Treating with Vitamin C

[reggiepe]

I just did a dose last evening (I wanted to ride along as well). I purchased the Sodium Ascorbate from iHerb. I dosed my 75gal with a tsp and I think it induced a spawn event with a rock anemone. Within 15 minutes it just started spewing this white stringy stuff (which I believe were eggs with the way the fish were trying to eat it all up) Approximately 2.5 hours later it seemed to have stopped. I could barely see through the water with just the actinics on. I turned the main lights on and everything seemed fine....polyps all opened, fish were happy, nothing adversely affected. I threw a PolyPad in the sump along with a 1 lb. of carbon. This morning the water was crystal clear. I don't know, could've been induced by it, could've been a coincidence. I just wanted to add my first experience.Here is a link to pics that I posted in the Anemone forum....

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1300276

 

[Fishcrazy06]

What buffered vitamin c did you get? Have a link by chance? Thanks!

Eric

 

[madadi]

Sodium Ascorbate from iHerb.com

 

[Jeff]

I just ordered the buffered C from iHerb. I have been having a ph problem even with dosing kalk so we will see if this helps.
Thanks for all of the info Puffy

 

[sellout007]

So whats the verdict then on the calcium ascorbate? Ok for one type of a tank, and not for another?

 

[Pufferpunk]

It's here! Now, I wonder how much to start dosing at? I was up to 3000mg, 2x/day, a week ago but then I stopped, cold turkey.

 

[Fishcrazy06]

None of the new health stores sell the sodium Ascorbate? Find that hard to believe but maybe not! So what was one of the main reasons from not using the pills? The drop in the PH or the drop in the ALK? Or a combination of the two?

Eric

 

[Pufferpunk]

I already was dosing alk with sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), so I had no problems with that but it didn't bring up my pH, so that was dropping. I should have used kalk to bring up the pH but used Kent buffer instead & it brought both up. I did a 20% WC, so now all parameters are good. It was the fillers, making my skimmer go nuts & the acid in the C, bringing down the pH. Now, I just recieved the buffered C in the mail, so I'm done with pH problems, hopefully.

I'm thinking, that the chart of upping the dosage slowly, was to prevent pH swings. I'n wondering now, about that not being a problem with the buffered C?

 

[Fishcrazy06]

Well I was able to find the calcium ascorbate in the powder form locally! But did someone not say they had problems with that form? Also I found the sodium ascorbate in the tablet form at a nutrition store but the tablet is goign to be a problem too correct? Not to mention I don't know how to pronounce ascorbate!

Eric

 

[Pufferpunk]

I have no idea how to pronounce it either.

 

[Myrddraal]

I think that the calcium ascorbate caused cloudy water in my tank, but not the other issues. I'm going to try it again and see if, with proper alk supplements, the water clouds again. If it does I'm going to switch to sodium.

 

[Fishcrazy06]

Thinking I may go pick up the tablet form and see how that works out! Or maybe I will go pick up both of them the tablet of the sodium ascorbate and the powder of the calcium ascorbate! From what I gather from jdieck's post the calcium part of the ascorbate is really not an issue because it is such a minute amount of calcium being added to the tank! Unless I misunderstood jdiecks post which is also possible! This has me truly intrigued and the only thing I really add to my tank now is Kalk. The Mrs. wages of course ! And I want to be sure before I start adding something else thats for sure!

eric

 

[AeroD79]

I have taken my tank pics for before and after shoots and continue with Calcium Ascorbate. So far its good

Ill post back in a month.

 

[Pufferpunk]

That's great, thanks! You're all doing a good thing for the reefing community.

 

[Fishcrazy06]

Alright thats good To hear! Thinking I will get the powder because I think it would be easier to measure out and not to mention dissolve it in some RO before adding it to the sump!

Eric

 

[Fishcrazy06]

I too will take some pictures my don't look bad but I think they could look better! One other thing to mention is I still am old school and run PC's for about another 2 months until I get my new tank up and running then I will be running a single 400 watt halide over a 72 bowfront on a light rail! I know I am insane!

Eric

 

[jdieck]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11660550#post11660550 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Myrddraal
I think that the calcium ascorbate caused cloudy water in my tank, but not the other issues. I'm going to try it again and see if, with proper alk supplements, the water clouds again. If it does I'm going to switch to sodium.

I would recommend to start at lower doses so bacteria has time to properly build up if that is what is causing the turbidity.
After the event once the cloudiness cleared did it leave a white film covering everything? If not then it was a bacterial bloom rather than precipitation.

 

[jdieck]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11660578#post11660578 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ebrabender
Thinking I may go pick up the tablet form and see how that works out! Or maybe I will go pick up both of them the tablet of the sodium ascorbate and the powder of the calcium ascorbate! From what I gather from jdieck's post the calcium part of the ascorbate is really not an issue because it is such a minute amount of calcium being added to the tank! Unless I misunderstood jdiecks post which is also possible! This has me truly intrigued and the only thing I really add to my tank now is Kalk. The Mrs. wages of course ! And I want to be sure before I start adding something else thats for sure!

eric

You are right, that amount of calcium is neglegible.
I noticed some calcium ascorbate products mention that it is 100% calcium ascorbate containing calcium carbonate. Seems to me that that is just a marketing gimick, it is either 100% calcium ascorbate dihydrate or it is less than a 100% and the rest is calcium carbonate filler.
Either case because the calcium carbonate does not dissolve at the tank PH of 8.0 to 8.4 that will be like adding a small amount of aragonite sand to your tank (like in purple up) and the real release is only the minuscle amount of Ca and of course the L-ascorbate which will be the same if you use ascorbic acid, magnesium ascorbate or calcium ascorbate.
In the case using ascorbic acid, instead of dissolving into calcium and L-ascorbate it dissolves into hydrogen ions and L-ascorbate (and some D-ascorbate) in this casethe H ions is what lowers the PH

 

[Myrddraal]

I was only using 5.3 grams, which contained 361 mg of vit C. I'll halve that though when I start again. No film, so it must have been a bloom.

 

[Myrddraal]

I'm also wondering if I have some predatory amphipods, like mentioned a few threads over. I have seen the largest amphipods in my tank on my disappearing blue zoos, and also on some white/yellow zoos that were given to me. I'm missing a polyp or two of those too...