How much Lugol's?

RJ · 02-06-2002, 04:02 PM

Good afternoon all..

I keep a 30 gal. all softies.....everything is running great...I want to start dosing it with Lugol's Solution....my reef guy says he figures my tank is depleted of iodine so to boost it up dose 9 drops a day for 3 days...then 3 drops a week after that to maintain...any comments?...seems to make sense to me...thanks!

mojoreef · 02-06-2002, 06:57 PM

kimnrj sounds pretty scary to me. 9 drops in a day would be enough to dose a 225 gallon tank, yours is only 30. On top of that he is saying do it for 3 days in a row. I would bet my bottom dollar that everything croaks on day 2. Lugol's Solution is a very concentrated Iodine to start with, and most experenced reefers steer people away from its use for fear of over dosing. If you look at the label it has in big bold letters "do not Overdose". Personally I always dose with slightly less than the label says to be on the safe side. IMO do not under any circumstances do what you have been told. Just dose what the label tells you to or slightly less.

Good luck
mike

RJ · 02-06-2002, 07:46 PM

thanks mojo....that could have been expensive!

I'm just getting it at the local pharmacy so it won't have directions on it for dosage....

What should I dose?

mojoreef · 02-06-2002, 07:53 PM

The normal dosage is 1 drop per 25 gallons, but it is very concentrated so for your 30 gal I would say one drop per week for your tank.

Ps.you owe me a pair of sens ticks

Good luck
mike

RJ · 02-06-2002, 08:00 PM

Sens tix eh?...come to Ottawa and I'll hook ya up...I work there as an usher....see every game and get paid!...SWEET!...what is up with Jagr????....they ready to tar and feather him yet?

nickg · 02-06-2002, 08:05 PM

Kimnrj, I dose 5ml (1capful) of kent tech1 time release iodine supplement, once a week. The softies seem to like it. I get great growth, and the 'shrooms reproduce quite often. It's a 55g. HTH

mojoreef · 02-06-2002, 08:05 PM

now thats a sweet job, I miss going to hockey games. Best sport out thier. I was a seasons ticket holder for the canuckleheads for years. Now thats dedication. As per Jagr I think Mario must of stepped on his peepee in the locker room

RJ · 02-06-2002, 08:13 PM

ya figure I'd be safer with a product like that?...or is Lugol's the way to go?...

Mojo...No I think it's his wallet that's squishing his peepee!

Olympics will be interesting....hopefully they screwed down the US Teams hotel room furniture down.....

eaglelox · 02-06-2002, 08:24 PM

two sayings come to mind.
If it aint broke, dont fix it. the other is
the best way to keep a h___on, is to not f___ with it.
.................................hat.............. ......fiddle..............................
you had said everything was running great, mayby great is good enough. my 2 cents.

RJ · 02-06-2002, 08:58 PM

I figured that too....the onyl reason why I wanted to change soemthing up is I never have any growth...I hear people on here fragging off all the time...I never see any real change at all...

mojoreef · 02-06-2002, 09:23 PM

I tend to stay with the eagle man,. It sounds like you have a good tank going. Dosing Iodine should be fine but not like you were told. Lugols is a good product but is very strong, maybe a the product that nick suggested would be a better idea.

Mike

FishDaddy · 02-06-2002, 09:45 PM

Rob,
I have never dosed Iodine or any other "trace elements" or supplements in my 3 yo reef. For the first 2 years, it was water changes; Kalk; and food(Selcon doesn't count!

).

I didn't see spectacular growth until the tank was in its second year. I suppose it was the usual maturation process; algae blooms; bout with cyano; a crash at about 10 months, and the ordinary ups and downs of a new reef. Once I got through all that, everything began to take off.

Since some of my corals are now so large, especially the huge Frogspawn and Nephthea, I began to use B-Ionic in moderation and some Kent buffer in addition to the Kalk to keep Ca and Alk in line.

I don't really question the addition of Iodine; many reefers use it, and even Eric Borneman gives qualified support for its use, but as Steve Said, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." I do know that few agree as to the exact dosages and that there is no universally accepted quantitative standard that can be accurately tested by our hobby test kits. That doesn't mean I won't try it at some point if it appears to be needed, but for now, the tank doesn't seem to be missing anything.

Please do not regard my views as authoritative. I know little about the chemistry side of reefing but this is what I do.
Dick

RJ · 02-06-2002, 09:48 PM

Thanks Dick...one thing I have learned about reefing is patience...I guess I'll just sit back and enjoy what I have and not "fix it"...thanks!