testing for Iodine...

[Shultz]

not sure I'm keeping the iodine levels correct in my tank with lugols once a week & 20% water changes every fortnight, want to test to be sure....

Did try the salifert months ago & just got totally confused & never managed to get a reading anyways!

what you do use please?

Cheers Shelton.

 

[CoralNutz]

Testing for iodine is a tricky thing... IMO testing the tank water isn't going to be that reliable because the iodine is sucked up by tank inhabitants almost instantly. It's sort of like when people are having huge hair algae problems and they test their tanks for P04 and there isn't any detected. We all know that it must be present, it's just that it gets sucked out of the water column by the algae and doesn't show up on the test. The fact that iodine can also be fatal if overdosed just adds to the complications.

IMO dosing iodine isn't worth the risk because of this. Regular water changes should be sufficient.

Just curious, did you have a reason that you are wanting to dose iodine? Especially since you haven't been able to get accurate tests. I would never dose something unless it's been tested for and found to be deficient in my tank.

Just my $0.02

 

[ReefWifey]

Hey, I'm just happy to hear someone else was baffled by iodine testing. If it involves more than 2 tubes, premixing a solution to be used with another solution thats buffered with a sample that you swing a dead cat over counter clockwise at precisely the right moment.....bah....I call in my hubby, the chemist. :hmm1:

 

[Shultz]

Thanks for the comments so far

I have a fairly small tank (72gal uk) & it is full of Zoa's & various inverts, plus some pulsing white xenia, all of which love Iodine, hence I wondered if it might be being used up quicker than it might be normally??

I agree I like to test for what I add, but apart from the salifert test kit I'm not sure there is an alternative?

Cheers Shelton.

 

[CoralNutz]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7220721#post7220721 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Shultz
Thanks for the comments so far

I have a fairly small tank (72gal uk) & it is full of Zoa's & various inverts, plus some pulsing white xenia, all of which love Iodine, hence I wondered if it might be being used up quicker than it might be normally??

I agree I like to test for what I add, but apart from the salifert test kit I'm not sure there is an alternative?

Cheers Shelton.

Couple things to consider... Event though zoas, xenia may "love iodine" it can still kill them, and overdosing would be easy to do...

And since there isn't a good alternative, or any good reliable way at all to test for iodine, that's yet another reason to not dose it...

I'm not trying to tell you what to do with your tank, it's just odd to me that someone would dose anything unless they were having some kind of problem and tested for it and found it to be lacking.


Was there something that prompted you to start dosing iodine? Were you not doing it before and had problems. Have you had any noticeable effects since you've started dosing?

Not trying to be a negative nag, but just trying to understand the thought process and the reasons that someone would dose something that could easily kill your tank inhabitants.

 

[Shultz]

Tbh I dosed it for months, well before I had Zoa's dying... I lost 4 different shrimps when I stopped dosing, spooky or not?

I might stop for a couple of weeks & see whether I notice any difference in the tank at all?

I welcome all comments tbh, anything that might stimulate thoughts!

I think my problems have/are being caused by those pesky white/sandy coloured small starfish? can't prove that 100% though...

Cheers Shelton.