rogeragrimes
New member
I'm fortunate to live in the Florida Keys on one of the healthiest, ocean-fed canals (it goes ocean to ocean, has great flow, and low pollution). I've been using the saltwater from my canal for water changes for years without problem. My question is I'm thinking of building an "open circuit" into my 150-gallon marine aquarium, and I want to know if there are any deal killers. My idea is to run a PVC circuit that brings up salt water from my canal to my aquarium on a continuous basis (with a screened overflow siphon to keep the water level at a stable level). I'll continue using the large trickle pump and protein skimmers, as assistive devices and backups. I'm trying to lower overall maintenance, particularly the daily, weekly, and monthly water changes. The system I've designed in my head has the safety devices I think I need, but I'm more concerned about whether my idea is just plain stupid. <grin>
A few local aquarist say my idea is stupid because the canals may have pollution I'm not aware of, but I don't know the difference between doing my major water changes using the same source and just using it continuously all the time?
A few local aquarist say my idea is stupid because the canals may have pollution I'm not aware of, but I don't know the difference between doing my major water changes using the same source and just using it continuously all the time?
