Home-made Vitamin-C Mix

[mitch91175]

Hey guys. I am about to embark on dosing vitamin C to may main display tank. I have dosed this product in the past and haven't run into any issues and this go around I want to hook it up to a doser.

https://www.iherb.com/pr/NutriBioti...eRmSJiPMhPfB4wzQujxoC1TIQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

I am wondering if anyone has mixed this and dosed it. Also if mixed, what ratio are you using?

Trying not to pay a premium for Vitamarin and make my own with this that'll last me likely a year.

 

[Ron Reefman]

May I ask why you want to dose vitamin C in the first place?

Ascorbic Acid is vitamin C, they are the same thing. See where it says 100% vitamin C?

I dosed a small amount of ascorbic acid mixed in with the food when I fed the fish, anemones and corals. My bottle was the same as yours and it lasted me just about a year. I quit after I ran out and haven't dosed it for over a year now. I didn't see any change in the tank at all while I was using it and I've seen no changes since I quit using it.

 

[mitch91175]

May I ask why you want to dose vitamin C in the first place?

Ascorbic Acid is vitamin C, they are the same thing. See where it says 100% vitamin C?

I dosed a small amount of ascorbic acid mixed in with the food when I fed the fish, anemones and corals. My bottle was the same as yours and it lasted me just about a year. I quit after I ran out and haven't dosed it for over a year now. I didn't see any change in the tank at all while I was using it and I've seen no changes since I quit using it.

Yes I do know that it is Vitamin C. Just was checking to see if anyone has actually mixed and dosed it. Anyone more familiar with mixing Vitamin C and how long does the Vitamin C last once mixed with RO/DI water?

I plan on mixing and dosing. From everything that I have read about it is that it helps with overall tank health (i.e. zoanthids, water quality, etc); plus I have some already that I want to use.

Looking to get the tank grown out now. So if I can put in a little tweak here or there that will not be detrimental to the system that is what I'll do. When you get to a point where you cannot add anymore coral and your only option is to either upgrade or fine-tune what you have, right now I am in the fine-tune stage.

 

[mitch91175]

The other part of this as well is that when you look at for instance Vitamarin-C for a 500ml it cost $27.49. What all is in there besides the same Ascorbid Acid that I already have I am wondering. With the amount of VC that I already have, I can likely make gallons of VC instead of thinking about spending that amount on a 500ml container.

I try to buy things in bulk so I do not have to worry about them for a while.

 

[Ron Reefman]

I have no idea if or how long ascorbic acid will keep when mixed with RO/DI water. I hope somebody can help with that. I added it roughly every other day mixed with a wide variety of food mixed in with tank water in a small mug and then spot fed anemones and some corals (zoas and lps).

Good luck.

 

[mitch91175]

I have no idea if or how long ascorbic acid will keep when mixed with RO/DI water. I hope somebody can help with that. I added it roughly every other day mixed with a wide variety of food mixed in with tank water in a small mug and then spot fed anemones and some corals (zoas and lps).

Good luck.

I mixed some and the water still has the slightly yellow tint to it. Likely will still have the same potency. Maybe some others that are dosing Vitamarin-C will find this and it'll save them some $$$.

 

[Ron Reefman]

I'm with you 100% on the use of bulk products. I had 4 tanks and started using Dow Flake for Ca, pool supply soda ash for alk and Mag Flake and Epsom Salt for Mg. It cost me about 15% of what BRS bulk products cost! I've been using them for 10 years now and haven't had a single issue.

 

[mitch91175]

I'm with you 100% on the use of bulk products. I had 4 tanks and started using Dow Flake for Ca, pool supply soda ash for alk and Mag Flake and Epsom Salt for Mg. It cost me about 15% of what BRS bulk products cost! I've been using them for 10 years now and haven't had a single issue.

Do you know any alternative to GFO? I know carbon dosing, but PO4 is the one that is my problem. I like feeding my fish,

 

[Ron Reefman]

Do you know any alternative to GFO? I know carbon dosing, but PO4 is the one that is my problem. I like feeding my fish,

A refugium growing macro algae can work. I have a 40g sump with 2 sections. One side is about 15 gallons and houses the return pump and the skimmer. The 25 gallon side has a filter sock and grows macro algae.

The other way to keep nitrates and phosphates down without adding a reactor is by doing water changes.

There may be other ways, but those are the 2 that come to mind and that I know work.

 

[mitch91175]

A refugium growing macro algae can work. I have a 40g sump with 2 sections. One side is about 15 gallons and houses the return pump and the skimmer. The 25 gallon side has a filter sock and grows macro algae.

The other way to keep nitrates and phosphates down without adding a reactor is by doing water changes.

There may be other ways, but those are the 2 that come to mind and that I know work.

Haha, I am doing all of those already and PO4 is a PITA. My chaeto grows really well and I am doing AWC as well (2.5 gallons/day).

Thought about using Lanthanum Chloride, but still on the fence about it. Kinda want something that I can semi-automate. Just changed my GFO to only run for 3 hours a day. Hope that will keep PO4 low and extend the life of the GFO. Will see.

 

[Paul C.]

I dosed that product in my Zoa tank. Mainly for overall health. I simply added the powder directly into a filter sock, allowing the water flow to dissolve it. There is a chart in the link below.

https://www.nano-reef.com/forums/topic/186106-vitamin-c-dosing/

 

[joseserrano]

Following, was just thinking of starting to add this again.

 

[mitch91175]

Following, was just thinking of starting to add this again.

I am definitely not going to be keeping track of it much. Just starting out mixing 50g to 800ml of water and start dosing 10ml in the morning and 10ml in the evening. I was dosing vinegar, but have been getting cyano. Not saying it relates to the viengar dosing, but wanting to try something different.

 

[serwobow]

Vitamin c in water will degrade in a day or two unless the water is highly pure and the storage container is not exposed to air. Vitamin c is very easily oxidized, which makes it good at preventing oxidation of other things that its stored with, but makes it inherently unstable. If you dose I think it would be wise to remake the dosing solution using powder at least weekly.

From the Sigma product sheet for ascorbic acid:

Storage/Stability Aqueous solutions are stable only in the absence of oxygen. Aqueous solutions are most stable at pH 5-6, and very unstable at alkaline pH.2 Degradation is markedly increased in the presence of transition metal ions, especially Cu2+ and Fe3+. The first stage of oxidation of L-ascorbic acid to dehydroascrobic acid is reversible and the biological acitivity is retained. Further oxidation to 2,3-diketogulonic acid is not reversible and the activity is lost.6