The Cure for Coral Bleaching

[Caleb Kruse]

Well after a bunch of research, I think I found the cure for coral bleaching. It turns out that 1mL of vitamin c per 10 gallons works wonders for the coral, and stops the bleaching. Here are the complete findings. http://www.calebkruse.com/Lab%20Write-Up%2008.html

[The Floodinator]

I hope you're strapped in.
If not, buckle your seatbelt now.

[DragonRage]

Thats interesting, I'll have to try it.

[Caleb Kruse]

Does anybody have any ideas about how to supplement a natural reef with vitamin c?

[fish4lyfe]

You want to know the real cure to bleaching, keeping a constant temperature and not letting your corals get too much light. This requires no money at all. (unless your buying a new heater/chiller).

[skaterzero22]

if thats true the next question is how do we dose the great barrier reef keep us updated.. sounds interesting

[HBtank]

Vitamin C is already being actively dosed to aquariums as we speak, daily, and in large amounts. It is quite the hot topic in the Zoanthid forum and many swear by it.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...readid=1330742

This is the Vitamin C that is recommended at the moment. Sodium Ascorbate is the preferred form. It is buffered, and pure. If not a buffered form, it could drastically reduce PH and shock a system.

http://www.iherb.com/ProductDetails....93197697039798

I have nothing more to add, I am still researching this topic. Some say the vitamin C may be acting the same as vodka or other forms of carbon dosing.

Anyway, definately an interesting topic.

[PUGroyale]

Originally posted by Caleb Kruse
Does anybody have any ideas about how to supplement a natural reef with vitamin c?

Wait a minute here... no scrutiny of your work??? No peer review within the scientific community? Just jump right to implementation ???



















I'm thinking really big tablets

[HBtank]

Originally posted by Caleb Kruse
Does anybody have any ideas about how to supplement a natural reef with vitamin c?

WHat was the kent product used, I never heard of it.

[demonsp]

Your really reaching. Sounds like its starving. These coral need flow,food and consistant water readings. Look here for help.

http://www.asira.org/caresheets

[HBtank]

Originally posted by demonsp
Your really reaching. Sounds like its starving. These coral need flow,food and consistant water readings. Look here for help.

http://www.asira.org/caresheets

lol... demon. He does not have a problem with a specific coral, there is no "it", and this was not in reference to any tank.

His topic is actually centered around natural reefs, with some basic experimentation in an aquarium.

I think anyone who spends time doing experiments, no matter how frivolous they may seem, should be supported.

Did you even read his post or the webpage he put together?.....

[demonsp]

lol im dumb.I only read the heading.

[Caleb Kruse]

Pugroyale and demonsp,
It makes sense that vitamin c would help if you look at what's really happening during coral bleaching. Here is an part of the website.

In order to understand why ascorbic acid benefits coral some background knowledge of coral bleaching must be known. There are many theories regarding coral bleaching. The most plausible theory is that since zooxanthellae produce such high levels of oxygen, and even higher levels at elevated ocean temperatures, the oxygen reacts with the water to produce hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂). This hydrogen peroxide then can easily seep into the cytoplasm of a stressed coral where it breaks down into hydroxyl ion (HO). The hydroxyl ion is a free radical, and it acts as an oxidative agent killing the coral. The way the coral deals with this danger is that when stressed they release their zooxanthellae, thus reducing the amount of free radicals in their tissues. Although this reduces the oxidation danger, it often kills the coral due to the lack of energy production. Ascorbic acid aids the coral because it is an anti-oxidant, thus inhibiting the affects of the hydroxyl ion.

[greenbean36191]

Great, job. It's a excellent experiment with some interesting results. Hopefully it did well in competition.

However, there's still a lot of work that needs to be done before it can be called "the cure for coral bleaching." First of all, that statement is like saying you found the cure for cancer, something that will never exist. It's a group of diseases that all manifest themselves in uncontrolled cell growth. Similarly, bleaching is a common response to many different problems, probably via different mechanisms, that all result in loss of the zooxanthellae. I think "a preventative measure against thermal bleaching" is a more accurate description. Second, did you do any tests for statistical significance in the results? They certainly look significant, but I've been disappointed before. Also, what kind of thermal conditions were the corals kept in before the experiment (average and range)? Was pH monitored throughout the experiment? The O2->OH reaction is pH dependent, so if the pH wasn't monitored, the result could be an artifact of pH changes due to addition of an acid rather than antioxidant effect.

I'm also curious how other carbon sources e.g. sugar compare. That would help rule out the possibility that bacterial O2 consumption is increasing, lowering the DO, and making the O2 diffuse out of the corals before it forms radicals. Obviously this doesn't change the effectiveness, but if that turned out to be the actual mechanism, other C sources might be cheaper or more effective.

There are also lots of general questions beyond the scope of the experiment that AFAIK still remain to be answered about vitamin C addition in aquaria:
How stable is it in seawater and does it stay in a bioavailable form?
At what rate can/do corals take it from the water?
What's the fate of it once it's taken up?

[seapug]

Billions and billions of sliced oranges dropped from military transport planes. Problem solved. 8)

[bhdmc]

Cannot hurt the situation to give it a try..

[Salamander]

Shiver my timbers! Me reefs got scurvy! Arrrrgh.....





Good experiment though. Quite an interesting and complex one too for your age. Somebody's got to keep coming up with new ideas and trying 'em out right? Keep it up!

[PUGroyale]

You gotta figure you'd get a little comedy here on RC so don't take it personally The report was impressive... you're the next generation... keep it up

[fishfanatic06]

Caleb Kruse, even if you found out that Vitamin C cures coral bleaching there is no way to supplement the natural reef with vitamin c. Even if there was some way to dose the entire ocean with vitamin c, it would cause some very adverse effects to the ocean's ecosystems.

[fishfanatic06]

The only way to save the coral reefs is for us humans to stop polluting the planet.