Vitamin "c" dosing Calling the experts...
- Thread starter RBU1
- Start date
There isn't one..... yet. I was typing out loud.
But from all the information I have been able to find on VC dosing and effects on reef inhabitants, it seems that low levels can be added to fish food to get most of the benefits. For treatment, people are using VC levels on the order of 30ppm or more. Why not dose this in a more quarantine setting as it seems to cause some side-effects? If it is the VC and not the anti-oxidant effect soaking the coral for 30min-1hr a few times over the course of a week should result in reversal. Or so my logic says now.
LCDRDATA
New member
Unfortunately, I've already tried that - the picture above is with the output tube already set for "max dry."
Well, I've already backed off from the 30 ppm level (2.25 tsp for my tank) to ~ 13 ppm (1 tsp). I'm thinking about cutting that in half pretty soon if I don't see any positive change.
As I've said earlier in this thread, I ramped up to 30 ppm and held that level for about 10 days to two weeks (while things, unfortunately, continued to deteriorate and/or die) and then backed down over about a week to the current level. Still, I'm thinking about your dipping idea. I'd have to figure out a specific container to use, the volume of that container and the corresponding VC dosage.
Dipping this way would, however, be something of a natural experiment, as some of the zoas that started out on the coral skeleton have since migrated onto the neighboring live rock. So that would be about as close as you could come to controlling for every factor except the one variable under test. If I can figure out a good way to do that I'll report back on the thread, although at this point I'm not too sanguine about the likelihood of good results.
BTW, I was able to do the planned large (~ 33-40%) water change last night. Tonight I checked a few of the parameters; the rest should not have changed from the previous readings. Here are the ones I checked:
Alk = 3.5 meq (~10 dKH)
Calcium = 450
Mag = 1350
Salinity = 1.025 (as mentioned previously)
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RBU1
Moving on Up
OK so I have been dosing 15 ppm in my 300 for about 3 weeks now. I originally noticed an increase in skimmer production but that has slowed. I recently am starting to notice white stringy things on the rock that I am going to assume are some type of bacteria bloom. My question should I reduce my dosing amount or just keep staying the same? Every thing looks great.
Jeff
Premium Member
I would cut back slowly until you reach a much lower dose. I agree with Genetics. Lower dosing is fine for daily maintenance. I am down to around 2 ppm after dosing for well over a year and things look great. Some people have problems keeping zoas open or have other problems that require high doses but the lower dose works fine for people simply dosing for improved health. If I remember correctly, genetics is dosing low as well with the same results.
RBU1, I would cut it in half and see if the stringy substance disappears. What do your nitrates test at today? I remember them being rather high. Since I do not run solely VC, and have now switched to adding it to prepared foods for feeding, my dose is somewhere around 0.10ppm. I would guess between 2-5ppm would be a good maintenance dose.
Rouselb
New member
So if you have zoas melting or not opening up, is there a recommended start point for dosing ina QT tank? I have some green zoas, they are in my main tank, they were melting, i have been dosing VC for 3 weeks, and now they are stable. Im adding 2 teaspoons a day. I have 300 gal total in the system. I was thinking about placing them in a QT tank and dosing in a more confined area. I have a 10 gal QT. Has anyone done this yet? If not, what do you think for a starting point, remember, they have been getting VC in my show tank for 3 weeks now. They are no longer closing up and melting.
LCDRDATA
New member
So for dipping per Genetics' recommendation, here's what I seem to come up with (please someone double-check the math):
- from the oft-posted dosing calculation, for 100 gal @ 30 ppm, the dose is 11355 mg -> 1 gal @ 30 ppm ~ 114 mg
- 1/4 tsp=1112 mg -> 114 mg ~ 1/40 tsp
- 5 Salifert spoons ~ 1/4 tsp -> 1 Salifert spoon ~ 1/20 tsp
- Therefore, 114 mg ~ 1/2 Salifert spoon
I'm not sure I can measure that accurately, and pulling a gallon of water and the dead coral with the zoas growing on it out of the tank twice a day seems to be a real pain - not to say it might not be worth it if it works. Does anyone see a reason not to simply pour the water back into the tank afterwards? That amount of VC would seem to be insignificant in the full 80 gallon volume. I could probably dump it and replace it with pre-mixed, but I don't think I'd want to do that more than once a day. Thoughts? Thanks!
- from the oft-posted dosing calculation, for 100 gal @ 30 ppm, the dose is 11355 mg -> 1 gal @ 30 ppm ~ 114 mg
- 1/4 tsp=1112 mg -> 114 mg ~ 1/40 tsp
- 5 Salifert spoons ~ 1/4 tsp -> 1 Salifert spoon ~ 1/20 tsp
- Therefore, 114 mg ~ 1/2 Salifert spoon
I'm not sure I can measure that accurately, and pulling a gallon of water and the dead coral with the zoas growing on it out of the tank twice a day seems to be a real pain - not to say it might not be worth it if it works. Does anyone see a reason not to simply pour the water back into the tank afterwards? That amount of VC would seem to be insignificant in the full 80 gallon volume. I could probably dump it and replace it with pre-mixed, but I don't think I'd want to do that more than once a day. Thoughts? Thanks!
RBU1
Moving on Up
Thank You as always...I tested tonight and it looks like the nitrates are 0.......AMEN!!!!!!! Not sure if it is the VC or the sulfur denitrator or the chaeto/feather caulerpa......or the fact I lost all my fish to a parasite/disease and the tank only has 2 eels in it. I think it is a combo of everything. I will cut my dosing in half and see what happens. Thanks BILL
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