<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12872721#post12872721 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Pufferpunk
It has already been discovered a few pages back that VC boosts the production of collagen, which is in all our corals.
I have had issues with my zoanthids melting from day 1 of my coralkeeping. This is in 4 different tanks/systems. I have been in the hobby for 30 years & am meticulous about my tanks. I take one day off/week just to care for the 8 of them. My parameters are perfect. There are meny folks that have the identical problem & we just can't pinpoint why our zoas melt away while other's grow like weeds. Maybe it's something with our water but I use a RODI system, so I doubt that.
All I know, it's this is the solution I've been praying for & it works! It also is doing wonders for my other healthy corals, so that is a bonus, in adddition to lowering nitrate. With the cheap cost of VC, it's a win-win situation. I now feel confident to start adding some of the more $$$, higher-end zoas to my tank again, after losing thousands of dollars worth throughout the years.
It may have been determined that ascorbates can play a role in collagen production in some organisms. However, to say that it plays a role in coral tissue production is nothing more than a wild guess, even if they are collagen based.
You say your parameters are perfect, but didn't you have detectable nitrates in your aquarium prior to starting your dosing? Also, just because you go through every test kit known to exist for aquariums and get good results does not mean your partameters are perfect. It simply means that what you're able to test for is of acceptable levels.
To give you an example... I have a 10 gallon set up with a short sandbed, it has nothing more than a powerhead, a couple HO T5 lights, live rock, sand, and various macro algaes. All measureable parameters are ideal by aquarium standards. However, I could not support coral in this aquarium. I've tried a few times with various frags from my other aquariums just for kicks. My tests tell me I should be able to, the equipment, while a little lacking, should be able to support hardier corals. So what's the deal? There's some about the water that I can't test for that just isn't right, either something lacking or something in too high a concentration. I'm sure aggressive waterchanges would fix the problem, but this tank isn't for corals so I don't worry about it. It's basically a display refugium for me.
I'm happy it works for you, I really am. However, growing and keeping zoanthids alive is not an issue for an overhwhelming majority of hobbyists. So, that leads me to a strong belief that vitamin C is not essential nor even important for zoanthid growth. The results you and others are seeing are probably based on various chemical reactions occuring in the aquarium as a result of the vitamin C additions.
Just taking what we know about carbon dosing... Obviously, it's causing bacteria populations to rise dramatically. We also know that bacteria could be a food source for various zoanthids. So, if the vitamin C is acting as a carbon source like some of us have suggested, one could also speculate that it's indirectly providing a food source for some zoanthids. We also know that different carbon sources will support a different strain of bacteria. I.E. dosing with sugar will feed a different bacteria strain than vodka. We could go into more wild speculation based on that... Will zoanthids use that extra bacteria as a food source? Are they particular as to the strain or bacteria they will consume? Are certain strains more nutritious than others and will what they consume do much to change their nutritional properties? All interesting questions, to me at least, but we'll probably never be able to answer them.
If I had the extra money laying around I'd set up 4 or 5 identical aquariums using an identical water source. Then add a frag of zoanthids from the same mother colony to each. Adding one small fish to each or one of the aquariums.
Aquarium 1: No dosing
Aquarium 2: Vitamin C dosing
Aquarium 3: Vodka dosing
Aquarium 4: Multi carbon source dosing
Aquarium 5: Perhaps another tank with no dosing, more aggressive water changes, or perhaps the aquarium with a fish
If someone would like to go forward with this please take my ideas and run with it. If someone has equipment or funds that they'd donate to make this happen I'll volunteer my time, space, and frags.
