Treating with Vitamin C

[Yunachin]

I am guessing that some are susceptible to some unknown bacterial infection and with the help of some vitamin C, are able to develop an immunity to fighting off whatever "mystery" bacteria that is causing them to close up and slime over basically.

 

[gazog]

Okay day 3.5 of dosing, Dosed this morning with 30ppm this afternoon I will go to 50ppm, I did it this way so I could watch the tanks each time I upped the dosage. I have 3 tanks I am dosing 10, 16, 20 gallon frag tank.

One odd note, dont really know if it has anything to do with the C or not, an increase or air bubbles forming on my rockwork in the 10 and on the grid work in the frag tank. Seems a little odd to me but I am not going to worry about it. I also have noticed several of my corals; my Frogspawn and Glove polyps seemed a little bit stressed last night but this morning everything was fine. As far as PH swings I have noticed none yet.

Now for the good news, the Zoa's, I had several clumps that haven’t opened in better than a month. As result most have pretty much withered away to the size of a toothpick! As of last night I noticed that most if not all of them are opened on several frags, small but opened. All the others that I have in the tanks they are all fully opened up and some of them have gotten very vibrant colors!

Unfortunately my camera is not working so I cannot take pictures at this time, but I am borrowing a camera and will post pictures when I have them.

 

[Pufferpunk]

It is recommended to dose whatever amount you have figured on for your tank, 2x/day. I totally agree with the above posters--I have never had good luck with my zoas. I have kept them in several different tanks, sometimes for years, only to suddenly see a ctotally colony close & die. I have no idea why, when everything else in the tank is doign great & the colony right next to the dying ones are fine too. It also came to a point that I had a very low sucess rate with new frags.

As far as tanks with zoas/corals that are doing well--everything in my tank is brighter colored & growth rates have increased tremendously!

 

[caseyjones]

You started a great thread Pufferpunk. I'm curious if my zoa's will color up more with Vit C. I have never had a problem with Zoa's and I have the coloration you see on those high end coral site's. Zoa's typically like the water a little dirtier and full of nutrients. My skimmer had broken and it took 2 months to rebuild and in the mean time my Zoa's were never happier, I believe they took up the bulk of excess nutrients. I don't think I am going to dose the Vit C however since I don't like messing with my tank when it is running well but I would really like to see if they will color up more...maybe a trade? Some healthy colorful zoa's for some that won't open maybe?

 

[rsteagall]

I'd like to hear more about it destroying algae...what kind...how long it takes ....ect. Is it actually killing algae...or is it just ripping nutrients out depriving algae of food?

 

[AeroD79]

I saw that the generic tablet of Vitamin C has Silicone Dioxide..isnt thts an algae feeder?

 

[baloutang]

Has anyone tried Kent Marine Marine C? I don't think I can read all the threads on this post in one day.
It appears that sodium ascorbate is the right stuff to try out on a tank. Let me know what you think

 

[madadi]

Kent C just doesn't have enough vitamin C in it for the dose we want. and its way too expensive.

sodium ascorbate is best if you want to avoid pH problems and your skimmer going crazy. calcium and magnesium ascorbate should work just as well.

 

[mr_cali]

I just read through EVERYTHING...whoa, that was a long read! haha. Hopping on the "C" train. Just took some before pics.

 

[Me No Nemo]

I've tried several varieties of vitamin C, including the Kent Vitamin C in my store and farm tanks for the past year. I can't really say it's done alot. The fungus on the zoas is best treated with Furan-2. I've seen no advantage in my coral farms dosing the vitamin C on the zoa fungus as I often get new colonies in from the wild that suffer from it and nothing helps but the Furan-2 baths. I continue to dose the Vitamin C though as my fish do well so I'm not making any changes.

 

[Pufferpunk]

What you don't realize (maybe if you had read my origional post), is that some of us can't dip corals that are growing directly on our rockwork. My origional hunt was something safe to dose the entire tank with, that wouldn't harm the biological filtration. Maybe you haven't used enough? What I didn't expect was the huge difference it is making in all my corals, brighter color & fantastic growth.

 

[Fishcrazy06]

I actually started dosing today! However, I am using the regular Vitamin C because all of my top off water is actually my kalk as well! The other thing I haven't noticed is my skimmer going nuts! I will keep checking my alk and my ph hasn't dropped below 7.9 even when adding the Vitamin C! I will keep things posted! Think I may go get the other stuff but I will go with this for now! I will take pics of my tank tomorrow! There is one rock with zoas that don't look how they originally did! Think they will be a good starting point for a before and after pic!


Eric

 

[Pufferpunk]

It took almost 3 months of daily dosing for my pH to drop.

 

[Fishcrazy06]

I will buy the other form! Its just I found the calcium ascorbate within a half hour from so I am going to go buy it! However, I don't have it and I have the regular vitamin C So I thought I would start with that! The calcium ascorbate is in the powder form! I do have the sodium ascorbate within 5 minutes of my house but it comes in the pill form not the powder and not sure if there will be problems with that or not! I am thinking not because my skimmer functions normal now! There one better than the other or not really?

Eric

PS I will get the pic of the big rock for sure though! They are open but the skirts aren't fully extended like they first were when I got them!

 

[Pufferpunk]

Just read the ingredients on the bottle.

 

[Fishcrazy06]

Of the sodium ascorbate in the pill form? The lady read it over the phone and all it said was the sodium and th ascorbate! No other things in it. She said it was in the pill form and was used for vegetarians! Whatever that means! LOL Damn Health freaks! I will definately check it over more closely! One other question that came to mind! Carbon is not a good thing but plain ole filter floss and sponges should be ok right?


Eric

 

[Pufferpunk]

Unless rinsed/changed every 2-3 days. things like that are consaidered nitrate factories & better not used at all.

As far as the pill--there has to be something holding the pill together.

 

[Fishcrazy06]

Well I won't tell you what I run for filtration then I use bio balls! I hardly ever have my nitrates up over 10. They tend to run in the 5 range! But this is a whole other topic! Anywho the filter pad and the sponge are due to the bioballs! And that is what helps keep the bio balls clean. But we won't get into it! I understand something must hold them together. But what I am trying to say is my skimmer doesn't go nuts with the regular pills so I doubt it will with sodium ascorbate pills! But who knows!

Eric

 

[Pufferpunk]

I would remove the bioballs & use live rock rubble instead.

 

[sellout007]

LR rubble in a wet/dry is going to produce the same problems as bioballs. Its still aerobic bacteria, and still will get dirty just like regular bioballs. Your just swapping out surfaces.