./iodine
Contents:
- (M) iodine as reef additive
by morss/eksignal.kodak.com (Charlie Morss) (Tue, 7 Jan 92)
- Need info on iodine
by mar/athena.mit.edu (Mark A. Rosenstein) (7 Jan 92)
by morss/eksignal.kodak.com (Charlie Morss)
Date: Tue, 7 Jan 92
Newsgroup: rec.aquaria
A repost of the original iodine posting - just thought
someone might be interested!
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In article <1991Dec23.212406.26877-at-athena.mit.edu> mar-at-athena.mit.edu (Mark A. Rosenstein) writes:
I got some requests for more info about adding iodine to reefs, so
here goes. Much of this is based on the Reef Notes column by Julian
Sprung in the November 1991 issue of FAMA. In this article he
discusses using Potassium Iodide, Lugol's solution, and tincture of
Iodine. He indicates that best results are obtained with Lugol's
solution, which may be difficult to obtain. Tincture of Iodine is
found in every pharmacy, and contains several things including
alcohol, but in the dosages we need, the other substances can be
ignored. The only detailed doses he describes are for using pure
Potassium Iodide. For this he recommends dissolving 25 grams of
Potassium Iodide in one half liter of pure water, then adding 0.5 ml
of this solution per 25 gallons of aquarium watter every two weeks.
I investigated the pharmacies around here, and sure enough the only
thing I could easily get was Tincture of Iodine. The bottle I found
is 1 fluid ounce (29.5 ml), contains 2% iodine, 47% alcohol, and the
rest is unidentified (probably water, and some potassium iodide as
well). I determined that the contents of the bottle weigh about 40
grams. Based on a lot of guess work and some discussion with a
programmer here who's degree is in Chemistry, we decided to dillute it
into 1 liter of water (I used a soda bottle) and treat it like the
solution that Sprung described. I've been adding 1/8 tsp every two
weeks to my 30gallon tank, and less than that to my 10gallon reef.
So far the results look good. If anything I'm underdosing it, but I
want to be cautious. According to Sprung, overdosing can injure the
fish and cause an outbreak of red cyanobacteria. I can tell that I'm
adding enough to make a difference because my mushroom corals and
zoanthid colonies (i.e. all my soft corals) are looking better.
-Mark
by mar/athena.mit.edu (Mark A. Rosenstein)
Date: 7 Jan 92
Newsgroup: rec.aquaria
I was the one who posted about using Tincture of Iodine in a reef
tank. I've since found a small growth of red slime alge in my tank,
so am cutting back the dosage some (Sprung lists this as a sign of
overdosing).
I used a 2 oz bottle of PurePak Tincture of Iodine, which is 47%
alcohol, 2% Iodine, the rest unidentified but probably Potassium
Iodide and water. I would avoid Iodine mixed with ammonium, although
in the concentrations we will be using it probably wouldn't matter. I
dilluted this bottle in 2 liters of distilled water, and am
administering this solution at 1/8 tsp per 25 gallons every two weeks.
This is my revised dosage, about half what I posted previously. I'm
not too worried about playing with dosages like this because at the
trace levels we are using, I expect changes in the growth of alge long
before an overdose would cause any serious distress of any animals.
If you are uncomfortable playing games like this, then just buy the
prepared reef additives (at significantly higher cost).
-Mark
The Krib
Marine/Reefs
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