Real ocean water Quality??

[Reefin]

Hi everyone ok so I use real Ocean water I was getting it from a reputable LFG but it's turning out getting a hold of him and just catching up to get water is a hassle what should I be looking for as far Quality with real ocean water is there certain thing i should be testing for to make sure the water is good I need to do a water change but am gonna have to water from another LFS don't want to mess anything up I need some answers need to do a water change before the week starts!!!

[lcstorc]

I would be too afraid of contamination to use real ocean water. Not only do you have to deal with man made pollutants but there are many parasites that you could be bringing into the tank with the water.

[BigAl07]

I'm with Lynn 10000%

The odds of NOT getting contamination is very slim then factor in parasites... then factor in the amount of Die-Off you can get from collected water during transportation and storage. With Synthetic Salt Water your controlling to a much greater degree what you're putting into your tank and limiting other variables that can sneak up and bit you in the tail fin in a CLOSED loop system.

[Reefin]

I understand the risk of all those things but with all that stuff set aside what would you look for I mean this is ocean water where these corals and fish come from how bad could it really be?

[chipmunkofdoom2]

Originally Posted by Reefin

I understand the risk of all those things but with all that stuff set aside what would you look for I mean this is ocean water where these corals and fish come from how bad could it really be?

I'm not sure what you mean by "what you would look for". I would look for a bucket of salt mix and a spare bucket to mix water in.

There's nothing wrong with the water on coral reefs per say, but the water you buy from the LFS is most likely collected right by the shore, closest to the boats and other source of pollutants. As you get farther out and the currents get stronger, the pollutants get more diluted and may not be as strong, but I doubt these people go miles out to sea to collect what they can at the water's edge.

How bad could it really be? It could kill everything in your tank. With salt mix and purified water, there is nothing getting into your tank that you're not aware of.. unless you happen to mix your saltwater in a used gasoline container or something.

[Reefin]

I mean water parameters just like you would test for in your DT tank what are the water parameters for ocean water? Are they the same?

[nightfire76]

i wouldnt think theres much more you can test for in real ocean water then you do in the home aquarium,me i wouldnt go with ocean water simply cause you dont know where they got the water from,if ya told me they got it from right around reefs then thats fine but i seriously doubt that many do that cause then the price of that water would be more then what ive seen around,ya say ya trusted him.....do ya know where the water was coming from other then him saying it came from here or there? meaning if it were me and i didnt see where its coming from then i wouldnt trust it

[Reefin]

its Scripps water i guess there a university of oceanography in san diego,ca some kind of a sandbed filtration system

[Clownfish518]

Scripps water has a very good rep. If you can get it, use it by all means

[johnmaloney]

natural sea water rocks. all the big aquaculture companies use it, ORA does for example. Is it cheaper, sure, but that is not the only reason they use it.

What you will want to do is:

*small scale - get bucket, pour water through micron sieve and into container
* large scale - get pump and large extension cord. pump into micron sieve and then into container.
*professional grade - see large scale and add a UV sterilizer between the pump from the holding container going to the tank.
(the micron sieve -10 microns- filters out just about everything except the smallest phyto which won't harm a thing)

in general, do not allow natural sea water (NSW), to sit. Make sure to get it on high tide, and from a spot with good/perfect water clarity. When seas are 2 feet or less that is what you are looking for. Always test it first. Have fun! But remember, NSW is not consistent, and you shouldn't go about collecting it without a plan, and without testing it. If you live in an area that has heavy pollution, do not get it from a bay, or similar water body that is removed largely from the currents. Exposed locales are generally preferred. No boat ramps, no marinas.

I know many of you disagree, of course you do this is an online forum after all. I will just say that you would be surprised how many things are able to survive in the ocean. :P

[treo58]

hi just to say i use normall sea water and my tank is heathy and running spot on for the last 4 years and still running fine all i use is sea water all the test are bang on..
ph level 8.3
nitrate 12.5mg
nitrite 0.3mgl
salt level is 30
and all the others are fine as well the only thing i do is warm the water up as our water is so cold!!! so you can use sea water get it up to tempurture fisrt before adding to your tank....

[johnmaloney]

o h yeah warming the water...something I haven't had to do yet. I get mine from the gulfstream when I can.

[Wakeskater02]

Originally Posted by Reefin

its Scripps water i guess there a university of oceanography in san diego,ca some kind of a sandbed filtration system

The Scripps Insitute gets there water from miles off shore. They actually use it to host all the aquariums and research aquariums at the institute. I have been there many times and I used to work at a LFS and we would get all of our water from there. The best part... IT IS FREE!!!!! They use a trickle sand bed filter.

Basically, the raw ocean water is pumped in, and pours in to a large container containing sand. The water trickles through the sand and the sand takes all the contaminants out of the water. Then they skim it, then they add some stuff to it. Then it comes directly to the "public tap," in which you can use.

If you ever go to the scripps Insitute you can go on a tour and they will litterally show you how they get the water and how they purify it.

Then after you are done, you can go snorkeling at the La Jolla Cove!

Enjoy.

[minicrazy592]

I use ocean water too in my tank, but I get it from Petco. It's purified, everything is balanced, and it's ready to out out of the box. I think it is much easier than salt mixes and you don't have to worry about all the stuff in normal sea water.

PETCO Real Ocean Water at PETCO

[minicrazy592]

Originally Posted by Wakeskater02

The Scripps Insitute gets there water from miles off shore. They actually use it to host all the aquariums and research aquariums at the institute. I have been there many times and I used to work at a LFS and we would get all of our water from there. The best part... IT IS FREE!!!!! They use a trickle sand bed filter.

Basically, the raw ocean water is pumped in, and pours in to a large container containing sand. The water trickles through the sand and the sand takes all the contaminants out of the water. Then they skim it, then they add some stuff to it. Then it comes directly to the "public tap," in which you can use.

If you ever go to the scripps Insitute you can go on a tour and they will litterally show you how they get the water and how they purify it.

Then after you are done, you can go snorkeling at the La Jolla Cove!

Enjoy.

I live on the coast, why can't we have stuff like that down here?!