Treating with Vitamin C

[sabazerehi]

i like the idea of using an automatic feeder but wouldn't air get in and the vit c would end up absorbing moisture and lose it's potency? also just to clarify, so it is ok to run carbon while dosing vit c? when i first started reading this thread i remember it being said that the carbon would filter out the vit c.

 

[tankerman]

i've been considering ordering this auto feeder/doser

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+4430+7951+4464&pcatid=4464

a few pages back the2ofus had ordered one and was going to let us know how it worked out.

 

[the2ofus]

It was "out of stock" when I ordered it, I received an e-mail Friday that it was shipped.

I'll post when it gets here.

 

[Pufferpunk]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14084335#post14084335 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by sabazerehi
i like the idea of using an automatic feeder but wouldn't air get in and the vit c would end up absorbing moisture and lose it's potency? also just to clarify, so it is ok to run carbon while dosing vit c? when i first started reading this thread i remember it being said that the carbon would filter out the vit c.

Carbon has been discussed in the 80 or so pages of this thread & it was decided it is ok to keep the carbon/Purigen in the system. I dose at the end of my sump, after the Purigen, immediately before the pump takes up the water to the tank--just in case.

I keep the VC in my fridge, so I'm not sure it will have the same potency beitng exposed to air, light & heat for a week in a auto feeder.

 

[Reef Aquatics]

Ok..my Iherb Vit C will be here on Friday.

So you should keep it in the fridge?

Im also battling a Dino(brown slime)problem right now. Should I wait to start with
the Vit C until Ive got rid of the Dino...or does it matter?

 

[Reef Aquatics]

whoops...double post...sorry..

 

[Pufferpunk]

Probably going to add to the brown slime--that's what some folks complain about when they 1st start dosing.

 

[Reef Aquatics]

Im really not sure...in the dino thread it seems one of the main keys to getting rid of
the dino is keeping your PH at about 8.3 to 8.6.

 

[ReefEnabler]

I thought about automating VC additions. but I recall reading somewhere in the thread that the VC loses its potency soon after mixed.

So if I were to say mix 1 gallon of RO water to a rediculous high VC concentration, and then program my dosing pump to give the right continuous dose, would it be pointless since all the VC in the gallon would "go bad" after a few hours?



What makes it go bad, exposure to air, or the mixing with water? Every time we open the bottle some new air gets in.

Woudl having an airtight cap on the container make the mixture last longer?

 

[Pufferpunk]

Please don't go experimenting with this! It has been working really well in the way we have been dosing. If you don't have the time to dose in this way, I suggest against using this product for your tank.

 

[ReefEnabler]

I'm not talking about changing the dose, it would be the same amount.

I'm just wondering if a pre mixed solution would 'go bad'

 

[Pufferpunk]

I was refering to the "rediculous high VC concentration". As soon as VC hits water, it starts to break down. It loses it's potency in light, warmth & air but especially water. I take 1/2 the bottle & put it into a smaller container in a cabinet by my tank & keep the rest in the fridge, so I don't open it until the 1st 1/2 is used up.

 

[ReefEnabler]

sorry probably bad choice of words on my part. I meant a concentration that would be KNOWN to provide enough VC per gallon that I could use the same gallon for a week or more. Just hadn't done the math.

But I get your point about it losing potency quickly in water.

I could always test it out... my ORP monitor is a great way to see if its potent or not. I would be able to tell if it lost potency after a certain time period.

 

[Pufferpunk]

When the ORP is normal or below, the VC has been used up.

 

[ReefEnabler]

when I dose normally the ORP will drop down to 50-70ish and stay there for several hours. so I could try first dosing all at once (to get the concentration in the system to start), and then set the dosing pump to continue the same dosage continuously.

if the ORP stays down over the next few days then I would know its working, right? If it the ORP gets back over 100 or so then I'd know it was getting used up.

 

[Pufferpunk]

Again I will say, do not premix for auto dosing.

Maybe you should read this:
http://www.livingreefs.com/forums/saltwater-aquarium-articles/590-use-vitamin-c.html

 

[ReefEnabler]

That was the first thing I read. But none of that is scientific information, we don't know under what conditions that water will degrade the VC.

He mentions not letting moisture get to your stored VC. If moisture is getting in, fresh air is getting in. I wonder if it might be different for VC that is dissolved in water, in an airtight container.

In the absense of any scientific information the only thing I can do is test it.

and if the test is a failure, what will I have lost? Wasted some VC??? I ordered enough to last 6 mos.

 

[ReefEnabler]

...... of course I just realized its impossible to use a dosing pump with an airtight container unless the container is flexible enough to shrink as the dosing happens

so maybe it is just a bad idea maybe an IV bag

 

[Pufferpunk]

I find it a labor of love to dose my tanks by hand. :inlove:

 

[JACOXVIII]

ok just got the VC
my tank is 155 bow and 30 sump/fuge
how much do i start with
1/4 tsp 2 time a day ?