Don' over dose your reef tank with iodine.

Understanding iodine in a reef tank. How much iodine is to much. We keep so many things in our tank it is difficult to say what = an overdose. 0.04-0.06 ppm is good, over 0.2 is not so good!!. There are more forms of iodine in a reef tank than just iodide and iodate. Organic and inorganic iodine are forms of iodine. They are all iodine, just with different amounts of oxigen, and or carbon. They can change from one form to another in you tank, and with test kits not being able to test for organic and inorganic iodine, it makes testing for the total amount of iodine difficult. Salifert is a good test kit, as it will test both iodide and iodate. Most other test kits only test for one form of iodine.

Don' over dose your reef tank with iodine. sentiment_very_dissatisfied 22

Reef tank 9 years ago 19,085 views

Understanding iodine in a reef tank. How much iodine is to much. We keep so many things in our tank it is difficult to say what = an overdose. 0.04-0.06 ppm is good, over 0.2 is not so good!!. There are more forms of iodine in a reef tank than just iodide and iodate. Organic and inorganic iodine are forms of iodine. They are all iodine, just with different amounts of oxigen, and or carbon. They can change from one form to another in you tank, and with test kits not being able to test for organic and inorganic iodine, it makes testing for the total amount of iodine difficult. Salifert is a good test kit, as it will test both iodide and iodate. Most other test kits only test for one form of iodine.

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Most popular comments
for Don' over dose your reef tank with iodine.

Alan Webb
Alan Webb - 6 years ago
i add 5ml every 4 weeks and this certainly seems to help to increase growth with some corals. This is in a 520 litre tank , i have tested and seem to get strange results ( they vary significantly).
TheFishTank Doc.
TheFishTank Doc. - 6 years ago
Many reefers who dose iodine see no difference, so they don't bother. You are one of the few I know who say's it makes a difference. Test kits are very inaccurate, that is why you don't get a good reading. Salifert is one of the best, but very expensive, and not 100% accurate. I have know idea how much 5 mil in 520 litre tank will raise your Iodine. It depends on the type of iodine you are using. 5 mil could be overdosing, or very close to overdosing. I would dose 1.2 mil every week.
REEFER JAMES
REEFER JAMES - 6 years ago
Great Info Doc.
Alan Falkoff
Alan Falkoff - 6 years ago
Excellent info and a good reminder. When you test for anything and start to supplement, use tiny doses daily for a week or two and go up very slowly. Watching for changes in the inhabitants in your tank(s). Each tank and system is different. All will require different dosing and will change over time as things get consumed. Test periodically and readjust. Always better to dose less than more. Shoot to only make small changes over time.
TheFishTank Doc.
TheFishTank Doc. - 6 years ago
Well said!!.
Chris Moore
Chris Moore - 7 years ago
Well Kent iodine just killed my peppermint shrimp and my huge red foot snail. I have a 70 gallon with 20 gallon sump and had been dosing 5ml weekly. the manufacturer recommendation would have been 9ml . I accidentally measured out 7.5 ml. still under dose right? wrong. killed 2 peppermints within 4 hours. the few tiny snails I had crawled up to the water line and the huge redfoot fell down in the corner and couldn't funtion a day later. I did a water change of about 15% today and will do another tomorrow. Kent and their Shit is now in the trash.
Chris Moore
Chris Moore - 7 years ago
Yeah we have to learn from failure as well as our successes
TheFishTank Doc.
TheFishTank Doc. - 7 years ago
Very few reefers see any difference when dosing iodine. Kent should make more effort to point out the dangers. They give you a very false impression that iodine, will get used up to the extent where it needs dosing. I always do independent research before adding anything to my tank. Some of my zoa's would not open. I thought about iodine, but then I decided to move then. They soon opened up on there own. It is very difficult even for experienced reefers like me to decide what's wrong, because over 20 things that can affect live stock in our tanks. You are learning the hard way, just like me. I lost 2 fish recently because, I did mot spot a parasite called flukes.  Even I'm still learning after 6 years.
MrKilluuuu
MrKilluuuu - 7 years ago
My tank is a year old 75 Gal started dosing Fluval iodine ( iodate/iodide) half the dose once a week since January , its hard to say if the Iodine from Fluval is the cause of my corals have grown at an amazing pace my zoas fron the size of a quarter had them since last July never grow now they are 5 inch by 6 inch, My ducans went from 4 heads to almost 20 , my green grass star polyps also from July they never grow now they cover 3 rocks , my hammer also is bigger than my hand and he was the size of a quarter , my bubble coral started dying about 2 months ago I try deeping got worst so now I stop iodine dosing and yes I change 15 to 20 % Rodi salt water a week I also being dosing since last year Kalwaser in my ATO calcium 440, Mg 1275 (dose once a month) Phosphate 0, KH 9.18 steady for the past 6 months after I almost kill my whole tank implementing red sea NoPox (that is fast poison for tanks I had an algae problem) the algae left in its own after 100% water change I still get algae and sponges that come and go diff colors and species microscopy life is grown by the thousands ( started tack with clean dry rocks from BRS) coraline algae is everywhere pumps include it , Chaleses growing faster that expected size of a peni is the size of a dollar coin sps and brain growing faster than usual ... So will see I stop this week dosing I will post in 3 months see if iodine had anything to do with increasing growing rate and damaging my bubble coral that was 6 by 5 inch.
TheFishTank Doc.
TheFishTank Doc. - 7 years ago
It is difficult to say. I have spoken to many top reefers, who are also chemists, and they have all said, they didn't see any difference when dosing, and not dosing. If a reefer says that doing iodine help his corals grow better, how can he be sure, with at least 20 things affecting coral growth and colour. You should really test before you dose. you need a test kit that tests both iodide, and iodate. These can be expensive, and not 100% accurate. Every time you feed your fish, you are adding iodine. I have never dosed it. A 5% water change is the best way to dose trace elements.     
Misha Pelletier
Misha Pelletier - 7 years ago
do you recommend dosing iodide?
TheFishTank Doc.
TheFishTank Doc. - 7 years ago
It seems like nature wanted to cover your tank. Yes sometimes nature will do it's stuff and sort your tank out, But other times it needs a helping hand.
MrKilluuuu
MrKilluuuu - 7 years ago
My point is that you follow what they say feet small dont have more than 3 fish keep your chems in par everything checks out then why the hell you get algae blooms or sponge blooms or shrimp blooms or slime my tank is a 75 gal tank but I have a 800gph return pump , 2 sicce 1200 gph 1 gyre 3000 gph and still got slime with 0 PO4, my my chato algae desintegrated when the tank algae bloom , why one month my rock is cover with a brown carpet alage and the next cover in coraline algae nothing has change water parameters the same , why my PH always at 78 desided to go to 8.2 and stay there for 4 months now is back at 7.8 nothing has change at the time I was no dosing anything but kalwaser wich I still dose and calcium and MG and KH still the same I mean my LFS they scratch their heads and I gave up let nature do what it wants as long as the corals, shrimps craps fish anemone look healthy dont change it
TheFishTank Doc.
TheFishTank Doc. - 7 years ago
Yes you can mess around with your tank, as long as you understand what science has already told us, can't be done. Sometimes what can be done, is a matter of trial and error. 
MrKilluuuu
MrKilluuuu - 7 years ago
Thats the point this hobby is more an art than a science, I try to approach it like science lab and it came back and bite me got so desperate almost kill the whole tank .... something Im learning is to let nature run its course even the worst of infestations disappear after a few months the tank tents to clean it self with out me changing anything
TheFishTank Doc.
TheFishTank Doc. - 7 years ago
+MrKilluuuu Nothing wrong with dosing iodine, as long as you are aware of the dangers. If you stopped dosing, you might not see any difference, and save some money. My Duncan went from 5 heads to 40 heads in 2 years, with out any trace elements, or hand feeding.  Every tank is different, so you will just need to try things out and see what happens..
TOM REEFMAN202
TOM REEFMAN202 - 8 years ago
good info
Alex Kingcole
Alex Kingcole - 8 years ago
READ THIS INSTEAD, EVERYONE:

 Your Softie tank can live with low Iodine levels, try that with an SPS Acropora tank for example, it is not happening. Your not comparing apples to apples.. Not all salt mixes are the same, nor the consumption ratio of each animal. So your blanket statement is incorrect. Regardless of these soon to retire/ archaic " reef chemists" out in the industry. It depends on what you keep. If all parameters are in check, ALK, CA, Mg, and proper husbandry/lighting/temp/filtration,etc. is done but still certain SPS corals lighten up, or start doing poorly, suspect lack of Iodine. Oh, for those who don't add anything without testing, listen up. That logic lacks the scientific method for problem solving. Dose 1/4 or 1/2 of the instructions for a select time period to analyze your results. Still don't want to dose? Send it to a lab like ICP OES and call it a day. Enough said, dag that tank in the video is ugly.
TheFishTank Doc.
TheFishTank Doc. - 8 years ago
+Alex Kingcole If your corals start doing badly then it could be any one of 20 reasons. Lack of iron, lack of potassium or strontium. This video is based on the facts, and written with information from reefers/scientists, who know what they are talking about. Softies use more iodine than S.P.S acorpora  Whether or not they can live with low levels I'm not quite sure. You seem to miss the whole point of the video. The fact is over dosing iodine can be dangerous. I see far to many reefers adding iodine with out understanding the facts/dangers. And I do point out in the video, that if you are going to dose, then add 1/4 the dose. Your method of dosing and just analysing the result is O.K if you don't mind the risk of all your live stock dying. You can add but you can't take away.
dfaik
dfaik - 8 years ago
Yup, too many magic potions in this hobby.  Most people don't need to test or dose iodine.
FREESTYLE FISHING
FREESTYLE FISHING - 9 years ago
Wow you really want me to read. Bye
Shekina Shalom
Shekina Shalom - 6 years ago
what an ignorant moron too lazy to read
TheFishTank Doc.
TheFishTank Doc. - 9 years ago
+FREESTYLE FISHING I don't want you to read this, as I don't want to share my success, and knowledge in the hobby.

10. comment for Don' over dose your reef tank with iodine.

Anthony Moreno
Anthony Moreno - 9 years ago
I have been dosing Lugo's and Salifert testing for half a year and slowly brought my levels up into a detectable range. Iodide appears to be be less than 0.01 but slightly yellow, but I am also getting a yellow Iodate result instead of the test card's blue. I've stopped dosing until I can understand this result, but help online appears sparse. Any suggestions short of writing Salifert themselves? Thank you for any thoughts you could share.
Anthony Moreno
Anthony Moreno - 9 years ago
Thank you for the great suggestions of testing against other samples and seeing the results. I have tried two test kits with the same result in both, but they were both purchased from the same LFS and the second kit has an expiration of August of this year... So perhaps my two kits over the span of a year or two are from the same Salifert batch/lot. Thank you again!
TheFishTank Doc.
TheFishTank Doc. - 9 years ago
Sounds like your test kit is off/faulty. As I said in the vid, most tanks contain far to much iodine, so it would seem strange if your levels are not correct, or slightly over. Dosing lugo's is difficult, and is very easily overdosed.
Salifert do admit that their test for iodine does not always work. As I've said, and you have found out, dosing and testing is difficult. Most food contains iodine so there is often no need to dose.
Try making up a fresh batch of sea water, and testing that. Try getting a sample of sea water from your local fish store and testing that, to see if the test gives you a result. Most tanks have around 0.12-0.18 ppm total iodine, so if your not getting that kind of result, or al least natural sea water levels of 0.06 total iodine, then I would suspect you have a faulty test kit. If you do not do water changes, then this can allow iodine to build up, through feeding your fish. Some salt mixes are low on iodine, due to high levels in food, so large water changes could be removing it!!.
americagamer
americagamer - 9 years ago
thank  you for info I just got in corals and really don't no much about them.
TheFishTank Doc.
TheFishTank Doc. - 9 years ago
It was the same for me when I first started. It is very confusing which coral is L.P.S, S.P.S, or soft, and what to feed them, and what not to feed them. I have many vid on corals, reef tank water water chemistry, and dosing trace elements, It will get easier as you learn more.
anna kozakova
anna kozakova - 9 years ago
if a shrimp sheds more offten than it should (healthyer life) it will live much shorter than one that its ,,bad fed,,i only use iodine as a dip  to clean new corals from hitchkikers,verry good clips that i apreciate except the recomandation of the sun sun wawemaker thats dirt cheap,its too noisy and ive seened one making sparks in an aquarium on youtube why would you reccomand such a disgrace of pump? :)
TheFishTank Doc.
TheFishTank Doc. - 9 years ago
Thank you.
All I can say is that I have a sunsun power head that is over 2 years old, and it is silent.
They should be compleatly unde rthe water. Mine is rated for 3000 litres per hour. I don't think they should be used with a controller. It would have come with a controller, if it was ment to work with one.
Trout can strand upto 300ppm iodate.
Most bugs in salt water, like daphnia can only stand upto 0.2ppm iodate!!!.
anna kozakova
anna kozakova - 9 years ago
+TheFishTank Doc. my sun sun pump is noisey because the manufacturer made it so,it has a system that blocks the impeller when its gets with electricity off,and i think they made it like this to be used with a controler,i dont want to immagine what noise it can do when used with controler, but i cant complain at how much monney i payd for it,im pretty new to this hobby(though i have a lot of experience with fish farms and swimming pools),i designed a trout farm then i visited a marine acuaculture system of flouder that got me into this hobby :) was watching your videos and find them interesting,keep the good work on
TheFishTank Doc.
TheFishTank Doc. - 9 years ago
Every time a shrimp sheads it's it skin this is very stressfull for the shrimp. The new skin is very soft, so the shrimp is more likely to get injured!!. So if it sheds it skin to often (more than once every 2 weeks)this is not good for the shrimp.
My sunsun power heads are 2 years old and still working fine. They are silent, as a power head should be if it is under water. If yours is noisey then there must be something wrong with it!!!. The only thing with the sunsun is they are quite large, and so not so good for  nano tank.
Nicholas Beattie
Nicholas Beattie - 9 years ago
Good one. Shouldn't laugh at other peoples mistakes but when they tell others to do it it's not funny.
William Arrington
William Arrington - 9 years ago
I hate videos with text. Just talk.... good info but half way through I stoped the video
TheFishTank Doc.
TheFishTank Doc. - 9 years ago
well said.
ReeferGil
ReeferGil - 9 years ago
Great information. My shrimp is almost two and they molt regularly without specific iodine dosing. Your tank is looking fantastic!
TheFishTank Doc.
TheFishTank Doc. - 9 years ago
+MrKleinReef
 Never realy had a grudge against you, just the infomation you were giving out, that could have been bad for other reefers, and the fact you were not willing to admit you were wong, and not able to teach the hobby!!!.
I have to admit I though your lasted vid on equipment choices was very good!!!,.
MrKleinReef
MrKleinReef - 9 years ago
+TheFishTank Doc. the grudge is so real. 
TheFishTank Doc.
TheFishTank Doc. - 9 years ago
Thanks. This vid is an updated version fron 2 years ago. It was the klein reef who nearly overdosed his tank LOL.
He never wanted to admit it, but there are people out there who belive this Sh*t!!!.
ReeferGil
ReeferGil - 9 years ago
Great information. My shrimp is almost two and they molt regularly without specific iodine dosing. Your tank is looking fantastic!
GENISIS1TWENTYONE
GENISIS1TWENTYONE - 9 years ago
Didn't think it was important to dose it before but I did see on a website that it recommended it to benefit shrimps. I'm sure they are getting enough from water changes
Infamous Aquatics
Infamous Aquatics - 9 years ago
very well said. I never had a problem with my shrimp molting before and never dosed Iodine...... 
Infamous Aquatics
Infamous Aquatics - 9 years ago
hahah I would say I have a little idea. Even less than some lol 
TheFishTank Doc.
TheFishTank Doc. - 9 years ago
Thats because you some idea what you are doing!!.

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