UCSB Santa Barbara NSW Natural Sea Water...

[Crusty Old Shellback]

Sam, how about stopping by my place for the UV, then you could head up to UCSB and get all the water you can carry.

I'll let you know later about the swap. Got a couple of things pending on my plate right now and I'm waiting for a confirmed date so I'll know when I can head your way.

 

[phishx]

well... i havent read the whole thing... but assuming how everyone keeps talking about the UCSB sire during the first 5 pages.... i think its safe to assume that there is NO LB FREE WATER?

 

[Kinetic]

no lb free water.

nice turbine

 

[phishx]

t3/t4

 

[818]

Is this water ok to use for SPS reef.

Can anyone tell me what page if this water has been tested so I can see the results as in Ca, MG, SG, ALK, PH etc.

Haha Ray dont tempt me. I just might, but an explorer with a 55g brute will be hard to unload.

Rich Dragon, how often do you go? You have a truck Im assuming? I drive an explorer for now...working on a truck.

 

[Kinetic]

hopefully blownchevy will respond. this water is most likely the best water anyone could ever use for a reef tank, regardless of what kind of corals.

just by the way it's filtered, it's top notch. checkout the tour one of the reef clubs took. I'm not sure where, which again is why I hope blownchevy will relink us. But that tour sold them on the fact that nothing could beat the water at UCSB.

I've seen nothing but beautiful reef tanks that use UCSB's NSW.

That's gotta mean something.

 

[818]

Also how in the world do you guys unload?

 

[Crusty Old Shellback]

OK, OK, I'll try to answer. There's a link in here somewhere that Docdave put in. If you can't find it, I'll try to relink. It was our club, MASVC, that did the tour. We're going to try and do another one this summer.

The water is a bit low in calicum but that's no big deal, just add a little. And since most of us supliment that anyways, it's no big deal. My tank is a mixed reef and everything is doing fine. I'm going on 3 years of using UCSB water. SG is 36 ppt. It's NSW. Everything else is fine.

UCSB filters the water 24/7/365. They use it 24/7 in their research facility. It's a open system and flows 24/7. they do not put anything in it as it returns to the ocean.

As for moving it, I usually cary 5 55G trash cans in the back of my truck. When I get home, I have a garden hoes that I hook up to a pump, run a extension cord out and just pump it straight into my tanks after draining some of the water. If I want to store it, I dump it straight from the truck tashcan into one sitting on the ground. It's a calculated pour and I'm good at it now so that I don't spill any.

 

[d0cdave]

Here ya go... (previous page)

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9002676#post9002676 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by d0cdave
Carl (And anyone else interested):

Sign up on MASVC.org. We might be planning another tour this year for the club. We had one last year and it was very imformative. Linky: http://www.masvc.org/cgi-bin/ikonboard.cgi?act=ST;f=5;t=143;hl=ucsb

 

[NoCarrier]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9077435#post9077435 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by My F1sh R D34D!
Also how in the world do you guys unload?

Here's my new technique, which I just used last night for the first time. Worked great. I put two 32 gallon trash cans in to the back of my nissan pathfinder (mid-size suv). Fill them each about 2/3 full, because the splashing gets a little crazy on the drive, even with the lid on.

When I get home, I have a big rubbermaid Brute trash can (probably 40-50 gallons) with a dolly, and I wheel it out to the car. Then I just use a nice big tube and siphon the water from the cans in the car in to the big can on the ground.

Eventually I'd like to put bulkheads with valves on the side of the two smaller trash cans, down near the bottom, so that I can just turn the valve and let it rip, rather than having to start the siphon.

 

[Reefski's]

Also how in the world do you guys unload?

with a pump into wheeled trash cans for now.

somewhere on the UCSB.edu website there is a discription of the whole system.

i've never had a problem. i have left the water out in the sun uncovered for weeks and after a while there is some kind of algae growth.

Carl

 

[glaudds]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9077407#post9077407 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by My F1sh R D34D!
Is this water ok to use for SPS reef.

Can anyone tell me what page if this water has been tested so I can see the results as in Ca, MG, SG, ALK, PH etc.

From earlier in the thread...

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=4773206#post4773206 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by glaudds
Out of curiosity, I tested the water and no surprise, the readings were consistent with NSW... CA=410, alk=2.5 meq/L, nitrates undetectable, salinity 1.026.

I've got one of those 60g drums that I lay down on it's side in the back of my SUV (I built 2x4 braces to secure it and keep it from rolling around). I threaded a valve into the cap on the drum so that I can hook up a hose.
Once I get home, I back my SUV into the garage run a hose into the sump and let gravity do the work.

 

[hex]

I don't have a truck so I've been hauling 10 five gallon jugs. Be sure and check the cargo load capacity of your car/van/suv though ... salt water weighs 8.5 lbs per gallon!

 

[Crusty Old Shellback]

Well it looks like I'm moving up to the carloskoi realm.

I picked up a 400G container this weekend and will be beefing up my trailer to mount it on for hauling water for water changes. I'm going to need that much now that I'm going to be running 3 tanks, 2 - 400G and a 72 G.

I'll probably just use gravity as well to drain it. That or a small pump hooked up on the output. But I think gravity will work if I send it to the sump and do the tanks in the right order. I usually try to do about a 50% water change so I'll use up all the water at once.

 

[Ian]

My corals and clams LOVE this h2o

 

[818]

Anyone have any negative side effect on a overly dominated SPS reef?

 

[glaudds]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9133912#post9133912 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by My F1sh R D34D!
Anyone have any negative side effect on a overly dominated SPS reef?

Nope, it's the real stuff, what can be better. I only wish I can get up there more frequently. My two sons go to UCSB and this gives me another reason to go up there!

 

[TracyZeuner]

I am going to try and get up there in the next few weeks-If I go at night, is there some kinda light so I can see and do I need to bring anything else besides my containers?

 

[glaudds]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9252041#post9252041 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by TracyZeuner
I am going to try and get up there in the next few weeks-If I go at night, is there some kinda light so I can see and do I need to bring anything else besides my containers?

I just came back last weekend and filled at night. The parking lot is lit, but not very brightly. Still bright enough to see what you're doing.
Just remember to coil and hang up the hose when you're done. We don't want to have this great resource taken away!

 

[cayecaulker]

For the first time in many months I actually had to wait in line for water. I'm not complaining; just making an observation. It seems more and more people are starting to realize what a great resource UCSB is for So Cal reefers.
To the poster asking about SPS and natural sea water...this stuff is what its all about. After months of degrading my SPS dominate reef by using a cheap salt (asi manufactured), I switched back to natural and the turnaround in the color and growth was unbeliveable!