Natural Water

[Marc118]

Are any of you using natural salt water? Are there any benefits or downfalls to using this?

 

[ryguy]

well the benefits are definetely cost. Natural salt water is free and plentiful.

The downfalls... pollutants.

You'll hear from time to time about people using ocean water and just doing pwc's every couple of days with a bucket-full. These same people tend to live on the beach and some don't even use any filtration at all.

Good synthetics are designed to give you all your essential trace elements.

IMO, i'd stick with the synthetic.

 

[Marc118]

Bummer, cause I could just got to the beach. My LFS also sells natural water, not sure if its cleaned in any way though.

The main reason I ask is that I dont want to shell out for a quality RO/DI just yet, although my tap is good quality compaired to most. Id rather not dechlorinate every week or so when mixing salt.

 

[ryguy]

you can buy a $100 dollar 6-stage RO/DI unit from ebay that will save much hassle and at the end of the day...it's a small price to pay for clean water. $100 is relatively a cheap piece of equipment in the SW world, and would go a long way. You can then have the option of buying a $20 float valve that would make your freshwater top-offs a thing of the past.

 

[Marc118]

I plan on getting one later on when my 60g and sump are done cycleing. Im going to ask if the water there is mixed water or natural next time im in. I need to finish getting all the LR for the 60g before I buy anything like that.

 

[ryguy]

Have you already started your cycle without all your LR?

 

[Marc118]

Ive got about 70lbs in the 60 right now. Im not on a time frame though...dont plan on adding stock for a while.

 

[ryguy]

make sure you add additional LR slowly to avoid a nutrient spike to avoid causing another nitrogen cycle.

 

[angelscrx]

I was told you could use NSW but not from close to shore. Five miles out or something if I remember. Not worth it to me unless you plan on boating a lot! Shore lines are like the ocean's skimmers they collect a lot of crap. Just go to the beach during spring break!

 

[Marc118]

Kinda hard to only go 1 week a year when its down the street

I was told that its "deep sea" water...but I cant be sure since I dont know who is bringing it in.

He supplies everyone in my area so it cant be that bad..... :?

 

[melosu58]

There is also a chance of picking up parasites in the NSW. I thought I read once that the water had to be in the dark for awhile to get rid of these parasites.

 

[Marc118]

Its kept in a solid black 200g holding tank.

 

[beachbumin]

I live on the North Carolina coast and was using the universities filtered nsw. I got huge alge blooms and a lot of coraline die off. Everyone that I have talked to since has had more or less the same results. If I were you I would def. spend the money and avoid the future headaches! If you are running a reef tank than you really want to stay away but if you are running a fowlr you may be little better off but like i said i would stay away if i were you!

 

[Marc118]

I havent had any problems at all.

 

[angelscrx]

A UV filter would kill the parasites wouldn't it? Maybe areate the water and runn it through a UV before you add it to the tank?

 

[vowelmovements]

I am using filtered natural seawater in my 29g at the moment because of convenience, don't have to drive to get RO/DI water or mix salt etc.. I am also starting to notice a die off of coraline algea after 3 weeks for what its worth. Keep in mind that the salinity of natural seawater is usually rather high, around 1.028 or 1.027, although being natural I doubt this is much of a problem just out of the normal aquarium range.

 

[Lagger]

I was told you could use NSW but not from close to shore. Five miles out or something if I remember.

You are absolutely correct. Nobody gets NSW from the shoreline. Almost all NSW is collected from after the shelf break, which varies, but is typically at least a mile offshore.

If NSW is what you're trying to replicate with syn. salt, then why would it be worse? :? I've heard nothing but good things about the benefits of NSW, and if it wasn't so heavy to lug around, I'd buy it myself. All the LFS around me use NSW. Sure, I've also heard about a few small inconsistancies with NSW, but you can't beat it. It's natural & the best. It's where the fish was living when you took it out of the wild.....

 

[Marc118]

The LFS said its from off catalina ( southern cal ) and they use UV sterilizers and activated charcol on it.

 

[Lagger]

The LFS said its from off catalina ( southern cal ) and they use UV sterilizers and activated charcol on it.

Window to the Sea? Len's great. Yup, and almost all LFS around us get thiers from Catalina. Although Jeffs Exotic Fish gets theirs trucked in from San Diego.

 

[Marc118]

Nah its this place right down the street from me. Where is Window to the Sea? Is Jeff's in Yorba Linda area? I think I have seen it.