Filtered Natural Seawater???

[beachbumin]

I live on the NC coast and the local university has a hose on the island that pumps natural filtered seawater. Would this be suitable for a reef tank or should I keep paying for RO and salt?

 

[Biggen]

You can use NSW, but it is recommended that it be sterilized and filtered first. This is to remove the planktonic organisms in the water.

Myself, I think it is easier to mix my own sw...

 

[beachbumin]

Thats what I was thinking but the school says that this is already filtered..... That def elaves a lot of room for error so I was thinking about adding about five gallons to my tank and seeing what happens!!

 

[reefrunner69]

I think if you got it on tap....I would probably use it.

 

[srgetz]

what is the sg at a temp of 77? just curious!

 

[johnkristie]

I've used natural seawater in my tank for a while now with no problem. But, I live on the west coast.

 

[beachbumin]

Not sure of the sg, Ill have to check it! John is yours filtered or direct?

 

[johnkristie]

My water source is sand filtered. I'm not sure of the water temp in NC (warmer I think with the Gulf Stream), but the water here in So Cal only gets up to about 68 degrees in the summer. I don't think that any critters that live in and are used to that temp will manage to survive in my tank which is set at 80-82 degrees. That is just my theory, I don't know for sure. But if your water temp in NC is closer to the temp in your tank, planktonic animals making it through the filtration process might be able to proliferate in your tank. Filtration does not catch everything.