Natural Sea Water

[chrisfont23]

Since I am a stone's throw away from the ocean here on LI, I was thinking of starting my 90g with natural sea water from the Atlantic as opposed to using synthetic salts. Also was kicking around the idea of using sand from the beach... from the area where the waves pound as opposed to where the people sit.

Any drawbacks to doing this?

[kevinpo]

Hello,
It's never a good idea to use local Seawater with out filtering and UV sterilizing it. Most US coastal waters also contain pollution from land runoff as well as ocean traffic. It can also contain micro organisms that may or may not be harmful to a tropical setup. Most will only be able to survive in a cooler environment not the 75-85F range most home SW aquariums see.

Regards,
Kevin

[Reefing Madness]

FAQ - Can I use ocean water (Natural Sea Water or NSR) in my aquarium? - Can I use ocean water (Natural Sea Water or NSR) in my aquarium?

[FoMoCo Master Tech]

I wouldn't do it because of the unknowns, especially concerning pollution. I know the Monterey Bay Aquarium near me uses NSW but they have a pipeline a mile out and a mile down ( if I remember right) to avoid the nasty stuff.

[TheGrimReefer]

Riverhead aquarium here on LI uses natural sea water for all their tanks from what i heard. They have a tanker that goes out and pumps it from i dont know how far out, but them i heard theat they also let it sit in the dark for days and i dont know what else they do to it also. This was told to me by one of the guys at my LFS (aquahut-great selection/cheapest prices). He told me this when i asked him the same question about useing natural water for my tank and he talked me out of it rather quickly.

[reeferbill]

I have been using Natural Sea Water collected at just before high tide at Boynton Beach Inlet for over a year and I use it right away. My reef has not looked better. The best time to collect is 1 hour before high tide so you get the sea water fresh and not contaminated from run off or the intracoastal.You can filter it with a filter sock if you want but I have not and have had no problems. Alot of reefers use Natural Sea Water maybe they will chime in.

[reeferbill]

As far as the sand I would not use it because of that black tar you sometimes step on at the beach could contaminate your tank.

[Reefing Madness]

As far as the sand I would not use it because of that black tar you sometimes step on at the beach could contaminate your tank.