Vitamin C, Good For You and… Your Reef?

As this hobby evolves over time, we are subjected to many different test projects to enhance the color and life of our inhabitants. Sometimes through sheer random thought we can stumble upon coral saving products (see Interceptor, for Red Bugs). Or, through some real science via Randy Holmes-Farley (see 2 Part Solution). Or, some home-brewed science (see Algae Turf Scrubber). The Magic Eraser, ditto.

We should expect almost anything at this point, including this topic of choice: improving coral and fish immunity to disease through dosing Vitamin C, or ascorbic acid.

My first thought on this was, ”great, whats next.. copper to fight bubble algae?”, but as I let my mind wonder a bit, so was my understanding of this topic. First I had to look at what vitamin C did in our bodies:

Vitamin C is required for the synthesis of collagen, an important structural component of blood vessels, tendons, ligaments, and bone.

Vitamin C is also a highly effective antioxidant. Even in small amounts vitamin C can protect indispensable molecules in the body, such as proteins, lipids (fats), carbohydrates, and nucleic acids (DNA and RNA) from damage by free radicals and reactive oxygen species that can be generated during normal metabolism as well as through exposure to toxins and pollutants (e.g. smoking). Vitamin C may also be able to regenerate other antioxidants such as vitamin E.

(source Oregon University’s Linus Pauling Institute)

So it anti-oxidizes, and gives you the ability to produce energy. A win, win. But how does this relate to corals and fish?

Early reef experimentation with Vitamin C has been quite positive. There have been reports that fish and corals are able to recover from injuries (stinging) faster than normal. Zoanthid corals, in particular, were able to shed themselves of algal film that plagued a lot of reefers. According to these zoa-nutty reefers, the coral closes up and develops a film that cannot shed. In time, they shrink and die. Consequently, many claim during the dosing treatment, these zoas will slowly open up.

Here are some snippets of people’s success with respect to dosing VC:

My SPS & LPS have tripled in size since dosing. So have my zoas–the colonies are much larger & the polyps are bigger & brighter. Keep in mind, this isn’t an instant thing. It took 3 weeks of dosing 2x/day to heal my sick ones & see any difference in my healthy ones. As far as the colony sizes , that took about 3 months but they were growing very slowly, previously to that.  (pufferpunk on Reef2Reef)

I don’t dose it directly to the tank, but I do soak Nori in it for my herbivores. I assume a lot of it goes into solution. I haven’t noticed any phenomenal growth in corals, but my fish are as healthy as can be! BTW, noting growth spurts and tying it to the addition of anything is anecdotal without the science to back it up. (dentoid on ReefSanctuary)

I’m convinced it has nothing to do with the vitamin C itself, but with the oxidation it does to the water and it breaks something down in the water allowing your skimmer to remove it. I think my system is efficient enough that I can make these claims whereas the majority of the zoanthid people run dirtier tanks, all they noticed was some slight improvement in their polyps, I noticed some change to my water chemistry itself and am dosing a sps dominated system, with polyps on all the fringes. Keep in mind that the vitamin C and associated oxidation is dead within 8 hours of dosing (maybe less)so the benefits are very short term. I first started using it a few weeks ago, incidentally on the tail end of a massive reaquascape in which I pulled lots of rocks out and abused them by leaving them out for extended periods of time and drilling the crap out of them. The first day I started dosing it changed the smell of my skimmate….made it reek. Didn’t change the color or amount of what I was pulling out…..just the smell. this only lasted a couple days, as the die off only lasted a couple of days. (Fly Guy at TheReefTank)

More on the actual dosing of ascorbic acid in the next post.. yes I will leave you hanging.

Related posts:

1. Vitamin C: To do or not to do?
2. Dosing Vitamin C via Sodium Ascorbate
3. One Reef Screwdriver Please!
4. The Art of Never Giving Up On Corals
5. Coral Reef Alliance: Roundup!

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