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3K views 20 replies 14 participants last post by  Wasga 
#1 ·
If you lived in Florida and were starting a new tank set-up, could you use water from the ocean? Could you sand the bottom with beach sand you pick up? Just curious to what is acceptible for home use.
 
#3 ·
I'm not really sure if that is ok or not... I just wondered how someone that did that would intend to do their first water top-off then first water change... :confused:

Seems to me that eventually, you would need to add filtered water at some point... if that were the case, why would someone go through the trouble of hauling x number of gallons of water from the ocean and eventually have to replace it all with filtered water.
 
G
#5 ·
ok well for your water changes and initial fill up the ocean water would be fine but for top off you would still need to use ro water or you would send your salinity through the roof

oh yea it would be a lot cheaper using fresh ocean water for your tank and probably a lot healthier too since you would also be capturing the microscopic organisms that live in it which would include phytoplankton to feed corals and such

but it is cheaper since you dont have to buy all the expensive salt
 
#8 ·
My Mercury 4 stroke Outboard has a 4 star enviromental rating which i think is the highest at this point (other than electric) It doesnt burn a oil mix like most old 2 strokes do. So another option instead of rowing is buying a nice motor and you could potentially cruise out about 2 or 3 miles offshore to collect your water. Um...you could also shut off the motor and wait oh about 10 sec and the surrounding water would be as clean as if you rowed out.
 
#9 ·
The sand is the same. Phosphates leached from the ground or from runoff seem to stick in the sand. Also, you would have no protection from parasites or unwanted hitch hikers. If you grab sand from the seafloor, you never know what is in it. Thats another risk that Im not sure is worth it.
 
#10 ·
Lots of good points and things to really think about, thanks. I ask this because I might be moving somewhere in the Tampa area in a few monthes. Starting a bigger tank all over again has me thinking of different ways to go. Makes me sad to have to take down the tank I already have.
 
#17 ·
My brother lives down there, about 15 min from Atlantic coast. He has a small tank cleaning company. He mixes his own water from ro/di and salt. He says its not worth trying to get from the beach. Maybe just his thoughts but he's been doing it for years. When I was down there for Christmas I was surprised at how much things cost down there. Fish, corals and rock were all more than I pay locally. I Guess reef tanks are a little more popular down there so demand is higher and so are prices. Good luck on the move.
 
#18 ·
all i know is you will have to gather the water a few miles off shore, and add it into your tank as soon as you can. you wont be able to store up water because all the organisms will die off. this is basically how people did it when the hobby first started, only people who lived by a coast line could even imagine having a SW tank. i would maybe keep a little salt on hand just in case a hurrican comes by and you need to do a water change lol.
 
#20 ·
Martin Moe mentioned last year at IMAC that he is in Florida and uses NSW. He detailed his whole set up and to be honest I don't remember alot of it- as it is not an option in Michigan. He has had alot of success doing this- but he is by no means a "hobbyist"- and I believed the water is piped in from several miles off shore.
If you are interested- I would see if you can find more info on his set up. He uses this water in his lab- and last year at IMAC he was working on breeding long-spine urchins I believe.
 
#21 ·
Most of the public aquariums that use nsw have pipes that go out into the ocean for hundreds of yards. They also put the water through some kind of filtration before they use it. Monterey Bay pumps something like 2000 gallons of fresh sea water a minute into their displays. I read somewhere that they have a pipe out a mile though.
 
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