Iodine Rising ORP -- A case study with All-For-Reef

Biologic

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I am currently using All-For-Reef DIY Liquid and Powder Solution following my own recipe. My iodine has been low on the past ICP tests. I now have come to understand that Iodine can be a fleeting element to test via ICP. However, that's before the time I mixed the All-For-Reef custom recipe. A few weeks back I added in more 50% more iodine to meet the demand. I do not do regular water changes, going for a lower maintenance goal. My tank looks fantastic. SPS look great. Great growth since then. However, I've been observing an uncharacteristic rise in ORP, which began to concern me. 350 average isn't super high, but its rapid trend is what concerned me. pH is running great, though trending down slightly. I've also notice while doing the math on the rate addition of All-For-Reef and its individual elements, I noticed something..... Thing's that make you say hmmm..

All-For-Reef -- I like the stuff. This post is not a knock on this product. It's worked well for me, and yields very stable parameters. Though I assumed my iodine was low, but maybe it wasn't. Knowing the values on the backside of the bottle. I figured out that the dosage of the standard recipe yields -- 5 mL All-For-Reef adds 0.0017 ppm to 100 L of water. That is a fair amount by itself, because All-For-Reef is used daily. However, the consumption of iodine is depleted quickly, maybe Tropic Marin figured this out as an average rate?? Then to add, I am adding more iodine.

Enter Trace A- -- To add more iodine into solution, you need to add in more Trace A-. The standard recipe calls for 100 mL for 750 mL of solution. Let's say you are using at the max rate of 25 mL per day suggested by Tropic Marin All For Reef. That's the max you can use. Why? Because that yields 100 mL of Trace A- / 30 days = 3.33 mL/day of Trace A-. What is the max dosage suggested by Tropic Marin for Trace A-? No more than 2 mL per day. This is all clearly stated on the bottles. I made my own recipe which called for 50% more Trace A-.

Starting out on the experiment -- At this time I was dosing 35 mL per day of standard All-For-Reef in a 100 L SPS tank. The alkalinity demanded it, I gave it. I did a couple water changes before I did my recipe experiment to establish a base line for parameters for the past few weeks. I ran an ICP-Mass Spec test from https://www.icp-analysis.com. My results yielded very high iodine, 0.220 ppm . Baffled, I stopped using All-For-Reef, and dosed only standard two part to get back to normal iodine levels.

A few weeks later, I had turned my water over with water changes, several times, and started the experiment again. Knowing at this time, I am at the base line of standard Tropic Marin Pro-Reef Salt for elements. I got lazy, never sent in my ICP, but allowed the Custom Recipe to continue to dose daily at a rate around 11 mL per day, but still using sodium carbonate at around 7 mL per day. Working the All-For-Reef slowly, as suggested when getting on to this product.

A rise in ORP -- I've been noticing my ORP steadily rising. "Why? What could this be from? Are my probes dirty? What's going on here?" Luckily, I have data to draw conclusions. This is why ORP is useful. I would have never known, or really stopped and thought about it. Reading Randy's articles on ORP, IO3- is a strong oxidizer. Well, what am I steadily adding in at a rate higher than suggested? Tropic Marin Trace A-. My meddling could have seriously caught up to me. I stopped dosing this (my) version of All-For-Reef. I can probably send in an ICP and get a result that is at or greater than natural sea water concentration. Due to the fact I am adding in 0.006 ppm daily everyday, which is overkill. So I stopped again with (my version of) All-For-Reef. I can safely assume by the math alone my iodine is higher than normal. The ORP added a bit more insight and tipped me off to be concerned.. I will send off for a ICP-Mass Spec tomorrow.


A lesson -- This isn't a hit on Tropic Marin and All-For-Reef. Just be careful of what you add in. The product label is there for a reason. Less is more. ORP probe's are good for something!!! Also, if you plan on using All-For-Reef, greater than 25 mL per day per 100 L. I think you should A) make a custom recipe with less Trace A- and maybe even K+. B) Think about supplementing two part partially or wholly instead of totally relying on All-For-Reef. If your consumption is that high, then All-For-Reef is not the best solution. Use Two-Part or Tropic Marin Balling instead. I likely will continue using it, but decreasing by 50% of Trace A- and K+, and allow for water changes to assist with trace element imbalances.

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Doctorgori

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interesting and just following….
still trying to figure out the value add of worrying over iodine or ORP …
not challenging the logic, just never did it and truly interested… you got built up organics, yellow water, dosing peroxide?

you got zoo, shrooms, xenia or any Iodine reponsive critters?
how often do you ICP test?
 
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Randy Holmes-Farley

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While I do not know, I do not think it likely that All For Reef contains iodate. I don't know what could be behind the ORP rise, assuming it isn't a testing issue.
 
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