iodine and protein skimmer in softies only tank

im going for a softies only tank with jus chromis and a few clowns. iv researched on the internet that skimmer removes all the iodine, is that true? as a concern, what if i dont add a skimmer or if u keep the skimmer on only during the weekends or 6-8hrs a day? or if i change 3-5% water every weekend. i do have lugols iodine but dont know howmuch to dose as i dont get an iodine test kit here. my tank size will be 300 liters. need suggestions from someone whos been keeping only softies tank since years. currently i have a 15gal nano with only softies, i use to keep skimmer on for 24hrs and saw that my breen button was not opening up fully so i started keeping it on for 6hrs at night but still its the same, even my sympodium is not opening at all. confused. i aded 1 drop of lugol but no difference. rest of the corals are doing fine.

 

A skimmer is not going to remove enough iodine that can not be replaced by routine water changes.

If this is a new tank and new corals, I would stay away from the iodine until the corals grow and mature more. Iodine has it's place in tanks dominated by soft corals and mushrooms, but it's not essential to a newer system nor to a system doing routine bi-monthly water changes.

Lugols is a good product.

You should also google iodine over dose in marine tanks.

I think it's more important to leave the skimmer on 24/7, if you running one, than to add iodine to a system.

 

I have a LOT of tanks and in my 18 yrs of reefing I've never dosed iodine in any of it's forms.
There is no proof that dosing iodine is needed other than some specific gorgonians I think it was that Randy Holmes-Farley mentioned.
As mentioned, normal water change protocol should be plenty for your tanks needs, and if that isn't enough, every time you feed your tanks contents, (fish, corals, inverts etc..) you are adding all kinds of trace elements including iodine in it's many forms, and, unfortunately phosphates as well.
In fact, I do water changes not to replenish trace elements, but to REMOVE the excesses that build up from feeding.
If skimming were to be a problem then I should have all kinds of problems with my home made skimming which some say is overkill.

 

well iv mentioned that i will do 3% water change every week with red sea coral pro salt. will that do? and what other things i should keep a check on in and only soffties tank? calcium and alk. is i suppose no worries. should i just buy a good buffer product? im planning to dose purple up only everyday 5ml thats it for coralline algae and it also maintains strontium calcium and alkalinity fair enough thats basic. any suggestions?

 

Best advice is to NEVER dose anything to your tank that you haven't tested for and found to be lacking.
Amount of water change needed for best conditions varies with the tank and the bio-load placed in it. It is something you will have to experiment with and if you err, err to the plus side with larger changes.

 

+1 to ^^^

Excellent advice, indeed!

 

my tank size will be 300 liters but the actual water volume will be max 200 liters. water change will be 10 liters every week. the salt initially used will be azoo reef salt then the water changes will be with red sea coral pro salt (as its double the price) + i will be supplementing my tank with purple up 6 days a week, which has calcium, strontium, iodine, 10 micron aragonite and trace elements. corals will be a lot more (mushrooms, rics, toadstool, leather finger, zoas, xenia and GSP) but fishes will be jus a few chromis (6-8) and 1 or 2 perc. clowns. with a small refugium around 30-40 liters having jus cheato with some miracle mud.

 

any more comments?

 

How do you know your going to need 6 doses of purple up a week? If your just doing it blindly your levels are going to be all over the place.

 

Agreed. Also, you don't even need to dose with just fish and soft corals.