Natural sea water

[reefrubble]

Hi everybody,

I have been giving some thought to using natural sea water when I set up my new tank. Is there anyone on RC doing this? How well is it working for you, and what is your collection methods ? I am able to collect water several miles off shore so that won't be a problem.

Any help on this subject would be greatly appreciated.

Thank You,
Ted

[Bomber]

Ted

I use 6gal gas cans from Home Depot, they don't spill, and two of them is about the limit on what I can carry.
NSW is all we use.

Just run out until you find clear enough water.

[reefrubble]

Thanks Bomber,

Are you pumping water from below the surface, or are you taking it from the surface? I would think the Keys would have better water quality then my location.Maybe if I go far enough shore ,do you think I'll be all right?

[Aquabucket]

I seeded my tank with NSW and some sand. I am glad I did. I think I have much more diversity as far as micro fauna and sandbed critters are concerened. I did not add any fish until well after cycle so fear of fish pathogens surviving was reduced.

I collected my water from the Gulf here in SW Fl. - about 8 miles from shore. Look for areas of low turbidity and collect from several feet below the surface if possible. Avoid areas with any algae blooms.

Good luck!

[Bomber]

I use the baitwell pump on the transom. :) There's so much mixing going on out there it doesn't make any difference if you pull water right at the surface or several feet under.

Like AB said, go for the clearest water you find.

[Chris L]

Don't be afraid to collect from the shore. All of the LFS in South Florida as well as myself buy seawater from a company that collects from Government Cut on an incoming tide. Government Cut is probably one of the largest shipping ports in Florida and I have been using the water for the past 4 years.

Chris

[Amphiprionclarkii]

Do any of you have problems maintaining water parameters in your tank? I read in Conscientious Marine Aquarist that natural seawater has a tendency to become depleted faster than synthetic seawater. I'm just curious (not that it makes a difference for me - I live in Arkansas, and the nearest ocean is 500 miles away).

[Bomber]

Chris

Floyd collects on the high incoming.

[reefrubble]

Thanks Aquabucket,and Bomber,
I would really like to take advantage of living on the Florids coast.

Ted

[Chris L]

Amphiprionclarkii:
Not really sure since I dose B-Ionic anyway. I can tell you that there is "something" in NSW that is not captured with synthetic sea water. I have kept tanks with synthetic water for 3 years when I lived in MA and now have been using NSW since I have lived in S. FLA. and my current tanks look a lot better and seem to cycle faster.
Bomber:
I always call Charlie when I get me seawater delivered, and he has told me the same. A have driven boats, jet skis, etc through govenment cut at all different tides and the water is ALWAYS dirty looking. I guess tides are like natures water changes, but I was not impressed with the clarity of the water. From what I can see, the water is the keys in MUCH cleaner.

Chris

[Bomber]

Ted your alk and Ca might be lower than you want it in a tank. Check that before you use it and bump it up if you need to.

[reefrubble]

Thanks you guys are great.

It's nice to hear some positiveinput about NSW. When I even mentioned NSW to someone in past The anwsers I would get would be,you will poison your tank, you will introduce more problems in to your tank than you want to think about.

[Aquabucket]

<i>"you will poison your tank, you will introduce more problems in to your tank than you want to think about."</i>

My LFS said the pretty much the same thing, I will poison my tank with red tide and could get sick.

[bowfront]

Ted your alk and Ca might be lower than you want it in a tank. Check that before you use it and bump it up if you need to.

Hey Bomber, that seems to be the situation with Florida east coast water. I use NSW from the Palm Beach area and normally test and bump Ca and alk up to tank levels before using it. I'm buying mine at the LFS and they buy from a guy that pumps by the Palm Beach Inlet just like they do down in Miami. If you have the ability and desire to collect NSW off shore I'd go for it. I used to collect my own until I sold my boat.

[reefrubble]

Thanks Bowfront,
What specific gravity is the NSW running? I live on the Weeki Wachee River, and I need to know if I need run more north, or south to get a higher SG.

[Aquabucket]

<i>"that seems to be the situation with Florida east coast water. I use NSW from the Palm Beach area and normally test and bump Ca and alk up to tank levels before using it."</i>

Its not that NSW is low in these things but the fact that most with captive reef systems prefer to boost alk and calcium to stabilize PH and encourage rapid coral growth.

[bowfront]

Ted, I should have also mentioned testing and adjusting salinity. I do this each time and it seems to fluctuate a little with each batch of NSW. Anyway I hold my tank at a salinity of 35 measured by refractometer and adjust the NSW to this if I have to first before bumping Ca and alkalinity. Sometimes I don't have to do anything to change salinity and other times I have to add a little RO/DI water to decrease it especially if it's been held for a while before using. My LFS has a large holding tank that he stores it in and sometimes I store it out in the garage for a while before using it so right before I intend to use it is when I do my testng and tweaking.