Bromide?

[marke]

I have heard some say they add Br and see better results? Whats our thought about Br? There is more Br in seawater that other things we test for like Iodine, Strontium, Iron etc. Is it possible some salt mixes are coming in low in Br? Does Br get consumed or used like Ca and Kh? Why might sps corals show an immediate response when Br is added? What have the icp or triton test been showing? If they can detect these level? Trying to get educated here. Whats your thoughts? Who has tried using this? Thanks in advance for your responses.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

FWIW, without dosing any, my bromide hovered at almost twice the NSW levels.

I'd be skeptical of any immediate "positive" response (e.g., within minutes) to a chemical that isn't a food or "tastes" like a food to corals. Any actual effect on corals in reef aquaria might be indirect, with organisms that use more of it altering the water chemistry with they bodies and/or their excretions.

IMO, maintaining NSW levels seems a reasonable plan.

Bromide is often used or sometimes accidentally incorporated into organic molecules.

Here's a nice summary from wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organobromine_compound#Organobromine_compounds_in_nature

Organobromine compounds are the most common organohalides in nature. Even though the concentration of bromide is only 0.3% of that for chloride in sea water, organobromine compounds are more prevalent in marine organisms than organochlorine derivatives. Their abundance reflects the easy oxidation of bromide to the equivalent of Br+, a potent electrophile. The enzyme bromoperoxidase catalyzes this reaction.[8] The oceans are estimated to release 1–2 million tons of bromoform and 56,000 tons of bromomethane annually.[9] Red algae, such as the edible Asparagopsis taxiformis, eaten in Hawaii as "limu kohu", concentrate organobromine and organoiodine compounds in "vesicle cells"; 95% of the essential volatile oil of Asparagopsis, prepared by drying the seaweed in a vacuum and condensing using dry ice, is organohalogen compounds, of which bromoform comprises 80% by weight.[10] Bromoform, produced by several algae, is a known toxin, though the small amounts present in edible algae do not appear to pose human harm.[11] Some of these organobromine compounds are employed in a form of interspecies "chemical warfare." 5-Bromouracil and 3-Bromo-tyrosine have been identified in human white blood cells as products of myeloperoxidase-induced halogenation on invading pathogens.[12]

 

[PSXerholic]

I have heard some say they add Br and see better results? Whats our thought about Br? There is more Br in seawater that other things we test for like Iodine, Strontium, Iron etc. Is it possible some salt mixes are coming in low in Br? Does Br get consumed or used like Ca and Kh? Why might sps corals show an immediate response when Br is added? What have the icp or triton test been showing? If they can detect these level? Trying to get educated here. Whats your thoughts? Who has tried using this? Thanks in advance for your responses.

Bromide is a very difficult element to handle and definitely something for experienced Reefer.
In order to take advantage of Bromide in the recommended ranges and to see "any" effects on the corals you need to have all other parameter in reasonable range. This halogen or the supplementation of Bromide is again no wonder juice!!!
I try to maintain the Halogens in my tank and will do the restart of this on my new tank very shortly.
Just waiting for my ICP tests to come in as a starting point. Don't dose this if you don't know the levels if you do this the first time with no experience.
The effect in lower range nutrient tanks is that the corals will be more vibrant and increases fluorescence in many SPS. You see and "hear" the difference ;-)
From my observations the effect you see about 2 weeks later after adjustment over a few days of course. From that point on only a small maintenance dose is required to maintain the levels with for example a stock solution where you dose 1 drop per 100G every day but need to watch monthly or bi monthly the levels to determine the consumption and avoid over supplementation.
Then I usually go by visual appearance and do observe the corals fluorescence.
The final level I can't say since the Harvey flood sort of interrupted the exercise to find out what are the best levels are for enhanced coloration. Last I remember (since my notes are in boxes) is somewhere in the 80ppm range.

Dosing Bromide is relatively cheap, I make solutions in Gallons for under $10 and use only 12 drops per day ....... no Brand type 99% RODI elements !!!

Words of warning to everyone, if you can't maintain a decent color on your SPS, this will rather harm than help !!! Dosing this element into elevated levels does not offset for other issues on water chemistry. Can't say that often enough!!! This is a method of color enhancement not achievement.

Here is my built thread if interested since this subject on some elements will come up shortly in my thread:
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/a...-up-within-a-week.339591/page-13#post-4420817

-Andre