I used ocean water! Whatcha think?

[Biggie]

Ok its been a week after I decided to take a trailer mounted water tank over to the coast and load it up with a generator powered high pressure pump. I live in Central F.L. near Orlando so closest to me was Cocoa Beach. Actually the Banana River Estuaries. I decided to do a a moderate 10 gal change on my 90 gal SPS tank. All I can say is WOW!
Everything looks like it sprouted wings! The tank I trailored was 800 gal. However due to time constraints I only fiilled it about a 3rd full. Im storing it in the tank itself til the owner needs it back then I'll purchase something more tangible. I didnt want to spend the money up front on storage in case it crashed and killed my tank. I figured why store failure?
I've seen immediate growth changes in my anemones, green skirt zoes, PPE's and fish seem buku happy! Ill be saving $$ on salt from now on but, do to the cost of gas not as much as Id like : (

 

[Sudad]

Hi,

if you take the natural seawater from a place like coral reefs or other places which are seemed to be clean, you don't have to think on chemical problems or pathogen concentrations.

Pathogen concentrations in our tanks are mostly higher then in natural seawater. So, the most fishes would get sickness, if their immun system is weak or when they have to live in bad conditions.

The positive effects of natural seawater is phenomenal. I regulary collect natural seawater, when I'm at holidays (Mediteranean Sea, Red Sea) or sometimes from Nederland (North Atlantic) and I must say, that the corals looks fantastic after few hours of dosing this seawater.
Another effect is, that the water in my tank becomes very, very clear - more clear then using active carbon.

Greetings

Sudad

 

[Timbor]

What if the difference between NSW and ASW is not what ASW lacks, but what it has too much of?

Here is an article that was written for RKmag by Dr. Ron a couple of years ago. Basically, they ran some tests on a few ASW mixes and found that they had really high levels of many heavy metals (like lead and silver) when compared to NSW.

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-03/rs/feature/index.php

Perhaps that is one reason why the organisms look so much better in NSW.

Man, if only I lived on the coast, I could collect my own. I guess I could go down to the great lakes and get some water there, but I think the salinity would be a tad low

Tim

 

[RL321]

.

 

[MPA]

well 3 years later and the tank is doing very well.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I know this third post back is very old, but I didn't want people to read it now that the thread is active again and get a possibly incorrect conclusion...

Here is an article that was written for RKmag by Dr. Ron a couple of years ago. Basically, they ran some tests on a few ASW mixes and found that they had really high levels of many heavy metals (like lead and silver) when compared to NSW.

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-0...ture/index.php

Perhaps that is one reason why the organisms look so much better in NSW.


Maybe. But that comparison is seriously flawed, IMO. Not the least concern of which is the fact that Ron did not actuallly test NSW, and so there is no reason to assume that anyone collecting their own or buying comemrcial NSW gets water as pure as he quotes.

Further, some NSW commercial sources are (or were) actually heavily contaminated with certain metals, even by their own posted data. Other studies looking at local ocean water show other contamination.

That said, collecting your own NSW is likely a great way to go if you have a decent source.

 

[wooden_reefer]

I bought a 120. (50x24x24) and this is how I set it up.



I know that there is the chance of introducing some parasites & little creatures that normally would not be there, However, I figure we are always trying to make our water match the conditions in the ocean, so why not use ocean water!

You seem to have identified the potential problem but have thought nothing about the lack of dilution of the ocean after introducing ocean water into confined space of a tank.

Not logical address to a potential problem.

 

[wooden_reefer]

I am going to say that you do not have to cycle. the ocaen has had 100 mill years to cycle so were good. I have the 120 going with a 150 w/d and a nano on my counter. both used nsw from my beach and they are doing really good.

I think I will be able to put pics on within a few hours.

I say that one must cycle.

The ocean supports far less bioload per unit volume of substrate than a tank.

Saying that if you used nature sea water you don't have to cycle is like saying that if you used nature live rock you don't have to cycle.

 

[KarlBob]

I agree with Wooden Reefer. The ocean is an established system, but your tank is a brand new system. It takes time for the bacterial populations to adjust to the amount of ammonia they're receiving. Some bacteria starve, others reproduce, and eventually they reach a dynamic equilibrium with the ammonia sources (fish, food, etc.). Until the system reaches equilibrium, we say that it's "cycling".

Saying that a new tank is "cycling" is really not an accurate use of the term. The nitrogen cycle runs from the time you pour water into a tank until you pour all the water out, not just when you start a new tank. When we say "the tank is cycling", we really mean "the bacterial populations are adjusting" or "the cycle is coming into balance". Either way, it's never an instant process.

 

[wooden_reefer]

I agree with Wooden Reefer. The ocean is an established system, but your tank is a brand new system. It takes time for the bacterial populations to adjust to the amount of ammonia they're receiving. Some bacteria starve, others reproduce, and eventually they reach a dynamic equilibrium with the ammonia sources (fish, food, etc.). Until the system reaches equilibrium, we say that it's "cycling".

Saying that a new tank is "cycling" is really not an accurate use of the term. The nitrogen cycle runs from the time you pour water into a tank until you pour all the water out, not just when you start a new tank. When we say "the tank is cycling", we really mean "the bacterial populations are adjusting" or "the cycle is coming into balance". Either way, it's never an instant process.

I don't believe when the term cycle for tank was evolving, people had the same meaning for the term cycle in nitrogen cycle.

This cycle has totally different meaning than that cycle.

You cycle a tank, or more precisely the filter medium for a tank, to grow nitrification bacteria. The cycle here refers to the up and down movement of nitrite concentration during cycling.

 

[jbanks]

Been using it in my still running 35 year old tank for 35 years. And I use it from New York, right near the city. How bad coule it be? All of your animals come from NSW, none of them come from ASW.
Paul

]


This thread should have ended right here. :lol: After 35 years of keeping a successful reef tank with New York water, this is gospel :thumbsup:

 

[Paul B]

Much of my water was collected right here off this lighthouse in the Long Island Sound.

But I prefer to take it here on the Atlantic

 

[wayne in norway]

Practically speaking how did you haul it from the beach? 25kilos buckets on sand are tough (tho' you are an old marine....)

We tried lowering in a pump and pumping it up using the harbour power supply for moored boats, but the harbour master got a bit 'overexcited'

 

[Paul B]

I put it in those five gallon plastic bottles that go on top of water coolers. I park as close as I can to the beach and throw it on my shoulder. They seem to get heavier every year. I can only collect from the Sound if I want to collect from my boat, then I have a small hand truck that I use to bring it up from the dock in my marina to my car.
There is also a fishing pier on the Atlantic where I can lower a bucket and fill the bottles. Then it is an easy hand truck to the car.
If you want to get it, it's there for the taking.
This beach is right at the beginning of the Long Island Sound so it is really the Atlantic. I can park right near the water.

This is right in the middle of the western Sound between New Rochelle and Long Island. I collect here from my boat

 

[spamreefnew]

i used sand from the bottom of naragansette bay in RI for my sandbed in main display with no ill effects i also put some natural mud in my sump. dont think i will ever pay for sand or mud again.

 

[SpencerG]

Paul, what do you do, if anything, to the water before you put it in your aquarium?

Here in New Orleans, though we're close to the Gulf, we've got significant dilution due to the Mississippi River water, which carried nitrates, phosphates, pollution, trash, dead cows, etc. Just kidding about Bossie - but you can imagine what all is in there by the end of its long track through the agricultural and industrial heartland. We see a little bit of everything in our drinking water, despite some serious filtration efforts. I imagine you all have some similar gunk in your New York coastal waters. Do you do anything to pull some of that stuff out prior to putting it in your aquarium?

 

[Paul B]

Paul, what do you do, if anything, to the water before you put it in your aquarium?

Sometimes I swim in it, but usually I don't do anything except add a little ASW. The salinity here is low.
:rollface:

 

[DThompson]

It has been a few years since I was in the Florida area, but the concern I would have if you are anywhere near Tampa would be the mercury levels. I remember the area around Lake Tarpon years ago had high levels of mercury.

 

[Beaun]

I have been using NSW since I started my aquarium. I live close to the ocean and the peconic estuary on long island and have ended up going to the inlet of the cleanest harbor that we have (It's too difficult to collect from the ocean). I am able to park 15 feet from the inlet and get the cleanest possible incomming tide. I use three 5 gallon spackle buckets with these special tops I found while on vacation, called Gamma Seal Lid, that make life much, much, easier. I finally convinced my brother to make the switch to NSW when he upgraded his tank, and his snails were spawning within a few days of switching over. I cant say enough about using it if you are close enough to get it reliably.

 

[rswood1]

Wouldn't use ocean water because of parasites.