Dosing Vitamin C

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Read this before posting!!

Since this board has been up, we have found there are several questions that routinely get asked in order to help diagnose problems. If you can have that information to begin with in your post, we'll be able to help right away (if we can!) without having to wait for you to post the info we need.

1) Your water parameters - pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrates and salinity (if appropriate). This is by far the most important information you can provide! Do not answer this with "Fine" "Perfect" "ok", that tells us nothing. We need hard numbers.

2) Tank size and a list of ALL inhabitants. Include algae eaters, plecos, everything. We need to know what you have and how big the tank is.

3) Feeding, water change schedule and a list of all products you are using or have added to the tank (examples: Cycle, Amquel, salt, etc)

4) What changes you've made in the tank in the last week or so. Sometimes its the little things that make all the difference.

5) How long the aquarium has been set up, and how did you cycle it? If you don't know what cycling is read this: Fishless Cycling Article and familiarize yourself with all the information. Yes. All of it.

We want to help, and providing this information will go a LONG way to getting a diagnosis and hopeful cure that much faster.

While you wait for assistance:
One of the easiest and best ways to help your fish feel better is clean water! If you are already on a regular water change schedule (50% weekly is recommended) a good step to making your fish more comfortable while waiting for diagnosis/suggestions is to do a large water change immediately. Feel free to repeat daily or as often as you can, clean water is always a good thing! Use of Amquel or Prime as a dechlor may help with any ammonia or nitrite issues, and is highly recommended.

Note - if you do not normally do large water changes, doing a sudden, large water change could shock your fish by suddenly changing their established water chemistry. Clean water is still your first goal, so in this case, do several smaller (10%) water changes over the next day or two before starting any large ones.
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Pufferpunk
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Dosing Vitamin C

Post by Pufferpunk »

VITAMIN C DOSING CHART
Here are the directions:
Use this product:
http://www.iherb.com/ProductDetails.aspx?pid=10178&at=0
$10 off coupon code: LUL789


To figure out how much to use, decide if you want to simply improve coral growth, spread, and color. If so, then you should dose around 5 ppm twice daily (down to 2-3 ppm works also). If you are having problems with coral or fish health, dose up to around 30 ppm twice daily.

Calculate the total net number of gallons in your tank (minus rocks, sand, etc). Enter that number here ______.

You will now need to do a little math. The amounts below are for 100 gallons of water so if you have 50 net gallons, cut the amounts shown below in half etc.

Dosing amounts using Iherb product:
1/4 tsp=1112 mg.

For every 100 gallons:

5 ppm ----- 1892 mg VC
10 ppm ---- 3785 mg VC
15 ppm ---- 5677 mg VC
20 ppm ---- 7570 mg VC
25 ppm ---- 9462 mg VC
30 ppm ---- 11355 mg VC

After you have figured out how much you want to dose at each dosing, enter that number here _____. This is your dose to be used twice a day.

Notes:
*Be sure your pH and alk are within normal reef limits before starting. Adjust if needed. Monitor weekly.
*Shoot for a ppm of around 5 or lower if only dosing for improved coral growth, coloration, and spread, also for better health/coloration of your fish. Shoot for higher amounts up to 30 ppm if you are having melting zoas or closed zoas and look for the causes of your problems as you dose. Higher doses of as much as 100ppm (for about 2 weeks) for fish illness. Check for high nitrates, pests, zoa pox, predators, and unstable water conditions.
*Dose low amounts and increase the amount slowly over the course of a few days to a couple weeks.
* If you notice an algae bloom (white stringy stuff) or increased scum on your glass then cut back by half until it disappears.
* Watch your skimmer, it will start to skim more.
* Dose the amount twice a day in a fast moving area of your sump or overflow. You may dilute the vitamin c in ro/di water then pour into overflow. If adding to sump, try and add the vitamin c after filtration such as skimmers and reactors. *Keep your Vitamin C bottle in the refrigerator. * If you have a question, ask here. I do my best to check these threads daily.
* The instructions in this guide and throughout this thread are based on using pure Sodium Ascorbate, not vitamin c pills and other non-buffered forms of vitamin c.

Be sure to take some "before" pics!
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Re: Dosing Vitamin C

Post by bertie 83 »

So is it believed this could assist with curing most illnesses? I find this really intriguing. Laptop is coming out tomorrow for mass research lol. Also adding it just compliments the vitamins we soak their food in? Good for general health
It's amazing how easy maintenance is. If done regularly and thoroughly
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Re: Dosing Vitamin C

Post by Pufferpunk »

Although it has boosted the growth & colors of my corals, I'm not sure this is something that needs to be dosed regularly in a FO system.
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Robd97
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Re: Dosing Vitamin C

Post by Robd97 »

Ph 8.4, ammonia 0, nitrite 0 and nitrate below 30. I have a 3 inch undlated trigger, 3.5 inch picasso trigger, 4.5 inch stellatus puffer, 4 inch clown trigger and a 3.5 inch mappa puffer. The triggers are healthy they eat everything and anything, I introduced the puffers roughly 2.5 months ago with out quarentining them first stupidly. Both puffers have been off and on with ich, they don't have ips because I treated there food with meds for that early on. I tried cupramine or whatever it's called for 4 days with no luck about 2 weeks ago. I don't want to keep medicating these guys, but I will not accept losing them. Any advice puffer punk? It's a 125 gal tank.

I would also like to add that the stellatus eats like a monster and the mappa eats well enough, but neither will accept anything other than raw shrimp and scallops.
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Mongo, the 4" A modestus
2 T biocellatus
C valentini
C coranata
C papuan
Also kept:
lorteti
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suvattii
burrfish
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Re: Dosing Vitamin C

Post by Pufferpunk »

You're going to have to get the ppm >50 (closer to 100). dose that 2x/day. Be sure you keep the skimmer clean.
You are getting sleepy... you only hear the sound of my voice... you must do water changes... water changes... water changes... water changes...

"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
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Re: Dosing Vitamin C

Post by sgtmyers88 »

Okay so I would have to use this product 2x daily in 15ppm doses to fight high nitrate problems if I read correctly? And how would this affect live rock?
WARNING: Puffers are mischievous little blimps with enchanting powers. You may not be content with having just one.
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Pufferpunk
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Posts: 32755
Joined: Tue May 31, 2005 11:06 am
Gender: Female
My Puffers: Filbert, the 12" T lineatus
Punkster, the 4" red T miurus
Mongo, the 4" A modestus
2 T biocellatus
C valentini
C coranata
C papuan
Also kept:
lorteti
DPs
suvattii
burrfish
T niphobles
Location (country): USA, Greenville, SC
Location: Chicago
Contact:

Re: Dosing Vitamin C

Post by Pufferpunk »

Not at all. Read that article I posted in your other thread about how carbon dosing affects your tank. Are there any corals in there? Expect your fish to be healthier & more colorful. This is from the collagen-boosting properties from VC itself, not from carbon dosing.
You are getting sleepy... you only hear the sound of my voice... you must do water changes... water changes... water changes... water changes...

"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
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Re: Dosing Vitamin C

Post by sgtmyers88 »

Since my tanks inhabitants are just my GSPs and a handful of brown hermit crabs I kept it as FOWLR. I do have two feather duster colonies on my largest pieces of live rock that have been thriving and spreading recently. I will review that article though.
WARNING: Puffers are mischievous little blimps with enchanting powers. You may not be content with having just one.
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Pufferpunk
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Punkster, the 4" red T miurus
Mongo, the 4" A modestus
2 T biocellatus
C valentini
C coranata
C papuan
Also kept:
lorteti
DPs
suvattii
burrfish
T niphobles
Location (country): USA, Greenville, SC
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Re: Dosing Vitamin C

Post by Pufferpunk »

Be sure to use the coupon code for your 1st order. They might be offering 10% right now.
You are getting sleepy... you only hear the sound of my voice... you must do water changes... water changes... water changes... water changes...

"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
masterbeat
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Re: Dosing Vitamin C

Post by masterbeat »

Hey Pufferpunk!

I’ve been following your posts and guide for dosing Vitamin C, what great work on figuring this out for everyone. I read most all of the various posts and splits from ReefCentral then found you over here on the Puffer Forum.

I’m sorry to bug you but I’m wondering if you could help in any way in helping me figure out translating your dosing guidelines from the iHerb product to using Brightwell’s Vitamarin C.

NOTE - this is only short term, I understand the cost and dosing benefits to using the iHerb product… it’s just that I came across the idea of dosing Vitamin C and bought the Brightwell product locally, as I want to start ASAP (i have some melting zoo colonies and want to save them).

Rather than wait for an order from iHerb to arrive, I wanted to start now with the Brightwell since I have it, and then could switch to your dosing when I get it.

BUT - I’m having a hard time figuring out how to translate your dosing for a slightly different product to what would be similar to use with the Vitamarin C. I could swear there was one post from you where you calculated the cost and dosing would be astronomical with the Brightwell product, but I can’t find it again nor can I figure out how much of it to use to be similar to your dosing chart with the iHerb product.

I have a 20g Nano tank and am urgently trying to save some melting zoa colonies.

Thanks for any help you can provide!

Brett
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Pufferpunk
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Joined: Tue May 31, 2005 11:06 am
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My Puffers: Filbert, the 12" T lineatus
Punkster, the 4" red T miurus
Mongo, the 4" A modestus
2 T biocellatus
C valentini
C coranata
C papuan
Also kept:
lorteti
DPs
suvattii
burrfish
T niphobles
Location (country): USA, Greenville, SC
Location: Chicago
Contact:

Re: Dosing Vitamin C

Post by Pufferpunk »

Update on your zoas?
You are getting sleepy... you only hear the sound of my voice... you must do water changes... water changes... water changes... water changes...

"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
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