Iodine

[milkshake]

Does a skimmer consume Iodine? I had some people tell me this and was wondering if it is true. I have a 40 gallon tank and I am dropping 2 drops of Kent Marine Lougal's Extract per week. Is this too much or not enough? I currently have a large leather, small cabbage leather, hairy mushroom, 5 small frags of zoo's, flame red scallop, 2 hard corals, and one 4 1/2" greent star polyps.

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Skimmers export organic materials, and bacteria and algae convert inorganic forms of iodine into organic forms that often can be skimmed out.

That said, I do not recommend that folks add supplemental iodine because there are no organisms that most folks keep that have been shown to benefit from supplemental iodine.

I have not dosed it for quite a number of years.

If I were to dose it, I'd dose iodide, not the I2 that is present in Lugol's. It is unnatural, and toxic if overdosed.

These articles have more:

Iodine in Marine Aquaria: Part I
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/mar2003/chem.htm

Iodine in Reef Tanks 2: Effects on Macroalgae Growth
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/april2003/chem.htm

[milkshake]

In reading portions of the thread link that you gave, I took notice about how some macroalgae will take up Iodine directly. In this case, would you ever suggest that a Iodine dip for macroalgae? That is, removing the algae from the refugium and placing in a container with a Iodine mix (saltwater) or just straight Iodine.
If so, do you see that this would be a beneficial practice?

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I wouldn't dip them. The macroalgae that I tested didn't benefit from having it in the water. That doesn't mean that no species do, but even if they do, I don't think a short dip would be the best way to go. It wouldn't give the algae much time to absorb the iodine.

[Paul B]

Randy, you mean I should dump this quart of Lugols Iodine? I never thought it did anything and I only put in about a drop a week and only when I remember which is not very often.
What is I2 and what does it do?
Paul

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I doubt it is doing anything useful. :)

[Bojan]

I am not 100% sure , but I read some articles, that some elements are required for some colors of the corals.

If I remembered correctly
- iron is good for green color,
- iodide for blue color,
- etc.