Any of you tried this...

[Anonymous]

Dosing potassium sulphate that is...

It does wonders for FW planted aquariums by providing that third macronutrient and turns nitrates and phosphates into the limiting nutrient. Think it helps photosynthetic growth in corals?

 

[Anonymous]

Nice theory but I don't THINK it will work (don't know that, though!). The reason I don't believe it will help is that the zooxanthellae corals use as symbiots are quite different from the chlorophyll that plants use. Then again, I could be wrong...

 

[Anonymous]

I agree with MM, I doubt if zooxanthellae would react similarly to FW plants as far as photsynthesis is concerned. What I would be very concerned about is fueling a huge algae bloom, because marine microalgae may indeed respond similarly to fw plants in this respect. Maybe a safer way to add potassium would be through regular potassium iodide additions, as iodine is definitely necessary and the potassium is a by-product of the addition.
paul

 

[Anonymous]

It's also the most easily overdosed supplement. IMO it's not needed. I've got Xenia coming out my ears without dosing it.

Tom


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Visit Tom's Reef
http://www.bit-net.com/~tjotoole/

 

[Anonymous]

Rishma,
Well, at the risk of going off-topic, where exactly is the evidence that iodine is "widely accepted to be unnecessary, and possibly detrimental"? This is news to me. While it may be true that iodine is not actively taken up or assimilated into coral tissue, it does not necessarily follow that additions are unnecessary or detrimental. It's effects in detoxifying excess oxygen from photosynthesis, and thus reducing bleaching, seem to be pretty well-founded (Delbeek and Sprung, and others), as are it's disinfectant properties. And every single reference book I have (D&S, Fenner, Borneman) lists iodine as important for good expansion and long term health of corallimorphs and other soft corals. I readily agree it is very easy to overdose, but so are many things we add to our systems. In the absense of solid scientific evidence to the contrary, I don't see why occasional careful dosing of iodine is a bad thing.
Comments?
paul

 

[Anonymous]

Paul
I must strongly dissagree with your statement:
"iodine is definitely necessary."
In fact, it appears that the opposite is true. There is no evidence, what so ever, that Iodine (or any ionic derivative)is used by any coral. There are no traces of it in their tissues, nor is it depleated by their natural biological processes. It is becomming widely accepted that the addition of iodine is unnecessary, and possibly detrimental to reef tanks. The only reasons Iodine should be used is possibly for a form of disinfectant, or when growing certain types of macro algae that utilize it.

There have been a lot of informative threads on this board about this topic, check them out.

 

[Anonymous]

Ooopss! I should have researched on salt mixes chemical composition. Potassium and sulphate is already in an abundance. I am so embarrassed.

 

[Anonymous]

nasapaul,

That's a good comeback. I agree that most books/authors recommend iodine and some people feels it is not a necessary addition to a reef tank. I would be interested on rishma or tom's reply on this topic. Although I agree with bad results from over dosing.

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http://sites.netscape.net/coralreef4andrew/reeftanks

 

[Anonymous]

Because any dosing of it is pretty much overdosing. You get plenty of iodine in the system from feeding, and just doing water changes. If you are using a 2 part calcium supplement or a broad spectrum reef element supplement like Kent's Coral Vite or Combisan you are putting enough into the system. It just isn't necessary to dose it when it's so available in other substances.

Tom

 

[Anonymous]

Because any dosing of it is pretty much overdosing. You get plenty of iodine in the system from feeding, and just doing water changes. If you are using a 2 part calcium supplement or a broad spectrum reef element supplement like Kent's Coral Vite or Combisan you are putting enough into the system. It just isn't necessary to dose it when it's so available in other substances.

Tom


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Visit Tom's Reef
http://www.bit-net.com/~tjotoole/

proud to be an associate of

Inland Reef Aquaria, Nashua, NH
http://www.inlandreef.com/

 

[Anonymous]

Dr. Ron Shimek, Eric Borneman, and Rob Toonen have all done extensive research into the original literature on the subject of iodine. Only one reference was returned, and that was dealing with the rearing of juvenile octopi. So if you want your juvenile octopi to turn out right, then dose iodine. Otherwise, fuhgetaboudit!!

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Dan
Minotaur15 on #reefs
Reef Obsessed Surfer