Suppliment's

[Pinky77]

Hi guys a small question should i add iodine to my reef tank i have read conflicting reports on this i have a number of sps ie toadstool mushroom...red mushroom....giant green button mushroom ...and a small coliney of zoas . Would this be benifacal or not cheers.....

 

[carey]

There is no reason to add anything for the corals to eat. They get all their nutrition from the water column, which makes water changes a necessity.

Also, it's a good idea to never add anything to your tank that you cannot test for.

 

[Gregcoyote]

I agree with Carey, but I think you were asking about supplements, not feeding. If you are not an expert, you will, most likely, kill any coral that isn't mostly fed from symbiotic algae...period.

As to iodine, she is right, don't add what you can't test for, but it is almost impossible to overdose iodine or many of the other supplements. It is also not necessary usually. If your tank is packed with corals, then yes you might need some specific supplements, but in almost all cases, weekly water changes will be all you need.

I do, however, soak my food in Reef Complete to try and fortify what I feed.

 

[Pinky77]

Thank you i will take it on board .i read that iodine creats a natural coat if you like to protect the corals from disease paraites etc as far as testing goes you can get a test kit for iodine from salifert you dont actuly tes for the iodine it turns to iodite which naturelly acurs in sea water i will test and see what the levels are and take it from there guys and gals .......

 

[bavass]

your iodine will be fine with regular water changes

 

[yetee]

Iodine is actually one of those supplements that you can overdose on, so you should be testing for it if you are going to dose it (but even then testing is very inaccurate because the tests do not test for all forms of iodine) . This is because corals don't use all that much of it, and if you are regularly dosing levels can get pretty high. Iodine can actually be toxic, and overdosing can easily lead to STN and RTN in SPS corals and kill a lot of other corals as well.

Most salt mixes are already on the high end with Iodine, I wouldn't dose it at all. even a water change every 3-4 months should keep your Iodine in check.

 

[Gregcoyote]

I stand corrected, iodine is indeed toxic at levels that are too high. But most of the preparations are very diluted anyway. Water changes are the best way to go. But I do add calcium.

 

[Pinky77]

I think i will stick to water changes if it's not broke dont fix it they say i think that test kit from salifert tests for the proper trace iodine in the water i will test any as we need to keep these things in check thanks again everyone ......

 

[Fishguy2727]

Agreed. A high quality salt mix should provide all the needed iodine (and other trace elements) so unless you have reason to believe it is too low, test it, prove this to be true, and supplement only as needed as proven by a high quality test kit, don't use it.

IMO the best way to use other things that don't have test kits and arguably fish oil (like amino acids) is to buy a small bottle and use it as directed until it is gone and then stop. If you see an improvement when you start then keep using it. If you see a problem when you stop, keep using it. If you see no difference don't keep wasting your money.

 

[Gregcoyote]

Amen to that.

 

[carey]

Again, if you're using a good salt mix and do your water changes those levels will be fine.

If and when you get an enormous amount of corals that use calcium then you can test and add from there.

Almost every coral gets their food from the food column and require no special feeding. Some people do do it though.