Use of Vitamin C

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jhnrb

Reef enthusiast
(ANY INFORMATION USED FROM THIS ARTICLE IS STRICLY AT YOUR OWN RISK).

Vitamin C

Updated on May 13, 2000

Since I first wrote an article on Vitamin C, a few years ago, many more facts have come to light. They only enhance and strengthen my recommendation that adding Vitamin C to your aquarium is beneficial to the animals, animals of all genera and types. I have no scientific evidence to offer but only observations made personally, and feedback received from hobbyists who have used Vitamin C for extended periods of time.

Whereas a few years ago the use of vitamin C was probably quite limited even in the freshwater hobby, and for the most part restricted to adding some of it to foodstuff fed to fishes, recently, more and more hobbyists are starting to see the benefits of using Vitamin C in their Saltwater aquariums and Reef tanks. In those days it certainly was not used, at least not to my knowledge, with any aquarium therapeutic purposes in mind.

Nowadays hobbyists are using Vitamin C in different manners than we were accustomed to see and with benefits that were not known up to a few years back. You will learn more about this as you continue reading this section and as the benefits that can be derived from the use of Vitamin C are explained.

Hobbyists report that when using Vitamin C consistently, hair algae appear to vanish over a short period of time (on average hobbyists are reporting that such an effect is attained after a few weeks of treatment).

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Before going any further I need to point out that Vitamin C cannot be used unless you carefully monitor your dKH and pH. After all C is an acid.
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Do not get the impression though that using Vitamin C is dangerous. It is not at all but, since it does affect the pH, you need to make sure that you take actions to prevent the pH from falling, and thus create more stress in the aquarium.

This greater, and increased use of Vitamin C is a very welcome development of course, because of the many beneficial properties Vitamin C brings to the aquarium and, especially its inhabitants, as we shall see as we go through this review.

It should be noted that the Vitamin C is not added to the food (in the particular application I am about to explain), but that it is added directly to the water in the aquarium, whether a reef tank or a fish-only aquarium. The approach described here is different from the one or ones you are familiar with.

This is a different approach and does not mean that you cannot add it to the food as well. The purposes and aims of this method are different from the one where Vitamin C is added to the food but, they are not mutually exclusive of course. In our case we are trying to deal with other matters altogether than what is accomplished when adding C to food, and this will become clear as you read on.

Can you still add Vitamin C to the food and is it beneficial to do so? Of course, such is in fact a very good idea.

Make sure, when doing so, that the vitamin C you are using is still chemically active, meaning that it still has its potency.

Older vitamins that have been sitting around for some time, especially Vitamin C, loose their potency rather quickly. Light, in the case of Vitamin C, affects potency as well. Heat does too. Hint: store your Vitamin C in a dark and cool place and it will keep its potency for longer.

The reason for dealing with the Tadreef brand Vitamin C (in this section) is because it is the only one on the market that is specifically designed for aquariums (to my knowledge at the time of this writing).

As time goes on, other companies may offer Vitamin C for aquariums but, at this time, none is. One would hope that given the large number of positive results one can obtain with the use of Vitamin C, that such will indeed be the case. If you wish to avail yourself of the benefits of Vitamin C additions, at this time you will need to order from TadReef

Vitamin C for human consumption is not buffered in a manner that is appropriate for aquariums (calcium carbonate is used, a compound that does not dissolve in saltwater, and does not offer enough buffering for the very high acidity of ascorbic acid). Vitamin C for use in aquariums needs to be buffered in a different manner.

When you use Health Food Stores varieties of Vitamin C, the risks of an acid fall (sudden pH drop) are increased many fold, as those types are buffered for human consumption.

Be aware of this before embarking on this treatment method and be prepared to really watch the pH of your aquarium if you use generic type Vitamin C, or plain ascorbic acid.

Play it safe and use a product made for aquariums, noting that even then you will still need to buffer to some degree, as explained later.

The method described here relies on another manner of introducing Vitamin C and getting the fishes and other animals to benefit from it. Instead of introducing, a better word would be making it available to the animals in the aquarium.

Because Vitamin C affects the pH (as explained earlier), you will need to counteract this effect by the use and addition to the tank of buffering compounds. With TadReef Vitamin C you will have to buffer far less than with brands made for human consumption. Please keep that in mind when considering using Vitamin C.

You may think that I am stressing this so much that using Vitamin C is dangerous. It is not but it needs to be used with the knowledge required to use it safely.

To prevent too great a change in the water chemistry, too rapidly, the Vitamin C concentration is gradually increased over a period of several days, as explained below.

It is dangerous to add too much Vitamin C right from day 1. On one hand the animals are not used to it, and on the other, it will affect the pH a great deal, because it is a strong acid (ascorbic acid).

You must follow the suggestions given for the gradual build up of the concentration to prevent these negative reactions. You must also add the amount needed to reach the desired concentration at least once a day.

Some hobbyists use the required dosage twice a day, not just once. They add two equal dosages per day and report faster and better results. What I mean here is that if the tank requires, for example 2000 mg to bring it up to the desired C concentration, these hobbyists had 2000 mg twice a day.

This extends the amount of time that the animals are exposed to chemically potent Vitamin C activity by two and has, based on personal findings and their reports, given better results.

I will conduct further research into this too. In essence what they are doing is treating their aquariums two times a day, adding the same dosage as needed to achieve the desired concentration and doing so twice a day as indicated.

This can be done because the active life of Vitamin C in an aquarium is only about 8 hours.
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Important Note

It is extremely important that you monitor the pH on a regular basis as any drop can occur even several hours after adding C. Monitor the dKH and maintain it at 9-10 during the complete treatment period. This is most important to avoid an acid fall or pH drop. This is also different from the original recommendations, the latter where to maintain the dKH at 7-8. I have had better results with the higher dKH levels.
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Use only "complete" buffers to re-establish the carbonate hardness (dKH). A complete buffer is one that contains more than just baking soda (sodium bicarbonate). A complete buffer needs to contain several carbonates and bicarbonates,

Note that you certainly can continue to run your Kalkwasser (KW) addition set-up during the entire treatment period, or the entire addition of C period

Note that it is best, as you probably already know, to use a drip method for adding KW. This adds KW in small amounts, but continuously and evenly). In fact, this will help maintain a more stable pH too, since limewater is high in pH.

Some hobbyists use baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) as a buffer, thinking that this will solve their buffering problem. This is not so at all.

You do a complete buffer, not just baking soda (bicarbonate). Using only baking soda will NOT do it.

On the contrary, it will maintain the pH at a low level as the natural pH of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) is only 7.8 (not nearly high enough for our aquariums. This may not be apparant right from the start, but do it for long enough and you will find it harder and harder to raise your tank's pH to the levels that are recommended.

Note also that you need to check the buffer, respectively the pH, for as long as you use Vitamin C in large dosages. Checking only from time to time is not good enough. The buffer that already exists may absorb the effect of the acid for a while, but may not do so for the length of time you are using the Vitamin C. That leads to the sense that all is fine and then suddenly, one day, you discover that your pH is way too low.

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Cont.

Some Benefits of Using Vitamin C

Vitamin C has many beneficial properties. Here are some of them:

-Detoxifies the livers of the fishes. This may be really important if your fish were caught using the cyanide method, still too frequently practiced unfortunately. This is also important if your tank water contains heavy metals.

I am not saying that Vitamin C treatments will cure all fishes that were caught with cyanide, but it will certainly help a great many of them. It definitely is worth trying as you may indeed save a fish that would otherwise have died.

Note that this application of the usage of C falls under the therapeutic dosage recommendation listed later in this article. Dosing and concentration are high. Checking the buffering of the tank's water is frequent.

-Prevents, to a large degree, bacterial infections from spreading rapidly and becoming sores on the body of fishes, or affecting corals to to a degree that they start to "melt", or liquefy, or taking on a toothpaste appearance, as some hobbyists call it.

What Vitamin C, combined with water directed at the infected areas, does is prevent the spreading of the bacterial infection and promote the healing of the coral and or the fishes.

This fact has been related by many hobbyists. To clarify this further: when bacterial infections spread on a coral, the polyp tissue starts to disintegrate (turns whitish like a toothpaste like material), or a brown type sludge emanates from the coral polyp. Both are signs of bacterial infection.


-Can deal with minor outbreaks of common parasites and keep them from becoming widespread, negating the need to use other treatments to rid the fishes of them. Used over longer periods of time, the incidence of parasitic outbreaks is greatly diminished, if not eliminated all together.

Therapeutic or prophylactic dosages are used, depending on the severity of the infection. At times, when the infestation is real high, one may need to go higher in concentration than the dosages suggested below and the treatment may have to be combined with methods.

The key to how high the concentration needs to be brought is determined by how the animals react to progressively higher dosages (once or twice a day).

If no significant improvement if found at 50 ppm concentration, my recommendation is to build it up to 100 ppm (doing so gradually of course). Again, the higher you go in concentration, the more attention you need to pay to the dKH and to the pH of your tank's water.

-Builds up and strengthens the immune system of the fishes by allowing the evacuation of heavy metals, and other toxins that may have accumulated over time in their organs for instance. How this works exactly is not quite known at this point. Fish in tanks treated with Vitamin C just seem to be healthier. Healthy fish means less problems of all manners and kinds.

Anecdotal evidence has built up though to a degree that tends to lend credence to the fact that Vitamin C treatments make fishes more resistant to parasitic and bacterial infections, and to the fact that corals appear to do a lot better. Again I refer you to messages in our message database that describe situations other hobbyists have gone through.

-Heals wounds. Fish may develop such wounds from scratching themselves against rock or from territorial fights. When the wounds are not treated they can develop into infections. Infections then develop into lesions. Using C prevents this from happening to a great degree as related by many a hobbyist.

As I indicated, Vitamin C appears to prevent this from happening. I have no conclusive evidence yet that wounds on corals heal but am looking into this more in detail. What I have found though is that a Heteractis magnifica anemone with damage to its base (foot), healed completely after three weeks of treatment at 40 ppm concentration.

Note that corals can become wounded by falling rock or by being brushed against by the spines of an urchin. Should this happen to your animals, I strongly recommend treating as if a bacterial infection were present (to prevent it from occurring).

-Heals mouth rot and the scars resulting from it. Again hobbyists have reported this to me on several occasions and I have personally treated such sick fish at real high dosages, not only adding the Vitamin C to the water but also rubbing the rotting parts around the mouth with powdered vitamin C several times a day. I treated a fish at an aquarium store in Fairfield Connecticut that has severe mouth lesions and the fish healed just about completely. Only minor scars were visible after three weeks of treatment.

-Heals lesions from black spot disease and the disease itself. This is a real complicated treatment though and requires dosages as high as 100-150 ppm concentration and can only be done in an isolation tank as, at these dosages, one really needs to monitor all water quality conditions several times a day.

In fact, in one case where I treated a fish at Tropiquarium in Atlanta (a large Yellow Tang, we monitored the water chemistry every hour. The fish healed completely, save for a slight depression in the body tissue where the once half dollar size "hole" created by the Black Spot disease was. At the time the Manager, Chuck Burge, was totally amazed and had made a bet that this was not going to happen, a bet he lost!

The skin healed and took on it natural color again. During the entire treatment the fish ate voraciously too. To be honest the healing was so good that if we did not point the depression in the skin out, you would probably not have noticed it.

-Effective in combating Lateral Line Disease when used in the proper amounts and concentrations (large dosages which are listed later). Most of the results were experienced in the early onset of the disease but even in later stages excellent results were obtained. You should start the treatment as soon as you suspect that lateral line disease may be in its early onset, but you can certainly, and should, resort to the treatments suggested later even when the lateral line disease has progressed already. Follow the directions given later in this article.

-Effective in combating hole-in-the-head disease, again, if used in large dosages (as explained later). This kind of goes hand in hand with Lateral Line Disease as both are frequently if not just about all the time found together (one seems to lead to the other).

-Greatly reduces the outbreak of parasitic attacks, as the fishes are strengthened and able to fight them off, thus preventing large scale parasitic infestations. Not surprisingly, hobbyists who dose C on a prophylactic basis every day do not appear to have problems with their fish suddenly showing signs of being infested with parasites.

-Even when a few speckles appear, they usually quickly disappear because the fish are able to get rid of the parasites by producing large amounts of slime.Healthy fish can do this to a far greater degree than not so healthy fish.

-Cleans up the water to some degree. I would not call C a method of treating your water but due to its oxidative power, it will lower the amount of dissolved organic material that is present in your tank's water. This is beneficial as it reduces the likelihood of outbreaks of red slime algae.

-Beneficial to most corals on which we have tried C. Corals appear to open more and look more vibrant. Although one could easily construe this as subjective, the impression of others who looked at the tanks over a period of time were positive in this regard.

-Can very safely be used in reef tanks. Vitamin C used in the proper manner only yields positive results and I have yet to find any negative effects associated with its use.

-Much better than copper and/or antibiotics. Both are dangerous in reef aquariums due to their side effects. There are some that can be used in reef tanks but that is not the topic of this article. Metronidazole is such an antibiotic.

-Enhances colors in fishes and in corals, especially when used long-term.

-Some evidence tends to support the fact that fish that refuse to eat, start eating after Vitamin C treatments have taken place for some time. At high dosages (my personal experience with this facet of what Vitamin C can do) was very conclusive at dosages of around 25 to 30 ppm concentration, twice a day, for about one week.

-Safe for use in all aquariums, including reefs. No side effects that can be considered negative have been found at this stage (and I have been using vitamin C for quite a few years now). All evidence leans towards the positive only.

(CONT)
 
Cont.

Some report that minor outbreaks of algae have been eliminated since they started using C. The only explanation at this time is that the oxidative power of C is probably the reason, but I am speculating and need to research this further. The fact remains though that these are findings hobbyists have reported to me.

How Should Vitamin C be Used

In the majority of cases aquarium water does not contain Vitamin C or, if any is present, it is present in such low quantities that we may as well consider it as near zero ppm. The short active life of Vitamin C accounts for this. If any were present it would be as a by-product of some additive you are using.

Even if C is added to food and some leaches into the water, the amounts are so small compared to what we use in this treatment method, that for all intents and purposes the concentration is zero ppm.

Since Vitamin C can be used for various purposes and reasons, there are an equal number of methods of administering it, and a different dosage regimen to be followed in each of these cases. We will explain how to go about this later in this section. What we mean here is the difference between prophylactic use and therapeutic use of Vitamin C.

Vitamin C cannot be added to the tank at high dosages right from day one onwards. Since no Vitamin C is present when we start the treatment, we have to gradually acclimate the fishes to this change in the water chemistry. We also need to do so to slowly adjust the buffer to be able to cope with the added acidity from Vitamin C.

This is a drastic change in what they are accustomed to and it needs to be performed slowly, lest the animals will react negatively and the water quality parameters change too rapidly.

This is done by slowly increasing the amount of Vitamin C used, as will be explained later. We start with a real low concentration and gradually add higher and higher ones, at least in the therapeutic treatment regimen.

In the prophylactic treatment one we stay at the same dose every day. It should be noted, and will be repeated, that the dose required to achieve a certain concentration needs to be added at least once a day.

Using plain ascorbic acid is acceptable, of course, but it is better to use a buffered variety of Vitamin C, as its impact on the pH will be smaller than the pure ascorbic acid. If you add pure ascorbic acid, you better be prepared to buffer the water constantly as its acidity is so high that your pH will drop and drop. That is why it is much better and safer to use aquarium vitamin C.

Use a real pure type that does not contain binders, starches, sugars, emollients etc. Read the label carefully before making a selection. Eliminate any possible problems by using such a brand or type of Vitamin C. Not only can they be detrimental to the water quality, but they can affect the way your protein skimmer foams (too heavily in most cases).

Whenever you use Vitamin C you must monitor your pH and your alkalinity before and after adding it, to avoid your pH droping as a results of the ascorbic acid you have introduced.

Even if you do not notice any changes in the pH or alkalinity at first, this does not mean that the Vitamin C you are adding is not affecting your dKH. All it means it that the buffer is still high enough and that the pH has not been affected yet.

As you continue to add Vitamin C though, the effect will become noticeable for sure. Adding more Vitamin C slowly lowers the buffer. Do not lull yourself into believing that no effect is taking place because you did not notice a difference even after 3 or 4 consecutive additions and measurements. As you continue, your dKH will be affected and so will you pH. Monitor and adjust as necessary.

How much Vitamin C should you use?

The amount of Vitamin C that needs to be added to the aquarium can be split into the two major categories defined below :

Prophylactic

When treating an aquarium on a preventative basis only, it is not necessary to add real large dosages of Vitamin C. All we are trying to achieve is to provide the fish and other animals with a constant, low, supply of Vitamin C to build up their immune systems over a period of time, and take advantage of the other benefits offered by this vitamin.

Usually one adds the vitamin for a period of 14 days to 1 month and then stops adding for 2/3 months, resuming the treatment again the following month for another 30 days or so.

There is nothing wrong though with adding Vitamin C to your tank every day. In fact, many hobbyists who use C, do so.

To recap: you add C for 14/30 days, then you do not for 60 to 90 days, then you add for 14/30 and then again not for 60/90 days. Or, if you choose the other alternative, you add vitamin C every day.

In essence, one treats for 14-30 days every 3 or 4 months.

The dosage recommended for this kind of treatment is a 5 ppm concentration. I will explain a little later how to achieve the right concentration of Vitamin C in your tank.

Note that you can treat with Vitamin C continuously, without the above interruptions without any harm whatsoever, on the contrary.

Of course, doing so requires that you pay close attention to the pH all the time and will require more Vitamin C overall, since you will be treating continuously rather than intermittently.

Therapeutic

When treating fish that are infected with bacterial disease, that have sores, that are scratching, that show signs of distress, a different approach needs to be taken and more radical dosages of Vitamin C need to be used. The same applies for corals of course.

This is the method where we want to increase the dosage progressively, so that the change in the water chemistry does not affect the animals as the change occurs in a slow manner.

The method to be followed in all cases is as follows:

Day 1 : concentration of 5 ppm

Day 2 : concentration of 15 ppm

Day 3 : concentration of 30 ppm

Day 4 : concentration of 50 ppm

After day 4, continue treating with a concentration of 50 ppm for 10 more days to 30 more days, depending on the severity of what you are treating for.

The total treatment period is thus 14-30 days but can last longer if need be.

In real severe cases you may need to treat for an additional 7 days or more

During this entire period you should not be using activated carbon

During this entire period you should not be using any chemical filtration media either (e.g. resins or pads, SuperChem and the like).

The skimmer needs to continue to be in operation.

Note that when you use these kind of Vitamin C concentrations it really is of utmost importance that you monitor you pH and ensure that it does not suddenly drop.

Check the pH before you add the C but check a few minutes later also. If the pH is too low add a complete buffer immediately to re-establish your alkalinity and increase the pH of the water in the tank. This is very important indeed.

It is important too, to realize that your dKH must be in the 9 to 10 range to minimize the amount of cloudiness that will develop. It the dKH is high (e.g. 12 or more) you will initially have a lot more cloudiness. This will gradually disappear though as you continue the treatment.

Do not make the mistake of letting your pH drop and stressing your fish and corals out even more. Stress can lead to all sorts of additional problems (see other articles on our web site for more information on reducing stress factors and stressors.

Note that in severe cases, I have used dosages as high as 100 ppm, twice a day, and have cured fish that any else would have given up on. I have gone as high as 150 ppm concentration, twice a day, for Black Spot disease.

This, just to illustrate that 50 ppm is not the limit and that you can go higher in concentration if the condition of the animals requires it.

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Cont.

Can I overdose on Vitamin C?

Unless you add large amounts of Vitamin C to the aquarium without following the gradual addition increase schedule that was outlined earlier, it is highly unlikely that you will ever overdose on Vitamin C.

You must follow the directions given above to avoid creating undue stress on the fish because of water quality parameter changes.

Do not attempt to add the 50 ppm or even the 30 ppm concentration from day 1 onwards. If you do so you will see stress. Gradually increase the dosage and you will see only benefits.

Should you overdose anyway, perform an immediate large water change and rebuffer your water to bring the pH back in line. Use only complete buffering compounds (the ones that contain carbonates, bicarbonates and borates).

Make sure you check the pH before and after adding the Vitamin C powder or tablets. It does not matter whether the C is either form as long as it is pure (see earlier).

Shelf life of Vitamin C

The shelf life of vitamin is short. There is no question about it. Vitamin C does not remain active for long. You can take certain measure though to protect the unused Vitamin C you have purchased from losing its chemical efficiency :

When the Vitamin C reaches you, open the bag and transfer all tablets or powder to an airtight dark container.

If you have moisture absorbing satchels place them in the container as well. If you do not, do not worry about it.

Do not leave the container open so moisture can get to it. Vitamin C attracts moisture. Moisture shortens its chemical strength.

Do not leave the tablets in the light. Store them in a dark place. Do not keep them in a hot area either. Store them in a cool place and their chemical potency will last much longer.

Calculate in advance how much Vitamin C you will need and order that quantity. You can always order or buy more should you need to. Storing Vitamin C for extended periods of time is not a good idea unless you take all the precautions listed above.



How to achieve the correct concentration?



Achieving the correct concentration is really very simple and is explained below. Follow the steps one by one and you will now exactly how much milligrams of Vitamin C you need to add to your aquarium.

Note that this is important as the concentration you attempt to achieve, say 50 ppm, does not mean that what you need to do is add 50 mg or ppm of Vitamin C. How much you need to add depends on the size of the tank (the amount of water in the aquarium and sump).



Deduct 15 % for rock in the tank, more if you have a real large amount of live rock.


Add the content of your sump (if you are using one).


This will give you a net gallonage you need to treat.


Multiply that gallonage by the concentration you need to achieve and multiply that number by 3.785 to give you the number of liters you are dealing with or treating. Parts per million and milligrams per liter are the same amounts expressed differently. To achieve the correct result thought we need to convert from gallons to liters, hence the multiplication by 3.785.


The number you come up with equals the number of milligrams of vitamin C you need to add to the tank.


Add the powder or tablets to the tank or the sump (if you have one). You can safely add it to the aquarium and let the tablets dissolve slowly. If you bought the powdered form, just add the powder to the sump or tank.


The tablets should not be diluted in hot water first because heat degrades Vitamin C.


When adding Vitamin C, your redox potential will drop for some time (until the chemical action of the C is exhausted). You will see the ORP drop and then gradually you will see it rise again.


When the ORP reaches it previous value, or higher, you know that the chemical potency of the C has been exhausted.



Let me give you an example:

You determine that the gallonage you need to treat is 90 gallons

The concentration you want to achieve is 30 ppm.

This means that you need to add 90 times 30 or 2700 mg times 3.785 or 10210 mg of Vitamin C.

Here is another example:

You determine that the gallonage you need to treat is 50 gallons

The concentration you want to achieve is 20 ppm.

This means that you need to add 50 times 20 times 3.785 or 3785 mg of Vitamin C. As indicated you need to add this amount at least once a day.

Please not that we have two kinds of tablets: 500 mg ones and 1000 mg ones. The package will indicate which ones you have received. If you received powder, the package indicates how much 1/4 tsp. is equal to in mg of Vitamin C.

Before starting to use your vitamin C, make sure you understand the dosages needed and manner in which to prepare the required quantity based on the type you have.

Vitamin C is totally safe and offers many benefits, as long as you understand exactly how to use it and what to do to prevent your dKH and your pH to drop to levels that could be stressful or detrimental to the animals in the tank.

Albert J. Thiel Author of the original article

Posted jhnrb / excerts of the main article.
USE VITAMIN C ONLY AT YOUR OWN RISK. NO SCIENTIFIC DATA IS PRESENTED TO BACK UP ANY OF THE INFORMATION HEREIN, BUT IMPUT FORM HOBBIST HAS BEEN EXTENSIVELY RECEIVED.

END.
 
Where to get vitamin C

You can get vitamin C from: Tadreef.com, Dr. Foster and Smith, Marine Depot. The latter two are by Kent Marine.
 
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