Iodine

[fishman7663]

How often does everyone dose iodine for invertebrates? I just lost my emerald crab and I believe it was one or the other. Either not enough iodine in the water or not enough food. I was giving him some seaweed but not every day. I just bought some iodine and a new emerald crab.
How often does everyone dose iodine?

 

[red tiger]

When was the last time you checked your water?

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Fishman7663 http:///t/393030/iodine#post_3493600
How often does everyone dose iodine for invertebrates? I just lost my emerald crab and I believe it was one or the other. Either not enough iodine in the water or not enough food. I was giving him some seaweed but not every day. I just bought some iodine and a new emerald crab.
How often does everyone dose iodine?
Hi,
Most people do enough water changes to never need to dose trace elements. FIRST before you ever dose anything... you get a test kit and see if it needs to be dosed. Only if the test results tell you that you are low, do you dose.
The reason for the test first...too much iodine in the system becomes poison and kills everything.

 

[fishman7663]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Red Tiger http:///t/393030/iodine#post_3493603
When was the last time you checked your water?
I check my water on a daily basis. I do water changes EVERY weekend. It is only a 10 gallon so it is easy to do.
Nitrates: 20ppm
Nitrites 0 ppm
Ammonia 0 ppm
Calcium 400-425
Salinity/Gravity 34/1.024
Quote:
Originally Posted by Flower http:///t/393030/iodine#post_3493604
Hi,
Most people do enough water changes to never need to dose trace elements. FIRST before you ever dose anything... you get a test kit and see if it needs to be dosed. Only if the test results tell you that you are low, do you dose.
The reason for the test first...too much iodine in the system becomes poison and kills everything.
Do they even sell Iodine test kits? What are the good levels of Iodine?

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Fishman7663 http:///t/393030/iodine#post_3493613
I check my water on a daily basis. I do water changes EVERY weekend. It is only a 10 gallon so it is easy to do.
Nitrates: 20ppm
Nitrites 0 ppm
Ammonia 0 ppm
Calcium 400-425
Salinity/Gravity 34/1.024
Do they even sell Iodine test kits? What are the good levels of Iodine?
They do indeed sell iodine test kits, and the kit instructions will tell you what the level should be. Please believe me, if you do weekly water changes you don't need to dose anything. The new mixed saltwater has everything in it to keep the tank water balanced.

 

[fishman7663]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Flower http:///t/393030/iodine#post_3493614
They do indeed sell iodine test kits, and the kit instructions will tell you what the level should be. Please believe me, if you do weekly water changes you don't need to dose anything. The new mixed saltwater has everything in it to keep the tank water balanced.
Well, if that is the case, then it must have been not enough seaweed, because I do weekly water changes. Okay, I will work with just the daily feedings of seaweed, no dosing.
Wish I would have seen this information before buying a bottle of iodine. Many people on this forum have mentioned dosing iodine when the emerald crab begins to turn white, without any warnings about the iodine itself.
By the way, I use Caribsea Arag-Alive sand substrate, distilled water and Instant Ocean Sea Salt.
Thank you Flower

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Fishman7663 http:///t/393030/iodine#post_3493635
Well, if that is the case, then it must have been not enough seaweed, because I do weekly water changes. Okay, I will work with just the daily feedings of seaweed, no dosing.
Wish I would have seen this information before buying a bottle of iodine. Many people on this forum have mentioned dosing iodine when the emerald crab begins to turn white, without any warnings about the iodine itself.
By the way, I use Caribsea Arag-Alive sand substrate, distilled water and Instant Ocean Sea Salt.
Thank you Flower
Hi,
Distilled water is just boiled to remove bacteria, certain elements are still in the water. RO is reverse osmoses, which runs thru many filters to make it pure....and what you want to use, it's also cheaper than distilled. +++10 good for not using plain tap water.
Can you post your test results? Always use lab kits not the sticks.
The iodine can be used as a dip for corals, a few drops in the water....I don't remember how much, don't try it until somebody with more knowledge chimes in. If have not opened the bottle, you should be able to return it.
In the future...always ask, even if you have read something. Because lots of folks on the site have been doing things for many years, who know exactly what they are doing and didn't post all the details, and many have a totally different set up than what you do, so what works for them will not work for you.

 

[fishman7663]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Flower http:///t/393030/iodine#post_3493637
Hi,
Distilled water is just boiled to remove bacteria, certain elements are still in the water. RO is reverse osmoses, which runs thru many filters to make it pure....and what you want to use, it's also cheaper than distilled. +++10 good for not using plain tap water.
Can you post your test results? Always use lab kits not the sticks.
The iodine can be used as a dip for corals, a few drops in the water....I don't remember how much, don't try it until somebody with more knowledge chimes in. If have not opened the bottle, you should be able to return it.
In the future...always ask, even if you have read something. Because lots of folks on the site have been doing things for many years, who know exactly what they are doing and didn't post all the details, and many have a totally different set up than what you do, so what works for them will not work for you.
For all my tests, I already use the kits, not the sticks. Where would you go by getting RO water? Can you buy it in a store or do you have to make it? I do not have money to purchase an RO unit. I did not buy the iodine test and will not now since I am not going to be dosing.
For the distilled, I have been using that from the beginning. I have not seen any ill effects on any other fish or invertebrates in my tank and have not had any losses as well. This was the first. Plus, I only pay 88 cents per gallon of distilled. I only have a 10 gallon tank and change 2 gallons out a week, therefore, I only spend about $1.75/week on distilled.
Your good advice is appreciated. Thanks again.

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Fishman7663 http:///t/393030/iodine#post_3493639
For all my tests, I already use the kits, not the sticks. Where would you go by getting RO water? Can you buy it in a store or do you have to make it? I do not have money to purchase an RO unit. I did not buy the iodine test and will not now since I am not going to be dosing.
For the distilled, I have been using that from the beginning. I have not seen any ill effects on any other fish or invertebrates in my tank and have not had any losses as well. This was the first. Plus, I only pay 88 cents per gallon of distilled. I only have a 10 gallon tank and change 2 gallons out a week, therefore, I only spend about $1.75/week on distilled.
Your good advice is appreciated. Thanks again.

RO water can be purchased at the grocery store at those filling water stations (use your own jugs). I got mine from Walmart for 37 cents a gallon. It isn't the price, it's the purity of the water, distilled won't hurt, I don't know about the long haul using that though, but RO is better to use and cheaper....2g a week is 74 cents.
What are the test result readings?

 

[cabinetman]

Funny I found this. Ive found for quite a while that my zoes and candycane coral havnt been doing well. Just slowly receding. I run a very efficient algae scrubber and read somewhere that if you run a good scrubber and skimmer that iodine is some thing that could get depleted and cause problems. So I dosed a bit. Gues what..my candy cane is looking better than I can ever remember. Zoes are opened up again to. For me I dont do alot of water changes cause the scubber keeps nitrates and phosphates really low. I guess if i were doing more water changes I wouldnt run into this. I have come to the conclusion though that iodide is something that some stuff needs..

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by cabinetman http:///t/393030/iodine#post_3493678
Funny I found this. Ive found for quite a while that my zoes and candycane coral havnt been doing well. Just slowly receding. I run a very efficient algae scrubber and read somewhere that if you run a good scrubber and skimmer that iodine is some thing that could get depleted and cause problems. So I dosed a bit. Gues what..my candy cane is looking better than I can ever remember. Zoes are opened up again to. For me I dont do alot of water changes cause the scubber keeps nitrates and phosphates really low. I guess if i were doing more water changes I wouldnt run into this. I have come to the conclusion though that iodide is something that some stuff needs..

Do not just dump stuff in your tank...TEST for it first. Just because you didn't manage to kill everything off does not mean what you did was smart, and you certainly shouldn't recommend somebody else do it....or ever admit you did it to new people.
You lucked out that the iodine was what you needed, you actually had no idea. Iodine is something stuff needs, but you can't just dump it into your main tank. It does become poison if you add too much and you had no idea how much you needed.

 

[cabinetman]

There is instructions on the bottle. Im just following instructions for weekly dosing.

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by cabinetman http:///t/393030/iodine#post_3493845
There is instructions on the bottle. Im just following instructions for weekly dosing.
Last chance I will try and explain this, then I get off the soap box:
If the doctor gives you pain meds, and it says take by mouth every 6 to 8 hours....Do you wake up in the middle of the night when you don't have pain, and take it because it says to take it every 6 to 8 hours on the bottle? How about cough medicine...Do you give it to your children even when they don't have a cough, and wake them from a sound sleep because it's been 4 hours and it says time to take it on the bottle?

Nobody is that stupid. You only take medicine when you need medicine...Iodine when you purchase a bottle of it and DOSE your tank is medicine for your tank. It's purpose is to get your iodine levels to the right point....but you don't know what that point is because you don't even know if you need it...weekly water changes means you most likely do not need it, and you are poisoning your tank at this point.
To be honest, it's your money, and it's your tank...so if you don't care enough to bother to test first that's you choice. All I can do is try to tell you what you SHOULD do, you CAN do anything you want.

Here is a short article:

How Much Iodine to Use
You should look to have an Iodine concentration of 0.02 - 0.04 ppm of Iodine in your tank. Commercial test kits as of this writing are available from Salifert and Seachem.
It is generally recommended that dilute solutions of KI or NaI be used, 5-10% solutions are acceptable here. Commercial iodine preparations do not need to be diluted, they are very dilute anyways. Lugol's solution can be diluted by simply using 1/4 Lugol's and 3/4 water (by volume). Diluting these solutions will prevent overdosing. Overdosing Iodine can have serious consequences on your tank, as it is both a strong oxidant as well as bacteriocidal. In other words, if you add too much iodine, you can wipe out your tank.
Now I'm done...you do whatever you want

 

[cabinetman]

Yes your right I should test. But im just going to use my candycane as the indicator. If they start going downhill again I'll dose some more and if they come around then I'll know for sure and dose once in a while instead of the weekly dosing that the instructions call for.

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by cabinetman http:///t/393030/iodine#post_3493860
Yes your right I should test. But im just going to use my candycane as the indicator. If they start going downhill again I'll dose some more and if they come around then I'll know for sure and dose once in a while instead of the weekly dosing that the instructions call for.
Make me a promise...When you tank crashes, post a link to this thread so others can learn a lesson.

That way I won't be tempted to say I told you so....Thanks.
...There are other reasons why a Candycane coral starts to look "down hill"...just so you know. I am not trying to be mean....I said what I did because you just won't listen to good advice, and you really are heading to a dangerous place by doing things the way you are.

 

[fishman7663]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Flower http:///t/393030/iodine#post_3493646
RO water can be purchased at the grocery store at those filling water stations (use your own jugs). I got mine from Walmart for 37 cents a gallon. It isn't the price, it's the purity of the water, distilled won't hurt, I don't know about the long haul using that though, but RO is better to use and cheaper....2g a week is 74 cents.
What are the test result readings?
I have been looking for this RO water in supermarkets and so far, all I found were the spring water filling stations. I will keep looking and if I find one, I will switch to RO water.
Thanks again Flower

 

[fishman7663]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Fishman7663 http:///t/393030/iodine#post_3493958
I have been looking for this RO water in supermarkets and so far, all I found were the spring water filling stations. I will keep looking and if I find one, I will switch to RO water.
Thanks again Flower
On second thought, I was looking into the RO water sold at the Walmarts and many people are saying the RO water quality is bad. I am just going to stick with my distilled water. My fish have been doing fine...eating well and very active and all my test levels are fine. I will take advantage of the old adage, "If it is not broken, don't fix it.
I did lose my emerald crab but I believe that is due to lack of algae, therefore I am feeding seaweed daily to my new emerald

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Fishman7663 http:///t/393030/iodine#post_3493961
On second thought, I was looking into the RO water sold at the Walmarts and many people are saying the RO water quality is bad. I am just going to stick with my distilled water. My fish have been doing fine...eating well and very active and all my test levels are fine. I will take advantage of the old adage, "If it is not broken, don't fix it.
I did lose my emerald crab but I believe that is due to lack of algae, therefore I am feeding seaweed daily to my new emerald
Each Walmart is different. The ones with lots of customers have the lowest TDS readings. They are posted at each of the stations and with the date it was checked. I have always used Walmart water, and once or twice a different store, Jewels costed too much, and Ace hardwares unit was forever not functional. So I used Walmart for something like 6 years.
Under 10 TDS is good, and my Walmart usually had 6, my home unit has 4....Some folks can get 0 to 1 on their home units, but I never had any problems with the water I used. My nitrates are a happy fat 0, so are my phosphates, so I have no complaints at all.
Emerald crabs are not hardy critters, and they are not very good algae eaters compared to others you could get.