Iodized salt for brine shrimp

[eldaldo]

I am hatching brine shrimp for my karelinii larvae. I ran out of sea salt and used the iodized salt just for kicks, I got hatches and thought, sweet. I have read everywhere not to used iodized salt, but I have also heard you must dechlorinate the water and I don't do that either. I figure removing cl- is pointless if I am adding nacl (I know about chloramine, I don't think we have it here, if we do then the newts and brine shrimp don't notice, or the clorine strips for that matter). So, I was thinking that perhaps I can just use iodized salt from now on since I still get shrimp until I thought. What about the larvae? is the iodine bad for the shrimp or for the newts? Has anyone used iodized salt for brine shrimp before? What happened?

 

[Jennewt]

The amount of iodine added to table salt in the US is around 50 parts per million. This is probably just not enough to have any effect. I think the logic in using non-iodized salt is simply to avoid the presence of any iodine, which is a known toxin to micro-organisms.

Regarding chlorine, if you have chlorine only (not chloramine) it quickly dissipates due to the bubbling of the mixture during the first 24 hours before the shrimp hatch. But the danger in telling people to simply use tap water is that chloramine does NOT dissipate. I know from experience that hatching bbs fails in untreated tap water with chloramine.

It is not correct to equate the chlorine in tap water (Cl2) the the chlorine component of NaCl (Cl-). Tap water chlorine is chlorine gas, which is highly reactive and toxic. The chloride ion in NaCl is not reactive.

 

[salamanderguy]

iodine is a needed nutrient in the metaphorphing of most caudata's

 

[eldaldo]

Got it. Yeah, I really don't think we have any chloramine here, I have tested with strips and neither chlorine or chloramine register on the strips. Part of me doesn't trust the strips but I have never had fish or newts die from tap water. When I was younger I used to just pour tap water directly into my newt tank after cleaning it, now I let it sit for a day just in case and so that temperature difference wont shock or stress anyone. I also feel stupid for assuming that it was cl- that they put in tap water, that wouldn't do anything to kill microbes and also would not evaporate from solution after a day. My bad.

Just so you know, the newts that i fed the iodized brine shrimp have not died yet, so at least one dosage of iodized salt is ok in case you run out of sea salt and can't get to the store in time. I think I am going to get some more sea salt tomorrow though because I have about 30 larvae and I kinda just want to stick to things that i know work.