Natural sea water

[Justin_Freebords]

Getting kind of tired of doing water changes and was thinking about buying natural sea water so i dont have to mix my own water, plus my salt is giving weird parameters. HAs anyone used it? Is it worth using, ignore the price.Thanks

[lakshwadeep]

If it is filtered and from a clean source (i.e. not from a polluted area), then it is okay. But, you shouldn't assume it is going to be any better than good synthetic salt in terms of specific parameters.

[atrane]

If it is filtered and from a clean source (i.e. not from a polluted area), then it is okay. But, you shouldn't assume it is going to be any better than good synthetic salt in terms of specific parameters.

 

if you can find a store that gets it from Scripps Research Labs. Thats the best.

[Justin_Freebords]

its from 10 miles off the coast of the Catalina islands i believe

[Urchinhead]

Its fine. I use the same water when I am feeling lazy. Just be prepared to dose two part.

[el fabuloso]

Bob Fenner covered this in his lecture at the local reef club meeting last weekend and his short answer is that natural sea water, even ones that have been filtered, has too many volatile variables with no specific benefits over using synthetic. Link

[The Propagator]

/\

ABSOLUTELY CORRECT !!

 

GOD ! I am glad an "expert" finally piped up and spewed out what I have been saying about it for years on here. Maybe people will finally stop using that sheet now.

[Mr. Fosi]

I use NSW from a coastal estuary here in Carolina and I'm happy with it. Being from an estuary the salinity is variable and can get up above 40 ppt but I just water it down to where I want it with DI water.

 

I use it in my lab tank too and I don't bother to check the salinity, I just use it as-is. Nothing has died yet and my frogspawn just keeps splitting.

 

Bottom line: Use whatever is cheaper... Unless you are prop and then do whatever the heck you want.

[The Propagator]

Don't force me to send you a fart in a bag damn it !!

[backpurge]

Bob Fenner covered this in his lecture at the local reef club meeting last weekend and his short answer is that natural sea water, even ones that have been filtered, has too many volatile variables with no specific benefits over using synthetic. Link

 

As sort of an outsider, I find that funny. Seriously? Natural salt water isn't good enough for a salt water fish tank.

 

I'm suprised all of the fish and coral in the sea aren't dead by now.

[el fabuloso]

His conclusion says it all:

 

Some folks assert that natural water must be best for "natural" livestock. Maybe they think their aquaria are "little pieces of the ocean"; most systems more closely approximate "little sewers".

The ocean is an immense ecosystem that no aquarium in the world, no matter how big, can ever recreate.

[joel sandoman]

Wow this is the first time I have ever read this on these forums. Synthetic is actually recommended over NSW? That's a shocker.

 

It kinda seems like saying, " I make better saltwater then God does".

[joel sandoman]

But hey I'm open to anything that would help my tank run better.

[Justin_Freebords]

if you think about it, that contaminated water is part of a much larger body of water, therefore more room for error. in a small tank, not so much. thanks for the great info ill mix my own salt after all

[backpurge]

if you think about it, that contaminated water is part of a much larger body of water, therefore more room for error. in a small tank, not so much. thanks for the great info ill mix my own salt after all

 

None the less, whatever you extract from the sea is interacting directly with the life that lives in it. So how can it be bad for a tank but not bad in the wild?

 

I think that there is a lot of BS that people spout out trying to make what they're doing seem more difficult than it is. My girlfriend took care of my 12 gallon nano for about two years. No testing, 25% water change every few months, overfeeding like crazy, etc. but somehow everything lived. I go and do everything 'by the book' and don't see results any different than how it was when she took care of it. Coincidence or is it that this hobby isn't that difficult?

[OB1]

its from 10 miles off the coast of the Catalina islands i believe

Have you owned or been in a boat? Ever notice the oil slick a boat normally leaves? Maybe if they're pumping it from deep below the boat it would be okay........

[Jeffry83]

Doesn't matter how far you are from the coast line,there is always crap to be found in the water.What some people don't understand is,that the fish who swim in the oceans are used to the pollution we mankind have thrown in it over the years,the fish we buy in the shops are bred in synthetic clean water,they are not used to the strange stuff in the natural water.

[johnmaloney]

gulfstream water is where it is at, I use it, all the big breeders and aquariums use it, (although until I get a new trailer it is back to mixing ) . When it is good enough for all the major aquaculturists, public aquariums, and distributors in FL, the capital of the tropical fish industry, it is good enough for me. UV sterilizers though....and testing. You would be amazed how many fish and coral have adapted to life in the ocean, that water can support life . I think expert opinions are just that, opinions, take it with a grain of salt.

 

Specific Benefit over synthetic - I can go from nothing to ready to go 500 gallons of seawater in 1 hour. No RO/DI at a drip, no measuring, mixing, heating, etc... But then again my location is much better than others.

 

Tip: NSW has lots of platonic life, keep it circulating until it gets to the tank or it will go stagnant. You should not let it sit.

[Mr. Fosi]

None the less, whatever you extract from the sea is interacting directly with the life that lives in it. So how can it be bad for a tank but not bad in the wild?

 

***NEWS FLASH*** Just because water comes from one part of an ocean doesn't mean that it is "the same" as water found where the corals in your tank grow naturally. There is actually quite a bit of variability in seawater depending on where you get it, "pollution" or no.

 

... or is it that this hobby isn't that difficult?

 

It isn't that difficult but that doesn't mean that people who advocate water changes and light feeding don't know what they are talking about.

 

Tip: NSW has lots of platonic life...

 

They're friends john?! That's correct though. It isn't just the planktonic life, its the bacteria. They'll use up all the O₂ and produce a lot of CO₂ (pH drop) if it sits too long.

[johnmaloney]

true enough, the ocean has variables, but if you know about it you can easily locate water that has the type of qualities you look for. Then test, then change if necessary. (Drop the salinity, etc... or be smart and test at the site). The ocean while constantly changing is very consistent if you have been tracking how it works on a a calender. Sure weather is something that pops up, but then you just fit around that.

 

For example - It has been pouring rain all day - I won't collect NSW that day.

 

The big dogs mentioned earlier use deep water wells often times, and they don't have rainy delays....

 

I think it comes to the fact there are 90 different ways to keep a tank healthy. It also depends on what you keep. SPS are so expensive and delicate you would be a fool not to lab test and home brew water. At $100 for some corals I would personally drink a batch before it goes into the tank to observe side effects.

 

They're friends john?! That's correct though. It isn't just the planktonic life, its the bacteria. They'll use up all the O₂ and produce a lot of CO₂ (pH drop) if it sits too long.

 

Hey man I just woke up after pulling an all nighter, take it easy on me.

[backpurge]

***NEWS FLASH*** Just because water comes from one part of an ocean doesn't mean that it is "the same" as water found where the corals in your tank grow naturally. There is actually quite a bit of variability in seawater depending on where you get it, "pollution" or no.

 

So.... I shouldn't be drinking water out of the toilet even though it's coming from the same source as my sink? No way!

 

Just because you live near crap water doesn't mean everyone does which means that what applies to you doesn't apply to everyone. So saying noone should use NSW is ignorant.

[Jeffry83]

gulfstream water is where it is at, I use it, all the big breeders and aquariums use it, (although until I get a new trailer it is back to mixing ) . When it is good enough for all the major aquaculturists, public aquariums, and distributors in FL, the capital of the tropical fish industry, it is good enough for me.

 

You seem to forget that public aquariums that pump out the water from the sea the water it first goes through miles of pipes and filters...

[el fabuloso]

I think the idea is that there's really no added benefit to using NSW over synthetic. If anything using NSW only adds unnecessary work. We try so hard to recreate a reef in our tanks that we often forget to put things into perspective...

 

Your tank:

 

Nature:

 

Your tank:

 

Nature:

 

Your tank:

 

Nature:

 

Your tank:

 

Nature:

 

I don't know about you guys but to me that's a pretty BIG difference!

[Mr. Fosi]

So saying noone should use NSW is ignorant.

 

Obviously. That's not the impression I got from this thread though.

[johnmaloney]

You seem to forget that public aquariums that pump out the water from the sea the water it first goes through miles of pipes and filters...

 

it was either that post or the one before I said I filtered and tested it. There is no advantage, except that it is easier to use NSW sometimes. I hated breaking out the equipment to do a 1 gallon a week change on the 10 gallons I have kept. I am always on the water so I would just grab some. For commercial purposes, changing a few hundred gallons becomes expensive, and pumping it can save money. Most of the big guys have flow through systems because they are located on the water, like ORA and the rest of the Harbor Branch guys. Deep water wells are ideal, but of course no use unless on a major industrial scale.