using natural seawater anyone?

[hiepatitis]

I've been trying to keep colors on my wild sps colonies by adjusting flow, lighting, water chemistry and so forth but I was wondering if using natural seawater would help keep colors intack. Does anyone know where you can buy it?

[Putawaywet]

Sorry my crystal ball is in the shop

Telling us where you are located might help get you pointed in the right direction.

Brett

[Kinetic]

Natural Sea Water can be found in almost all fish stores selling saltwater livestock.

I'm assuming you're in the SF Bay Area since I've seen you in the BAR forum.

New Alameda, All About Fish, etc. etc. do sell NSW. If all else fails, Petco has $10 5 gallon boxes of catalina NSW.

If you live near Santa Barbara, you have free NSW from the Marine Lab. It's the best water ever. Everyone's tanks in Santa Barbara just look beautiful with the NSW.

[Paulairduck]

I get sea water from the ocean, but I also add rodi water using reef crystals salt. I like the fact that is natural seawater, but some of the california oceans I question, but I have never had problems, I always check the gravity and the nitrates before adding to the tank. I have had very good luck for years, but it only takes one time and I am very cautious.

[Paulairduck]

They also get the water in the LA area on the other side of Catalina, I am told.

[hiepatitis]

sorry. i'm in san jose. so does the natural seawater show significant differences?

[Paul B]

I get mine from the Atlantic Ocean but since I have been doing this quite a while the sea water levels are dropping.

[Serioussnaps]

btw make sure you dont collect your "NSW" from a polluted, people poop dumping area!

i would say if you could get the actual water where your corals were collected that would be interesting, but i bet you cant so are in essence using corals from one area and water from another thus defeating your purpose of using the water from where the organisms are from

Thing is you can use the same water, but you arent going to mimic the tides, flow and sunlight the corals are getting where they are from so unless you can do that it may not be worth the effort. Well i say mimic, but you can mimic, i guess i mean replicate. To me it just seems like an exercise in futility! No offense, sounds like a good idea, but i think you are overthinking it and by overthinking it overlooking all the other aspects.

[louist]

Originally posted by Paul B
I get mine from the Atlantic Ocean but since I have been doing this quite a while the sea water levels are dropping.

Worry not Paul, you are just doing your part in helping with the rising sea level due to global warming.

Here in Australia, a lot of people use NSW. Most of the guys with big-ish tanks do. If you collect NSW, sometimes people will challenge you even though it's 100% legal, so do think of a few witty remarks

[teen]

i use NSW too, but i only have a few sps frags so i cant really comment on if the colors are better.

[MammothReefer]

I used to use NSW, when I lived in San Diego, used to have alot of phosphate problems.

[scaryperson27]

The main reason is for what lives in the water. Paul you should tell us how you prepare your water. Don't want anyone to have a negative affect from using it. Don't you use bleach or something?

[Green Thumb]

Originally posted by scaryperson27
The main reason is for what lives in the water. Paul you should tell us how you prepare your water. Don't want anyone to have a negative affect from using it. Don't you use bleach or something?

In my experience using NSW its not about doing anything to it. Its more about taking everything into consideration while/where colecting it. The closest runoff, amount of organic waste floating arround etc, etc. The smart thing to do if you have any doubts is to test for the obvious. I wouldnt worry about CA levels because that certainly isnt the only thing your corals thrive on/consume. Rather spend time testing the negative stuff, especialy the first few times you colect After youve established a good spot stick to it. But remember, different currents will bring different qualities of water.

Ive had tanks using ONLY NSW and Ive also had tanks running ONLY powder salt. All I can say is I see a clear difference between the 2. In my NSW tank, corals grew quicker, coraline was a hassle to constantly clean off glass, everything seemed to thrive. My self, at this point if given a choice, I would use only NSW for I have seen with my own eyes the difference. However I collected from an area with some of the lowest pop density in the world. Comming from the US you probably have to be more carefull about where you collect, might not be worth the gamble unless you know a good spot...

[greenfroggiespawn]

are u saying there are a lot of phosphate even in NSW ?

[Paul B]

Paul you should tell us how you prepare your water. Don't want anyone to have a negative affect from using it. Don't you use bleach or something?

It is true that I sometimes use bleach but I do not advocate that to the average hobbiest. I do that if I collect water from the Long Island Sound where I can see red tide or the water just does not look right. It is just a precaution. I am not worried about paracites because for some reason my fish do not get paracites (not in the last 20 years or so anyway) but the bleach will oxidize the organics that are plentiful in water that has just passed Manhatten. If I collect water from the ocean beaches which is the Atlantic, I do nothing to the water except wait for the temperature to warm up and I dump it in.
Of course it would be better not to collect water from inlets or Sounds and especially water with red tide or an abundance of organics but my boat is on the Sound and since I have been doing this a long time I feel comfortable doing it. I once started an entire aquarium store with 100% NSW from the Sound where nothing at all was done to it and there was never a problem. Maybe there is something in NSW or New York water in particular that imparts paracite immunity on my animals, I doubt it but I have no other explanation.
Now the disclaimer.
I do not recommend using bleach or polluted sea water in your reef. Do not do what I do unless you are me and we don't look alike so don't do it.
Have a great day.
Paul

[DarkXerox]

It is all I have used and the only time I've ever used mix in any salt tank is when I have an emergency. I just like it because I dont have to do any mixing or anything. It usually runs $1 a gallon and I get it at Lucky Goldfish if I'm in Oakland or absolutely awesome aquariums if I'm at school. I don't have an RO system at school, so I would have to make extra trips to the bio lab and get RO water there, then mix it, so it saves me time and lifting.


However if you have a larger tank, it probably isn't going to be cost effective.

As for getting better colors out of your corals, that really comes down to husbandry. (ie low PO4, NO3, nutrition, lighting, flow, etc).

[flyingphish]

i just started using natural seawater. atlantis aquarium carries it now, they say it comes from half moon bay:

took this the other day of the bay...



i really like it so far, so easy. water is crytal clear. havent seen anything diff in corals yet.

[Pomachantus Paru]

NSW is the best thing that has ever happened to my tank, since the start the polyp extention has been phenomenal, water is crystal clear and the level of zoo and phyto here in Rio where I collect is great.
sometimes I even get some bioluminescent ones.

[rcmike]

NSW, gasp.... corals can't live in NSW surely.

Seriously though if I was near the coast I would use it. Hard to find in TN though.

[MiddletonMark]

Originally posted by rcmike
Hard to find in TN though.

Same here, I guess I'll wait until the Great Lakes go salty ...

[Reefer87]

natural salt water is the best thing to go. i've heard people who collect nsw need to watch out for algae blooms etc. has a billion more bacteria than our tanks.. lucky you guys who live near water ... >