I currently have a 55 fish only tank only 4 months old. I'm going to switch to a 90 gallon in the next few weeks and later this year start doing corals. One fish store told me I should use sea water, there is a place by (marineland, fl) that has a valve. Does anyone have any experience doing this or any suggestions? I don't have a skimmer setup but will be setting one up once I swap thanks. also going to be stitching out bio balls for more rock, I'll probably keep bio balls and slowly remove them once the dry dock becomes live.
Seawater question
- Thread starter Jfranks09
- Start date
bundybear1981
New member
If you're going to be collecting (or using) salt water from the ocean you really need to be careful. Quiet often water near the shore is contaminated with run-off and can kill everything in your tank. Mixing your own salt water is much more convenient and isn't all that expensive in relation to losing all your livestock if you get bad water.
bundybear1981
New member
IMO a RODI would be a necessary purchase for you in upgrading. When you top off evaporation you'll need to use plain RODI water (not salt water) and with the larger system you'll have more evaporation. It's a small investment in the long term.
I used natural seawater for my tank that I setup a month ago. I collected it myself. I've had no problems. The live rock is thriving. I added 2 Ocellaris clowns a week ago and they are doing really well. I haven't added any coral (I may not) but I'm sure there would be no problems there either.
Mike Ordner
Active member
I use natural sea water (NSW) exclusively in my my tank which has been up for about three years. Do you know if this valved sea water is filtered? If so, then even better. I use raw water in my tank, but collect on an incoming tide. You will need a refractometer to check salinity to match what you have in your tank (either dilute or add some artificial salt). Toxic algae could be a concern (ie. red tides). With a 55 gallon tank you will not be replacing that much water on a weekly or monthly basis, so just make a decision to make your own or go with NSW and go with it. If you make your own, you should get an RO/DI filter to take care of the bad stuff they put in your drinking water.
kmbyrnes
New member
Maybe I'm just jealous because I live in a desert and it's not an option, but to me using NSW is a crapshoot You never know what will be in the water, be it chemical runoff, bacterial bloom or nasty critters.
If you want stability, having your own RO/DI and mixing your own salt water gives you control over the chemical makeup of your tank.
If you want stability, having your own RO/DI and mixing your own salt water gives you control over the chemical makeup of your tank.
Green Chromis
New member
:fish1: Collecting and using NSW, like you stated could be bad if you collect it in a polluted area. All the water I have used in my tank over the last 35 or more years is unfiltered NSW, that I collect in the Gulfstream off the upper Florida Keys, and in all these years I have never had a problem from the water. I also collect sand and other critters that you are allowed to collect, for my tanks over the years, after all the NSW is where all these critters live. :fish1:
Sonyardo
New member
IMO, is you have a close access to filtered water from a research facility then that is your best choice. You just need to keep it aerated and possible temp controlled, if you're not going use it immediately. They have a couple of those facilities in Southern California and they offer free filtered Sea Water at a tap. The water is sand filtered and lots of people use it for salt water tanks. It may not be practical for a very large tank for logistical purposes. The biggest benefit of using salt mix, is not having to transport water. Salt mixes have their issues too. It's not uncommon to get a bad batch of salt mix from time to time. That can really mess you up if you're not paying attention.
I sure HOPE your tap water doesn't contain bleach. If it does, you need to report it to the water authority IMMEDIATELY and stop using it for anything but flushing the toilet!! Sodium hypochlorite is a known carcinogen.
If you're just talking about a chlorine smell, that's a completely different matter.
It definitely does, they add it to the water here, I've been to the cities water treatment plants... I don't think it's a lot but I know that even a little bit of bleach is deadly to fish. LFS here all know about it and say don't ever use tap water to top off your tank.
Just an update, I found that the state research facility uses this water for their tanks and experiments. It's filtered, but not sure how well. When I as collected I found out several LFS use this water and sell it to their customers, they just use a filter sock when collecting it.... Clearly I did the same thing, they didn't see overly happy to see me out there.
I wouldn't put it in my mouth or cook with it either.
I walk out here with a bucket, fill it up, warm it up and dump it in my tank. Been doing it for 44 years, no problems yet. This is Long Island
Somewhere between Shinnecock Inlet and Cupsogue Beach?
