# iodide vs iodine



## floatingfish (Feb 19, 2007)

my real question is, is iodine different from iodide? if so what is iodide used for? i have corals that require iodine but currently i have a bottle Seacham's Reef Iodide. can i use that to supplement for my corals. i have one xenia frag and a toadstool. Thanks for any info.


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## Reefneck (Oct 15, 2005)

I do not use additives and I do not recommend them! Water changes with fresh saltwater adds all the trace elements your animals need. If you must use any additives, do so according to the directions on the product but also do not add anything that you have not tested for.


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## floatingfish (Feb 19, 2007)

ok thanks, i will keep that in mind. i never knew that the salt mix had more than salt in it


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## harif87 (Jun 5, 2006)

Iodine is pure Iodine. When you read the elements off the periodic table the elements on the right side (the non-metals) in the group right behind the noble gases they mostly end with -ine. (e.x. chlorine, flourine, bromine)

Iodide is the state of iodine when it is bonded to another iodine.I2 is called iodide. As is most other homogenous nonmetal molecules made of like-bonding-like it ends in the -ide suffix (e.x. chloride, bromide, flouride). Iodine would be in its ionized state (I-) and iodide would be in its bonded state (I2).

Keep in mind that they are not at all the same. There are significant differences between iodine and iodide (i.e. net charge, size ) which makes them funtionally different.


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## harif87 (Jun 5, 2006)

floatingfish said:


> ok thanks, i will keep that in mind. i never knew that the salt mix had more than salt in it


Salt mix has alot more than just "salt" to it. Though its pretty much pure salt. Salt doesnt just encompass sodium and chloride, but the definition of a salt is just an anion and a cation joined together ionically to form a compound which we know as a salt. The salt mix as it is in the bag (i.e. its solid state) is in fact many different kinds of ionic compounds such as KI (potassium iodide) and NaCl (sodium chloride), but when we add to water become single unbound anions and cations (ex. sodium, potassium, iodine, chloride...) thats what makes our salt mixes so pricey.

Also i suggest you do some reading about saltwater aquarium chemistry. It is essential knowledge if you want to keep a successful (stable) system. Randy Holmes Farley has some great articles on Reefkeeping Online which you should look into. Great stuff. 

Happy reefkeeping


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## Reefneck (Oct 15, 2005)

Sheesh, I think I am getting a headache! That was a complicated read but very accurate and very informative.


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## fishfingers (Apr 10, 2006)

Yeah harif great stuff!!!


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## Bear (Jun 8, 2006)

u have ur text out for that one harif 

He is very right, it is good to know what you should have in your water, what is in it and what ur putting in it. I also do not add any chemicals to my water, instead I do weekly 10% water changes in order to replenish trace elements and keep other harmful levels down.


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## leveldrummer (May 27, 2005)

the only thing i would ever suggest to dose would be calcium and alk, and that is only if you have a very heavy sps or clam load, everything else can be done with water changes.


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## harif87 (Jun 5, 2006)

Keep in mind that you shouldnt be dosing anything unless you have proper test kits.


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## Bear (Jun 8, 2006)

this is true, I have heard of and seen a number of tanks that have gone down the tubes because the caretaker didnt bother to test what they were dosing.


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## Fishfirst (Jan 24, 2005)

yep... I've made that mistake before... dosing calcium without checking the level... got major build up on my glass.


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