we say iodine then we mean one or more iodine species without a clear distinction being made. NSW contains predominantly iodate and to a slight extent iodide.

There is however a misconception among many hobbyists that iodide predominates in NSW. This is however false.

Test kits which are not capable in detecting iodate might not really be suitable for aquarium use. Since in an aquarium iodide can be transferred to iodate. This means that if a test kit is used not capable in detecting iodate, a false low total iodine concentration (sum of iodate and iodide) will be obtained and the iodate concentration can climb far too high and possibly upsetting the aquarium environment.

The Salifert Iodine Profi Test measures all naturally occurring iodine species such as iodate, iodide, molecular iodine and hypoiodite. No other test kit offers this possibility.

Birdlady · 10-16-2005, 05:21 PM

Here is a quote from the Seachem.com site

This kit measures iodine or iodide to less than 0.005 mg/L. Seachem stands alone in offering this important test to the reef aquarian.