Vitamin C Dosing?

snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
Hello Guys and Gals,
I have heard of Vitamin C dosing a few years ago, but disregarded it as nonsense. Now that I am reading more and more about it on other websites, I am getting more intrigued.
I have not yet started dosing Vitamin C in any of my tanks, because I don't know if I am quite comfortable with it yet or not.
From what I have researched, Vitamin C is found naturally in the ocean. Have you ever had a really nice coral for a few years and then all of the sudden it starts to die, no matter what you do for it? Have you ever had a zoanthid colony that has "browned over" and then died? Well,... Vitamin C might be the answer.
Those that are dosing Vitamin C have reported results such as: bringing zoanthid colonies back from the "dead." having corals perk up and color up with more vivid colors then before. SPS and LPS frags heal faster and grow quicker then with other standard means. Anemones seem to double and grow and remain healthier for longer.
Just like Humans, all living things need a balanced diet. We get our vitamin C from the food we eat. Corals get their vitamin C from the water column. If you think about it, the only thing that our salt mixes do not contain is any amount of available Vitamin C.
As far as what type - people have been using selcon as a vitamin C suppliment by soaking fish food in it before feeding it. But, now days people are using pure Vitamin C tablets from the grocery store/ health food center. Some people crush up the tablet (pill) half it, or even fourth it according to the dose and how big their aquarium is (by volume).
I am looking for any information that people have and are experienced with dosing Vitamin C in their tanks.
 
stanlalee

stanlalee

Active Member
I dont dose just vitamin C but I use reef plus which has a noticeably high amount of vitamin C as part of its composition. I too have heard it improves zoanthid but I have to real interest in dosing it seperately.
 
snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
hmm, alright.
So has anyone seen a real improvement in their coral growth and color?
I'm suprised that more people aren't chiming in on this thread...
 
janastasio

janastasio

Member
I would be very interested in this as well! I work for a Doc who recommends Vit C for EVERYTHING! He takes about 8000-12,000mg a day! I certainly believe it could have great benefits, but great question about how to do about dosing it and how much.
 
chaoticdamsel

chaoticdamsel

Member
I'm interested to watch this thread too. We used to dose Vitamin C in our fish food back in our 175 gallon. Over the course of several years, we never had an ich outbreak... and we didn't QT anything before adding it to the tank. That could just be coincidence and sheer dumb luck, but I'd be interested to know if Vitamin C is good for boosting fish immune systems like it does for humans.
 
snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
There is a product called "Selcon" that you can soak your nori or other fish food in (besides flake) before you feed it to your fish. Reportidly, Vitamin C helps fishes immune systems and can also cure and prevent HLLE and lateral line disease. These are all facts that can be read if you go read about Selcon.
I have been reading that a lot of people start off with a small dose and then work their tanks up to a higher level. The average that people start with is 125mg for a 30g tank per day. They do this every day for a week, then step it up to 250mg per day for a week, then 500mg per week. I don't know if it is safe to go over 500mg in a 30g tank.
I know though that on another forum, they said that they have been dosing 1500mg to 2000mg twice a day. I am not sure about how large their aquarium systems were.
Yes, just like dosing any chemical, if you dose too much, it can crash your tank. If you don't dose any - well, that's most reef systems today. If you dose high amounts of Vitamin C every day and then you don't dose any, then you can have some reprocussions as well.
I don't know if it has been mentioned, but Vitamin C is an acid in its true form. Dosing too much at a time will result in a pH crash.
50% of people dosing Vitamin C see a major difference in the color and growth rate of their livestock, however 50% of people do not see any difference what-so-ever.
I guess when I get my little 30g sps tank up and running, I will do the experiment. Until then, there's only research!
 
spanko

spanko

Active Member
Here are some specifications from Brightwell Aquatics on their Vitamin C product.
" * Highly-concentrated vitamin-C solution
* Buffered; will not impact pH when used as directed
* Stronger than competing products
* Vitamin-C is associated with improved tissue growth and with aiding the immune system
* Intended to provide benefits to all aquarium inhabitants
* Well-suited to use in coral propagation
* Requires no refrigeration
* Composed of purified water and ultra-high purity ingredients
* Formulated by a marine scientist
* The benefits of vitamin-C to aquatic organisms are largely related to improved tissue growth, particularly after recently-sustained injury or illness. Corals and their allies, in particular, have been observed to benefit tremendously from regular controlled dosage of vitamin-C by increasing their rate of soft tissue growth; this aspect is of particular interest to hobbyists and researchers involved with coral propagation, in which coral tissue is damaged during the process of splitting colonies and/or individual polyps. Grow-out systems regularly dosed with vitamin-C also tend to have improved growth rates when compared to control systems with identical environmental conditions. These benefits are believed to be a result of the positive impact that vitamin-C has on the immune system; this benefit translates to fishes as well as to the remainder of invertebrates maintained in marine aquaria.
* Vitamins are compounds required in minute concentrations for vital metabolic reactions; the amounts of vitamins required for a given species varies. Short-term vitamin deficiencies can typically be tolerated by most organisms, however long-term deficiencies tend to result in abnormalities, poor health, and eventually even death of the specimen. Conversely, if severely overdosed, ingested vitamins can have a negative impact on a specimen by way of toxicity, though the impact is unlikely to be permanent. Decreasing the vitamin dosage typically results in full recovery of the affected specimen. For these reasons, it is recommended that Vītamarin-C be utilized either as a means of delivering vitamins to aquarium inhabitants through food or by direct addition to the water, but not both except as noted on opposite panel when using with organisms that have sustained tissue damage.
* Vitamarin-C does not require refrigeration, however storage in a cool, shaded area will prolong the activity of the vitamins. Refrigeration will maximize the shelf-life of the product.
Instructions and Guidelines
If using to fortify food (recommended): Place food in a clean container such as a small bowl or cup and add only enough Vitamarin-C to saturate. Allow at least 5 minutes to elapse before feeding, enabling adequate time for the vitamins to become thoroughly absorbed by the food. Liquid food suspensions may be fortified by adding 1 ml (approximately 8 drops) Vitamarin-C per 10 ml of food suspension; stir to mix and allow 5 minutes to elapse before feeding. Maximum benefit of any liquid food suspension is achieved when the food is target-fed to the intended organisms rather than poured into a stream of water and allowed to disperse randomly throughout the aquarium.
If adding directly to aquarium water: Begin by adding 2 ml (approximately 16 drops) of Vitamarin-C per 20 US-gallons of water weekly for the first four weeks of use; this corresponds to adding approximately 2 drops per 20 US-gallons each day. Then, gradually increase the weekly dosage to 4 ml per 20 US-gallons over the following four weeks and maintain this dosage. [Note: if using Vitamarin-C in conjunction with Brightwell Aquatics Vitamarin-M, decrease dosages by 50%.] Starting at a low dosage will not cause any harm to the livestock, and will enable you to notice subtle changes in the appearance of the system that indicate the effectiveness and need for the product.
Note that doubling the dosage of Vitamarin-C is acceptable when fortifying food meant for organisms appearing to be in poor health, including fishes and invertebrates. Maintain the increased dosage only as long as is deemed necessary, and observe water quality carefully at all times, making adjustments as needed. No medicinal claims are made for Vitamarin-C, however vitamin-C has been consistently observed to have a positive impact on immune systems, in general.
Caution: Keep out of reach of children. Not for human consumption.
Guaranteed Analysis
Ascorbic acid (C) (min): 1,500 mg/oz.
Ingredients
Purified water, Ascorbic acid, Buffering agents."
 
snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
Hmm, alright. So, it positively affects corals by increasing fleshy tissue growth. That does not mean that they will also grow skeleton. IE, if you do not suppliment calcium and alkalinity as well, you will not see LPS and SPS coral grow any faster.
Does anyone think that even if you do increase the amount of fleshy tissue being grown, now matter how much you suppliment calcium and alkalinity, the skeleton will not grow with the increased rate of the flesh? (sorry I have a funny way of saying things.)
 
snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
Originally Posted by joe____17
http:///forum/post/2951102
Waits for the OH NO!!!!!!! OD'Ed tank with vitamin C Help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thread....
lol, As stated in the Brightwell Aquatics post by Spanko, it says that you can overdose your tank, but back off by (at least half of the current dose) if you see any adverse effects.
Just like dosing any chemical, careful monitoring should be your number one priority. While the average aquarist can not test and see how much Vit. C is in the water, care must be taken that you do not start out on a high dose or overdose.
 
snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
lol, here's the first preliminary "oh no, I OD'd my tank with vit. C" thread...
https://forums.saltwaterfish.com/t/350179/raising-ph-of-vitamin-c
 
T

tiff*

Guest
My friend bought and recently started dosing his tank with Viatmin C. I will ask him if he has notied a difference.
 
kholla12

kholla12

Member
Yes. I am and i know a few others that are we are doing it for zoas. i have seen better color and larger poylp in my zoas/ palys better growth also. i add 1/2tsp 2x a day to a 60g system.
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
An opposite view With actual positive scientific evidence:
http://sciencelinks.jp/j-east/articl...99A0985447.php
Attempts are made to elucidate the optimal dietary requirement of vitamin C in thornfish Terapon jarbua cultured at 28, 32 and 36.DEG.C., separately. The fish were fed diets with 0, 80, 400 and 2000mg/kg vitamin C-supplement for 8 weeks. The growth was the best when the fish fed diet with 400mg/kg vitamin C-supplement and cultured at 36.DEG.C.
 
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