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Re: Iodine




On Mon, 27 Nov 2000, zxcvbob wrote:

> I just added 3 "blue clawed shrimp" to my 10 gallon tank last week.  I
> can't find any information on them, but I think they are just overpriced
> ghost shrimp.  They certainly have a taste for green algae. They haven't
> caught up with the monstrous algae bloom in my tank yet, but they are
> working on it.

The only things I've seen in the trade that fit that description are
more like crayfish than shrimp.  If they are crayfish, then you have a
problem on your hands; they aren't plant-friendly.

> Can I just put a drop or two of tincture of iodine on an oyster shell,
> then put it in my filter box when it dries?  Or do I really need to buy
> some fancy reef iodine supplement?  I've never kept invertibrate before,
> except for snails (that I probably couldn't get rid of) and a brief
> encounter with daphnia.  Thanks.

Don't add anything to your tank that you don't have an established reason
to add.

Iodine (as opposed to iodide) is highly toxic.  It's been used for a long
time as a topical disinfectanct; it kills things.  You might be able to
add it the way you describe without seeing major problems, but why risk
it?  If your shrimp can't molt successfully then maybe you should try
adding iodide, but certainly not until then.


Roger Miller