Ocean Connected Salt water system

[Jhirley]

Guys,

Anyone ever heard or seen an ocean connected salt water tank ? IE the pump is at the end of the dock and draws water in and drains out the sump and back into the ocean at the other end of the dock ? What would be the Pros and Cons of a system like this ?

[cilyjr]

i would say contaminates and pollution. if you want good ocean water you gotta go way off shore. there are many threads of people who live near the ocean that want to use natural sea water. i live in new england. and can walk to the ocean fro my house yet i have an rodi filter and buy IO salt. i am afraid of the parasites that might come in and also the pollution ( we have not been kind to the Atlantic). still i am curious to see somebody say they have been using ocean water for 10 years with great results...it hasn't happened yet

[mbbuna]

it called an open system. clam farms and collection centers overseas where we get our corals and fish use them.

here in the US there are a lot more cons then pros.

some cons would be

water quality/purity. you mention dock, i think boat leaking oil, pollution, fertilizer runoff

introduction of unwanted (fill in blank)into your tank and more importantly you introducing a foreign invasive species to your local water.

theres more but...

pros

you save money on salt

[mbbuna]

Originally posted by cilyjr
still i am curious to see somebody say they have been using ocean water for 10 years with great results...it hasn't happened yet

i think Paul B will disagree with that

[pointx]

I am finishing up a 4000 gallon Bonnethead Pond that will be fully run with ocean water. I agree with the above on pollution etc... But I do nor agree with having to go way of shore to find good water. With a good reef, follwed by mangroves and turtle grass you have a great natural filtration in less then 10' of water. very similar to what everyone here is trying to achieve.

When collecting water timing is very important. I have learned that mid incoming Tide on medium to full moon cycles provides the best water with a mass amounts of plankons and such.

In closing If one was to collect seawater I would only get it in an area that has a living reef and that pretty much excludes most areas of the country. But if you are lucky enough to have access to good seawater in my opinion you cant loose.

regards....

[ManotheSea]

I agree with pointx. If you are in an area that naturally grows coral all should be fine if collected away from obvious pollutant areas. The Keys have aquatic business parks that are fed by live wells drawn from the ocean. Most of us probably have things in our tanks now that came from those live well fed businesses. I dont see why colder ocean area water would not work. It might be lacking some natural micro fauna but so does IO for that matter.

[mbbuna]

they are not asking about collecting seawater they are asking about setting up an open system that constantly draws water from a dock and then dumps tank water back where the dock is.

think the dock out back is one big sump, not a good idea

[pointx]

No not all docks are like sumps. Here in the Keys many shoot out more the 300' into the nicest water and low level coral beds you could imagine. So again its all about the area your dock is in. Not sure about Miami but I could not imagine to many docks extending out into open water there, unless its on the bay and that water is gotta be like a sewer.

[greenbean36191]

Regardless of where you're collecting the water, the water going out is the bigger problem. Unless your tank contains only locally collected species you run a serious risk of introducing invasives. To do this sort of thing legally, most places require permits thats include statements about how you intend to prevent the release of invasives.

[pointx]

I agree with Greenbean as far as only having native species. I dont think you would have any luck using anything that was not anyways. Salinity, temp parasites etc... all must be in check with the actual environment you are collecting from. even a 5 mile distance is quite a bit different as is the depth of the water.

As far as permits goes to recirculate seawater, well what dont you need a permit for these days. Its ok to crap in the ocean, dump waste, have sprinkler runoff with who know whats in it. But gawd forbit you recirculate seawater, what is this world coming to? Maybe these Political nut jobs and these enviromental crazy's need to focus on more important issues, and quick being blinded by the small stuff!!!! No wonder our countries dollar, image and future looks so crappy.