Treating with Vitamin C

[lbaldrey]

hey puffer

i was dosing quarter tspx2 a day in a 65G and was getting a massive algae bloom

so i backed off for 2 weeks and did 2 water changes and resumed with half of quarter teaspoon once a day and again big algae bloom..my skimmer is skimming good though..

What do you think is going on? PO4 is around 0.2 Elos

dosing the iherb sodium ascorbate

[au01st]

Alright, so re-read the directions, I see that it's twice daily.


Well, I thought I had a scale that went that low, but it's broken, now my lowest one does grams...not mg. I saw that you can't mix up a big batch like dosing 2-part, but I could mix up from the 1/4tsp recipe.

I calculated that 1/4tsp is approximately 7.3467 x the amount I needed for a dosing at 2ppm. Can I mix in the 1/4tsp of sodium ascorbate in a 50ml bottle with RO/DI, then dose 6.81ml (I know I have diabetic syringes that will let me get that precise) to give me the correct dosing? How fast does it dissolve? And how long would that bottle be good for (given that's it's good for 7 dosings max), like could I mix it up in the evening for the dosing, then use it again in the morning, then make a fresh batch every evening? Or would a fresh batch be needed for every dosing? It seems like a lot of work, but I'm at my wits end with some of these zoas...

[ludnix]

So your current lowest scale only goes down to 1g? It doesn't happen to do tenths or even hundredths of a gram does it? If so you could do 0.15 grams, but you probably already knew that.

If you have a harbor freight near you, you can get a mg scale for about $10

[ludnix]

I was thinking about the issue with vitamin C breaking down and how we don't really know how quickly it really breaks down aside from the very original document suggesting the dosage of ascrobic acid.

If we wanted to test the vitamin C concentration in a solution of saltwater, we could do a relativistic sort of test by using iodine and corn starch. Since Ascorbic Acid will cause iodine to lose it's color we could try an experiment in which we make a solution of saltwater and vitamin C, add it to a solution of cornstarch, water and iodine, and then try it again to a second solution either several hours later or the next day and see if it has the same effect.

If the Ascorbic acid is breaking down in the water or when exposed to light the second test should change the color of the solution significantly less than the first which had freshly mixed vitamin C. If there is something else occuring chemically with the Vitamin C, where it's still ascrobic acid but it's no longer usable than this test may not show any results, but it would be an interesting starting point for getting some actual evidence behind Vitamin C dosing.

Alternatively we could just use an Ascorbic Acid test strip as well, they usually come in 50-400ppm ranges, so it would have to be an excessively high dosage in the test water, but I imagine the results should be the same.

I would do this myself, but I need to get a new bottle of the Vitamin C first, I gave my last bottle away before I went on vacation so another local reefer could try it. I encourage anyone who's interested to give the testing a go though.

[Pufferpunk]

VC is totally broken down within 8 hours. You really don't haave to be that exact. I just use my 1/4 tsp measuring spoon & fill it about 1/2 way for my 15g frag tank.

i was dosing quarter tspx2 a day in a 65G and was getting a massive algae bloom

Are you sure it's algae & not brown diatoms?

[au01st]

Haha, well I figured out another way. I took one of the measuring spoons from an Elos test kit, which measures both .15 and .4ml.

There's 4.92892159 ml in a tsp

I just broke down the original specs to ml.

So, 1/4tsp = 1.23223ml

I know I wanted 1/5 of that for my 20 gallons of water, and 2/5 of that for my 2ppm vs. 5ppm, which gave me .0986ml for my dosing. I measured the spoon, mixed with 15ml RO/DI water, and then dosed 10ml.

I guess 3 years of engineering school does a number on your approximations...

Anyways, I'm off. Took some "before" pics...here's hoping!

[au01st]

There's a harbor freight back home, and I'll probably pick up another scale when I'm there, just because I'm going to look for a wet band saw or tile saw anyways. And what's $10 on top of the price of one of those...

I really appreciate the info here, hoping I can save a few different "hornets" and some other cool zoas, like my colony of 50+ tubs blues...

[au01st]

First dose: 3-17 @ appx 6:30pm

Second dose: 3-18 @ appx 8:00am
Also dosed 0.5ml of my usual VSV mix.


Tubs colony was open today for the first time in a week. Still waiting on the hornets.

Skimmate being produced was much darker and thicker than usual. I'm now getting coffee as opposed to green tea. Only took about a minute to mix up the dose using the formula I figured out, not too bad.

[Jeff]

Originally Posted by au01st

First dose: 3-17 @ appx 6:30pm

Second dose: 3-18 @ appx 8:00am
Also dosed 0.5ml of my usual VSV mix.


Tubs colony was open today for the first time in a week. Still waiting on the hornets.

Skimmate being produced was much darker and thicker than usual. I'm now getting coffee as opposed to green tea. Only took about a minute to mix up the dose using the formula I figured out, not too bad.

Sounds good. Let's hope the hornets open soon.

[Pufferpunk]

First dose: 3-17 @ appx 6:30pm

Second dose: 3-18 @ appx 8:00am

One of your dosings should be done after lights out. VC is absorbed by your corals better then.

[au01st]

Light cycle is 10am to 6pm, so it is done after lights out. Thanks!

[Pufferpunk]

OK, mine is much longer.

[studmaster]

I get lighter coloured skimmate after dosing VC....but more of it. I guess it depends on your skimmer. I have a AquaC Remora.

Originally Posted by au01st

First dose: 3-17 @ appx 6:30pm

Second dose: 3-18 @ appx 8:00am
Also dosed 0.5ml of my usual VSV mix.


Tubs colony was open today for the first time in a week. Still waiting on the hornets.

Skimmate being produced was much darker and thicker than usual. I'm now getting coffee as opposed to green tea. Only took about a minute to mix up the dose using the formula I figured out, not too bad.

[studmaster]

Originally Posted by Pufferpunk

One of your dosings should be done after lights out. VC is absorbed by your corals better then.

Pufferpunk: if you are just dosing to reduce nitrates, when's the best time to dose? Lights on or off? I have a FOWLR tank with no corals.

[Pufferpunk]

I always dose my alk/ca/VC at night & then if I remember again in the morning, I'll dose VC again in my DT.

[au01st]

Originally Posted by studmaster

I get lighter coloured skimmate after dosing VC....but more of it. I guess it depends on your skimmer. I have a AquaC Remora.

The skimmate has been darker and thicker, but there has been much less of it, even though I've moved the water level up in the skimmer.

My frag of 3 purple hornets has opened up, so has the spiderman that's been sitting next to it, just waiting on the blue hornet now.

[ludnix]

Originally Posted by au01st

The skimmate has been darker and thicker, but there has been much less of it, even though I've moved the water level up in the skimmer.

My frag of 3 purple hornets has opened up, so has the spiderman that's been sitting next to it, just waiting on the blue hornet now.

I had the same experience with the skimmate.

[Pufferpunk]

I'll take a frag of each, please!

[getoyute]

I have been dosing for about a month now got up to 30ppm and dropped back down in the last week to 15ppm when I noticed that every time I dose some of my SPS retracted their polyps and give off a white stringy substance for about 20 minutes then back to normal they go. Even at 5ppm I still get the same reaction. Since the start of my dosing some of my zoos have opened back up and some are still closed. What's causing the reaction with the SPS? Should I just stop the dosing for a while?

[Pufferpunk]

You could back down to 5ppm for a while. What's your skimmer doing?

[getoyute]

I have been at 5ppm since the start of the week and still getting the same reaction out of my SPS. They return to normal after about an hour but it's the initial reaction that I'm not liking. The skimmer is operating just fine, still pulling out the nasty gunk.

[spw4949]

Are you mixing the powder before adding it to your tank? Where are you adding it?(sump, DT?), just wondering......

[getoyute]

no mixing here, just adding directly to my sump. I would say about three inches from my return pump.

[Reeefer]

I add an even teaspoon to a mug of RO water, stir it, and then throw it in front of one of my powerheads. Try that and see if it makes a difference?

[Pufferpunk]

Better mixed in your sump, though the pump, IMO.