First Fragging encounter... help please

First time i have ever heard of OD'ing on iodine i got kindof scared reading this thread..lol... I add one cap once a week as per the instructions, and my xenia (both species) are doing gr8 as well as my other hard and soft corals. I am really new here and just a side note peregrinus what kind of clown is ur avatar and is that REAL!!?? it looks totally sweet

Another of the additives that increases both the oxidation and the redox potential of your tank's water is Iodine, usually available in the potassium iodine form. It is used for a totally different purpose however. Iodine is needed by all living things and especially by macro-algae. It is removed rapidly from the reef tank by protein skimming and ozone, as pointed out again, recently, by Moe (1989).

Because it is a required nutrient some hobbyists add it as supplement, which is fine and should be done on a regular basis. The danger resides in the fact that one can overdose rather easily on iodine and make the redox potential rise too fast. Follow the instructions on the bottle that it comes in carefully.

Do not use Iodine as a redox potential altering additive. Use it only as a supplement required because it is a nutrient. Use any or all of the other methods to alter the redox potential.

THE MARINE FISH AND INVERT REEF AQUARIUM
Albert J. Thiel

Iodine is a very important trace element for the reef aquarium. It occurs in natural seawater at a concentration of .06 mg/l. Iodine is rapidly depleted in the closed system by protein skimming, activated carbon, and by use of all forms of marine algae, including zooxanthellae and calcareous algae. All forms of corals (stony, soft, mushroom anemones, anemones and polyps) use iodine. It can also be used as a germicidal and has been linked to u/v reducing pigments in corals. Mushroom anemones and Xenia especially respond well to regular iodine additions. Concentrations in the closed system can approach 10 mg/l without adverse effects, it is recommended not to exceed this level.

How Much Iodine to Use
You should look to have an Iodine concentration of 0.02 - 0.04 ppm of Iodine in your tank. Commercial test kits as of this writing are available from Salifert and Seachem.

It is generally recommended that dilute solutions of KI or NaI be used, 5-10% solutions are acceptable here. Commercial iodine preparations do not need to be diluted, they are very dilute anyways. Lugol's solution can be diluted by simply using 1/4 Lugol's and 3/4 water (by volume). Diluting these solutions will prevent overdosing. Overdosing Iodine can have serious consequences on your tank, as it is both a strong oxidant as well as bacteriocidal. In other words, if you add too much iodine, you can wipe out your tank

Eric Edelman