Treating with Vitamin C

Well I can't report that I see better coloration from my Zoos, LPS, or SPS, but my phosphates and nitrates are 0! Ladies and gentlemen those two parameters have never been zero......ever. What's also interesting is that although Ive upped my Ca and Mg 5ml and 2 ml respectively daily in response to the last tests 2 weeks ago where they had dropped, my Ca and Mg still dropped. Maybe this is due to more growth as I haven't added anything to my system. Not really sure.
 
Been following the thread for a while... and just wanted to report results of VC treatment on my own tank. I run a 10g/10g with PCs hosting soft and LPS corals.

Maybe two months ago, virtually every zoanthid in my tank was unhappy. All were either closed or partially closed and some were even receding. Everything else in the tank, frogspawn, GSP, xenia, mushrooms, etc. looked good. The green hair algae covering my rock and zoa frags also looked very healthy. :sad2:

For the zoa problem, I had tried different lighting, moving to quarantine, medication, changing salt mix (to Reef Crystals from IO)... you name it... nothing seemed to help. Finally, I ran across your VC dosing system here, and gave it a go.

I dosed what I thought to be 10ppm twice a day for two weeks. I dissolved 1/8 teaspoon of sodium ascorbate powder into a bit of RO and added to my sump. For my system and the powder I was using, that may have been too much, because towards the end, I started seeing some clouding and whitish growth on my glass and my xenia started to get really skinny. At that point, I stopped dosing.

The very good news is that just a few days into it, the positive results began. First, the zoas were clearly more colorful... the centers of the partially open ones fluoresced beautifully. Then slowly but surely, the polyps on each different variety began to relax and open. And each day they seemed to look better. The improvement has continued to this day, even though I stopped dosing over a month ago. I can say these corals even look better than the day I got them home from the store. :D

And it gets better. My GHA problem has completely disappeared. I mean it is g-o-n-e gone. I wasn't counting on the VC to help with that, but it has. I am literally thrilled with the results. I can't say enough about how much it has helped. THANK YOU for all your help! :thumbsup:
 
That looks right to me, you might try double checking the ingredients before purchasing though. Some forms of vitamin c had copper or other undesirable chemicals but it should say on the bottle.
 
thanks for the fast reply i have read this thread from start to finish and i am going to give this a shot. I looked back but couldnt find it. Did someone say 5 salifert test spoons = 1/4 tspn? thanks
 
Thanks. Yup i started on page 1 of the first part of this and read every post as well as every post or article linked off of it. I like to read lol. On a side not the C i bought from a health food store. It was in the Pet section. I asked the clerk why and was told because most people who buy it either use it in their fish tank or for their dog
 
After reading this thread, I've decided to give it a try. A lot of my zoas have been unhappy the past month or so. No real change in any of the tank parameters. The only thing different is that I've been dosing Mg for bryopsis.
Most zoas appear to be healthy except they have really lost a lot of color. One colony of them (can't remember name right now) isn't opening. Just started my first dose tonight. I'll try to post some before and after pics.
 
You mean ascorbic acid? How much per tsp or 1/4 tsp? Be sure to compare against the amounts used in our chart for ppm dosing.
 
I should of been clearer its Vitamin C from Sodium Ascorbate and Sodium from Sodium Ascorbate. It is 1690mg per 1/2 tsp. My tank is a 65g with a sump. I figure with live rock etc my total water is pretty close to 65 so im basing it off of that. I am mostly doing this because this seems like a safer way to dose for N/P reduction.

I started this morning by dosing 1 salifert spoon (approx 169mg or .7ppm). I will do this twice a day adding a spoon every 3-5 days untill i get to a 1/4tsp.

Assuming i get the same results as others have posted i will be getting the nutribiotics version that you use and up to a 1/4 tsp of that which will leave me at around 4.5ppm which from what i understand will be a good maintenance dose.

Thanks alot for the effort you put into this.
 
1690 mg of ascorbic acid??? Should be ascorbic acid mixed with sodium.

I think you can safely start out with a 1/4 tsp. I started at that for my 40g (way less water volume in this tank with rocks too). Since the I-herb stuff contains 1112 mg per 1/4 tsp, you're getting even less value.
 
There's definitely something to this stuff! I looked into my BW Figure 8 puffer tank yesterday to see a 1/2 dead puffer. She had been keeping a darker belly all week & her tail was starting to look shorter & a bit frayed but yesterday, she was floating tail up near the overflow, being tossed around by the current. She had a film on her & refused even live blackworms. The other puffer was getting fat on them & all the other fish were fine. I added Melafix & 1/4 tsp VC to her tank. Kept checking on her until bedtime but no changes. Added another 1/2 tsp VC before bed. This morning the film is gone, her belly is white & she ate!!!
 
The actual concentration is 1690mg ascorbic acid and 210mg sodium per 1/2 tspn. For other ingredients its say none and says contains no sugar, starch, yeast, wheat, gluten, soy, milk, egg, shellfish or preservatives. I intend to switch to the brand your using because its a better value.

To make a long story short i am starting at such a low amount just because i'm leary of adding things to my tank. I battled a hair algae problem for a while and in a moment of insanity decided to add Algaefix Marine against my better judgement. It did kill a majority of the algae and it did not kill a single organism in my tank, however after 10 doses all my corals look po'd for a lack of a better term.

My hope with the C is to reduce my N/P lower to remove the remaining algae and with the apparent added benefits in the C boost my corals.
 
PH Drop

PH Drop

I posted a message regarding this topic before, I was just wondering if anyone that has a PH monitor has noticed any sort of drop after adding VC? I have a 50Gal saltwater tank and I add 1/2 tsp around 830pm. It went from 8.12 to 8.02 within an hour of adding the VC. That seems way too much. I am currently having PH problems, but it still shouldn't swing it that much, should it?

I have always thought that the VC feeds the bacteria that therefore produce CO2, which lowers the PH. My skimmer always goes nuts too after adding VC.
 
What time does your light turn off? You should expect a pH drop at night from the change in photosynthesis.
 
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