Treating with Vitamin C

[Genetics]

I've got to wonder--why such a substantial bloom with only a 5ppm dosing? Mine never got cloudy. I did see a lot of brown diatoms at 1st though.

Yes, that is the million dollar question. Right now there is no concrete evidence available that would explain why this occurs in some people's tanks and not others. Most-likely it comes down to a nutrient or bacterial difference between reef tanks.

Depending on the additive, I had noticed times where diatoms increased for a short period. Also, I always tried to keep my additives below 1ppm total added in a 24-hr period.

In a situation like this, I would just let it fix itself by skipping a dose for the day. The skimmer should take care of most the work. Once it is cleared up I would go back to the dose you were at (5ppm). Also, I would measure you tank parameters like nitrates and phosphates to see where they stand now.

 

[saltydog64]

I've got to wonder--why such a substantial bloom with only a 5ppm dosing? Mine never got cloudy. I did see a lot of brown diatoms at 1st though.

Puff......

I to am wondering so "late" into the use of VC....This afternoon it "just a haze" but I to think it's a B.Bloom.

The PS (a AquaC 120 on a Mag 7) has been kicking out a little more than normal since the start of using VC.....but lately @ 5PPM much more and the stuff in collector is a "greenish" looking gunk :furious:....I guess that's good, better there than in the tank.

The dose @ 5 PPM ( in my setup @ approx 85 Gal ) is about 1600mg of VC right ??? I actually used a mini-scale balance ( the kind "Druggie's once used :bum: no no Not me, but I had it sooooo. The 1600 mg is I figured a rounded 1/4 t and that is what I have been using.. check me on dose Puffer Ok?

Thanks

Dick

 

[saltydog64]

An Update on "Cloudyness"

An Update on "Cloudyness"

Good Morning and good news....

This AM the tank is cystal clear and all in it seem OK !!

After lights out last night I took a real close look @ the water dripping out of the SR (Sulfur Reastor) and I'll be damn it was clouding up the water where it drips into the Refugium ( it's on a rev. light cycle so I could see it real good ) so I quickly shut the SR to wait until this AM and yep the tank is like I said cystal clear.

It appears that with the tank Nitrate @ 0.00 ppm ( Checked on 01/28 with a LaMotte kit and just rechecked this AM ) there is not enough "food" for the Bacteria in there, actually I'm not an expert on Sulfur Denit. so I'll stop here on that....,but I'll bet that with all the Bacteria in the SR it must have been reacting with the VC @ the 5.00 PPM addition ( I didn't add VC @ all yesterday ) so concete conclusion on this too is a guess @ best:fun5::fun5:

Water tests this AM......

Temp 77.8
SP GR 1.025
pH 8.25
ALK 3.5 MEQ/L
Nitrate 0.00 PPM
PO4 0.25 PPM


With the tank clear I added approx. 1600 mg ( 5.00 PPM ) @ 10 this AM so we'll just to wait and see if all is OK !!!

Dick

 

[saltydog64]

Opps.......Sulfur Reastor....should be Sulfur Reactor....got typing to fast

 

[Genetics]

Good Morning and good news....

This AM the tank is cystal clear and all in it seem OK !!

With the tank clear I added approx. 1600 mg ( 5.00 PPM ) @ 10 this AM so we'll just to wait and see if all is OK !!!

Dick

Hopefully, you figured it out with the sulfur reactor! Any plans on tackling the phosphates?

 

[saltydog64]

Hopefully, you figured it out with the sulfur reactor! Any plans on tackling the phosphates?

Gen.........

I had shutdown my Phos Reactor which runs in the Refugium, as it got "plugged-up" a while back....a little lazy on my part :sad2:, but I plan on refilling with GFO ( I use ROWA phos ) and will be doing that ASAP !

So you think staying with VC @ 5 PPM is OK??....

 

[Genetics]

5ppm seems like a good dose. I've always tried to keep my dosages lower on ppm but I used more alcohol than anything else to keep it that way. These higher VC levels seem fine but are a bit more costly than using some sugar in with it.

If you clean out your GFO reactor and get it setup you will have a fundamentally sound tank!

 

[Pufferpunk]

Bump to 1st page

 

[RGC]

I know I'm the exception here, but I had very poor luck dosing VC. I was using the recommended VC at a rate of 1/2-3/4 tbs twice a day. I have a 125G mixed reef w/ a 30G sump. After about 3 weeks I started seeing a die off of some of my Zoas. Some of them had been growing in my tank for over a year. I stopped dosing a few weeks ago and have stopped seeing any die off. I can't prove it had anything to do with the VC dosing, but I feel strongly enough to not us VC anymore. I do a 12G water change once or twice a week and wet skimmer w/ a modded agm4+ skimmer. I have everything from sps to yellow polyps in my mixed reef.

 

[A. Grandis]

Any studies of vitamin C with corals and zoas in the wild?
Vitamin C as a suplement for coral nutrition is kinda weird to me.
The "it's working" feeling can be lots of other things and not the vitamin C itself.
Maybe it's a wast of time. Specially dosing in the water.

Grandis.

 

[Pufferpunk]

We're working on that right now.

 

[A. Grandis]

Oh, ok. Thanks Pufferpunk.:thumbsup:
Are you doing the study?

Grandis.

 

[Pufferpunk]

I'm no scientist, so I've got a scientist over at my puffer forum checking into the threads here, so he can possibly explain why it works so well for most of our zoas & other corals. He's snowed in, in Maryland, so should have lots of reading time.

 

[A. Grandis]

Hehe. Good. Yeah, we really need to know.
We need someone that understands about the saltwater environment and more important: about the cnidarians' metabolism.

I just posted regarding studies because I see too many people involved but not solid info about it.
Thanks a lot and good luck to all involved!

Grandis.

 

[Pufferpunk]

What we really could use is some college student willing to do testing in multiple tanks for a thesis!

 

[Pufferpunk]

Might want to start at the beginning:
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1252294

 

[ludnix]

What we really could use is some college student willing to do testing in multiple tanks for a thesis!

I could probably do that but it'll be a few years off unfortunately.

 

[2 TAZ]

Ok, so I'v spent the past 4 hours reading through this thread but not all of it, so I appologize if my questions have already have been answered.

I have read in other threads that dosing carbon sources such as carbon can be very unforgiving and easy to make a mistake, which leaves me very nervous.
I am sure that there will be times were I forget or will be unable to add VC and was wondering how this will affect the well being of the tank.

Jeff, I see that you dose VC for 3 weeks and that off for 3 weeks. Just wondering why??? Do you dose the same amount at the start of you're 3 week cylce as the end of the cycle??? Do you see any rise in nitrates or phosphates when you're not dosing???

I am not looking for a reduction in nitrates or phosphates. I have 2 refugiums along with carbon, gfo, over skimming, and ozone which keep nitrates and phosphates at or about 0. I have a low fish load and do not feed much at all. My total system is about 450 gallons of water.
I am thinking of dosing VC because over the past couple of years most of my zoos have died. Much of The ones that have not died have compleately shrunk, like they are plastered to the plugs they are on. Also some of my SPS have changed color. It seemed like my zoos did better years ago when I had higher nitrates.

 

[2 TAZ]

sorry, above post should read:
dosing carbon souces such as Vodka, ( not carbon) can be unforgiving and easy to make a mistake, sometimes causing compleate tank loss. I have talked to people who kept everything the same and out of the blue, something went wrong and wiped out thier tanks. Is this risk the same with VC. If I dose I plan on dosing on the low end, 5 to 10 ppms, dose this lesson the risk associated with carbon dosing.
side note:
orp is kept around 385
skimmer skimms very wet, 5 to 10 gallons per week.
However sometimes one of my skimmers beckets gets clogged in wich it effectively stopps skimming. If this happens and goes unnoticed for any length of time, could that cause a major problem with VC dosing??? I do not see any negative affect when that happens now as long it dose not remain clogged too long. This probably happens at least once every other month.

 

[pdabj]

Before

Before

After

After

Here are some before and after pic after using VC for two months. I had around 44ppn nitrate. After a month it went down to 8.8 and is now is 0.0.
I have always had high nitrate with 23 clown fish in 48 gallons of water. No matter how many water changes and never change until now. Thanks for suggesting VC.