Treating with Vitamin C

[Pufferpunk]

The products recommended from i-herb are pure Calcium & Vitaman C or Sodium & Vitamin C.

I'm still confused as to what is going on with the calcium test, as I use Salifert also. I think we all really should stop using the pills with all those unnecessary additives & get the pure C.

[NirvanaFan]

I'll do another Ca test tonight and take a picture of what I'm talking about. I was using pure ascorbic acid. There was nothing else in the powder. The bottle actually calls it crystals.

[Pufferpunk]

I prefer the buffered form.

[DrBegalke]

This is an interesting concept.

I would suspect that Zoanthus is able to synthesize vitamin C, but haven't found a reference for that.

Humans are actually somewhat strange compared to other mammals/birds/fish/reptiles/amphibians in that we lack L-gulonolactone oxidase, an enzyme that makes ascorbic acid from glucose. This is due to a genetic defect that we, guinea pigs, and a very few other animals share.

So, although its a vitamin to us (vital that we somehow aquire it), it is not a vitamin to the great majority of higher animals (because it can be made).

As far as more simple organisms, plants, algae, and even protozoa have been shown to synthesize it:
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/ar...gi?artid=426231
http://www.sciencedirect.com/scienc...f2c67d390465282

Now exactly how Zoanthus and other corals use (and if they can make) ascorbic acid, or if dosing it would have a beneficial effect... there simply is no research that I could find on the subject.

[NirvanaFan]

I'm going to try that once I figure out why my Ca test isn't working correctly.

[Pufferpunk]

Thanks doctor, it's great to have scientific opinions about this.

[chris0942]

don't know if the vc has anything to do with this. but the growth on the sps's and polyp exstention of the sps's are out of this world. also my zoa's are looking great!

[Pufferpunk]

Same here. I really didn't expect this reaction to the C. I do not in any way have a SPS dominated tank so I didn't set it up to keep them happy & have always had problems with PE on them. Not any more! A brown stag now has lavender tips growing on them with purple polyps. Very prety! Some of my SPS have doubled & LPS tripled in size, since dosing VC.

[flyyyguy]

im on day 4. two doses of 2000 mg today. No change in anything coralwise. But that little bit of cyano never did return. It was amazing as my prior experience with the stuff under the circumstances i was in for at least 3-4 more days prior to starting the C treatments.

The ONE little frag that i would say was doing poorly...a 3 polyp frag of red wines...has no change. Ive had the frag 3-4 weeks if i recall correctly and it was open more within two hours of being in my tank than it has been since. its 50% open and not deteriorating...but we all know they can only behave that way for so long before they start to go. hoping that one of these days i wil wake up and they will be smiling at me

[chris0942]

same with my green stag its brighter plus the tips are are purple.

[Pufferpunk]

fly, I'd give it at least a week to see any difference.

[flyyyguy]

ya...not worried about it. That cyano thing is what I think is interesting

[Pufferpunk]

It's all good!

[baloutang]

Im dosing buffered sodium asorbate for my 150 gal with apprx 200 lbs LR and a 30 gal sump. By the calculations I did I came up with roughly 1000mg of vitamin c to be added on a strictly prophylatic basis.
My question is this enough dosage for the tank and do I dose 2x's a day 1000mg each time or just once a day, as I couldn't tell by the article...

[Pufferpunk]

2x/day--the C only lasts in your tank for 8 hours.

[Caleb Kruse]

This is cool that you are using vitamin c for help with zoo's. Last year I looked into how much vitamin c helps soft corals after fragging. Here is all my datat and research http://www.calebkruse.com/Science%20Fair.html

[Pufferpunk]

No data/research at that link, that I can see. Would be really cool to read!

[flyyyguy]

links at top of page

[jdieck]

Caleb, great experiment. It is really strange that during your reasearch you did not seem to have found Thiel's article about the application of the vitamin.
Good Work. It is really sad the little help you got from established pet stores but I am sure if you had contacted some aquarists in your area you could have got more help.
In any case good work and congratulations!

[TK3]

The article I read was not exactly the same as what was posted on page 24 (or so)? Mine had a multiple by 3.XXX then by the concentration... so I'm positive I was dosing 4x too much (8000mg on a 56G). pH shot through the roof (almost to 8.6) and dKH to 15. Odd that happened considering C is supposed to lower these.

Did large water changes 2 days in a row. Several SPS are bleaching, some small Xenia have melted (larger ones are hanging in there), mushrooms have shrank/closed up, and zoa's are OK but primarily closed up. Horrible things.

Stopped dosing VC and now adding seltzer to bring pH and dKH back to a reasonable level.

Think I'll try again once I clear this up using a much lower dose, and much more gradual than the article recommends. Especailly since I have about $500 - $1k in corals wasting away.

[flyyyguy]

That is really odd TK3 that it raised it. In my 225 the 2000 mg twice a day im at so far (end point 12500 daily target at 50 mg/g)is dropping my dkh a little over a point each dose. I dont measure ph(even though jdieck told me i should be LOL)

good luck with getting your stuff back in check. which C were you using??

[trueblackpercula]

Ok does anyone have before and after Pictures? Also i think this is a great thread and someone should post there resluts. I have been think about trying it but there are NO All sps lovers trying it yet. I do not want to be the one how takes the risk in killing my Sps due to low PH. I do think its great idea for Zoanthids and otrher soft corals i just do not see how SPs will benifit from Vitamin C.

keep the post rolling

Michael A Iezza

[Pufferpunk]

If you dose with the pure, buffered C, you should have no pH/KH issues. C will not raise your pH/KH. It must be something in the pill.

[Obi-dad]

Is anyone dosing with standard calcium ascorbate pills that have additional ingredients like stearate, etc?

[Vinnie71975]

http://www.swansonvitamins.com/webap...=17935&R=28589

what do you guys think of this find!