Dosing iodine?

[Sophie"s mom]

Hey everyone! So, I read a lot from time to time about dosing iodine, and I just wanted to get everyones thoughts on the practice here. I use Instant Ocean Reef Crystals salt, which I understand does not have iodine in it. So my question is, is it necessary to add? I do not have any SPS, but I do have a few LPS, and a few softies. I do plan to get more down the road. Also on this subject, If it is necessary, what is the best test kit?

 

[FUNGI]

I keep a mixed reef, favored on softie side. I've never testede nor dosed iodine.....I would think that wc's with good salt would take care of any iodine/iodide depletion..... just my .2 cents....maybe some else has different thoughts

 

[KStatefan]

Randy has a good article on Iodine

https://reefs.com/magazine/chemistry-and-the-aquarium-iodine-in-marine-aquaria-part-i/

 

[Lavey29]

Have you done an ICP test to determine your current iodine levels?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Reef crystals certainly has iodine in it, but iodine is rapidly depleted and dosing it is a fine experiment in most tanks.

 

[FUNGI]

Reef crystals certainly has iodine in it, but iodine is rapidly depleted and dosing it is a fine experiment in most tanks.

Confused about this......
Its seems contrary to other things I have read....

 

[FUNGI]

Randy has a good article on Iodine

https://reefs.com/magazine/chemistry-and-the-aquarium-iodine-in-marine-aquaria-part-i/

and one here:
https://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004...with the,using supplementation and test kits.

 

[FUNGI]

Hence....my confusion.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Hence....my confusion.

What exactly is confusing?

 

[I never finish anythi]

Reef crystals certainly has iodine in it, but iodine is rapidly depleted and dosing it is a fine experiment in most tanks.

I dose all for reef which claims to contain iodine.
Do you think that would be enough as I've never tested for iodine!

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I dose all for reef which claims to contain iodine.
Do you think that would be enough as I've never tested for iodine!

I cannot give an answer that will be satisfying.

I’m not entirely convinced dosing I is needed at all, but it may be useful. The amount in AFR obviously depends on the dose used, which IMO, is one of the problems of putting trace elements into an alk supplement. It may be plenty in a high demand tank and insufficient in a low demand tank.

 

[FUNGI]

What exactly is confusin

well, in both articles, you recommend not dosing, yet....here we are.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

well, in both articles, you recommend not dosing, yet....here we are.

Correct. It did not help my tank in any way I could see and there’s no demonstrated requirement in most organisms we keep.

But enough people are convinced it helps them that I have gone to suggesting, as I did here, that folks who want to dose it, try it as an experiment and see for themselves if it is useful.

 

[FUNGI]

Correct. It did not help my tank in any way I could see and there’s no demonstrated requirement in most organisms we keep.

But enough people are convinced it helps them that I have gone to suggesting, as I did here, that folks who want to dose it, try it as an experiment and see for themselves if it is useful.

Ahh...OK......as I've always followed reefkeeping article.....

Folded to peer pressure...LOL. j/k

 

[Damien Buckley]

Hey everyone! So, I read a lot from time to time about dosing iodine, and I just wanted to get everyones thoughts on the practice here. I use Instant Ocean Reef Crystals salt, which I understand does not have iodine in it. So my question is, is it necessary to add? I do not have any SPS, but I do have a few LPS, and a few softies. I do plan to get more down the road. Also on this subject, If it is necessary, what is the best test kit?

I dose it and can see the difference but I under rather than overdose as it is easy to overdo and toxic at higher levels. I never dose according to guides like Red Sea i.e so much per amount of calcium.

I get bi-monthly ICP tests and go from there though be careful because high phosphate can lead to inaccuracies with iodine measurements with ICP tests - I don’t know why, it’s just something I noticed and Triton confirmed.

 

[Sophie"s mom]

I dose it and can see the difference but I under rather than overdose as it is easy to overdo and toxic at higher levels. I never dose according to guides like Red Sea i.e so much per amount of calcium.

I get bi-monthly ICP tests and go from there though be careful because high phosphate can lead to inaccuracies with iodine measurements with ICP tests - I don’t know why, it’s just something I noticed and Triton confirmed.

Thank you

 

[braaap]

So iodine dosing is 100% necessary. I’ve been keeping tanks for 20+ years. I just started a new SPS tank in November 2023. Didn’t skimp. Took it slow. Started trying SPS in March when all of my levels were good and balanced. Literally all. Nitrate, Phosphate, Cal, ALK, Mag. Perfect and stable. Growing zoas, clams and everything great. Coraline growing like crazy. Every single SPS I put in would look good for a week. Look bad the next. And then start STNing. They would all die. Every single one.

In March I did a ICP. All levels came back good but Iodine. But someone here constantly says it isn’t necessary and immediately shuts it down with only their knowledge and not actual testing. So I ignored the iodine. It was low. But it wasn’t absurdly low. 9 when they call for 57.

Anyways. Fast forward to September and I’m talking to my buddy about it. I’ve literally asked everyone but he went to his friend and owner of Modern Aquatics in Illinois. He recommended dosing of Iodine and said I would see immediate changes in SPS health. Boy was he right. The few SPS I had gotten a few weeks before and I was sure were going to start losing flesh immediately started showing polyp extension. Within 10 days they started gaining color back. And now a month later they are showing growth tips. In 7 months of trying I couldn’t keep a single SPS alive. In all of my previous tanks I couldn’t get them to grow slow enough.

There is a lot of research saying the corals use iodine to exchange gas and protect the zooxanthellae from the light.

TLDR : 100% dose iodine. It can’t really hurt in moderation but it can definitely help.

 

[vabben]

I have an SPS dominated tank, and hand dose iodine daily. My acros start to show signs of stress after an about a week of no iodine dosing.

 

[Sophie"s mom]

I have an SPS dominated tank, and hand dose iodine daily. My acros start to show signs of stress after an about a week of no iodine dosing.

Thank you

 

[gbroadbridge]

Hey everyone! So, I read a lot from time to time about dosing iodine, and I just wanted to get everyones thoughts on the practice here. I use Instant Ocean Reef Crystals salt, which I understand does not have iodine in it. So my question is, is it necessary to add? I do not have any SPS, but I do have a few LPS, and a few softies. I do plan to get more down the road. Also on this subject, If it is necessary, what is the best test kit?

I tried dosing at various levels and the only change I noticed was an increase in some algae which the fish enjoyed :)