Direct Pump Water from Sea

[Billy1205]

Suddenly an idea come through my mind.

Is anyone out there actually direct pump water from sea to main DT and return it back to the sea? I got this idea because one of my friend's house build on the sea. By doing this way, is it mean he doesn't need to have any others equipment (protein skimmer, calcium reactor, refugium) to support his tank because the tank will always fill up with natural sea water.

I know this question might sound odd, but I'm really interested to know the answer.

 

[stingeragent]

The logistics of doing this wouldnt be worth it unless his house was on a dock on top of the water.

 

[mcozad829]

I used to visit the UC Davis Marine Laboratory in Bodega Bay as a kid and I remember them pumping directly from the ocean into their tanks... worked well especially since they were all cold water exhibits. Tanks would get cloudy as hell when the surf was rough. I don't think it would be beneficial financially though for the private aquarist.

 

[shifty51008]

That is actually very illeagl to drain tank water back to the ocean, you need permits and then a very thuro way of cleaning the water before it can go back. This is in the usa though not sure about other countries

 

[bundybear1981]

there is a seahorse breeding facility in Tasmania that does this. It is expensive to set up properly as you still need to filter the incoming water to prevent disease being introduced in to your tank. Also as mentioned you really need to be literally ON the water to make it effective.
Other factors to consider is a lot of the time costal residential areas have run-off of chemicals and other nasties that could kill your tank. The risk for a hobby level tank isn't worth it.