Is Filtered Seawater Okay?

1knight164

1knight164

Member
I have been using sand filtered sea water for two months for water changes. Scripps Institute of Oceanography, UCSD, La Jolla, CA has it available for free 24/7. Will it cause any problems? I store the water in my garage where it's dark for a week or more before adding to my tank.
 
lazypinoy

lazypinoy

Member
FREE?!!? wow. well id just run a uv on it for awhile just to be sure anything bad in the water is killed.
 
N

nereef

Guest
my only concern is the death of microorganisms caused by being stored for so long. have you tested the water before adding to the tank? if so, what does it read for pH, nitrates, alk, s.g.?
 
fbm

fbm

Active Member
There is just something about the word FREE that really grabs my attention. That should save you quit abit of money.
 
ophiura

ophiura

Active Member
LOL...it is probably the only free thing in La Jolla
And it is natural seawater too! Awesome!
Just be sure to filter out anything like sea lions and such
 
1knight164

1knight164

Member
Thanks for the responses. I'm fairly new to this and haven't seen very many posts concerning filtered sea water. I guess it's because there aren't many places that have it available. Took some tests this morning:
Ammonia: 0
Nitrites: 0
Nitrates: 0.5 ppm
Alkalinity: 240 ppm
pH: 8.0
Ca: 440 mb/L
All estimates. The color thing really gets me. I think i'm color blind!
Anyway, that's all the tests I have. Should I be doing more?
For LazyPinoy. Great idea on the UV. I'm pinoy too. Parents from San Marcelino, Zambales.
For NEreef: The guy who showed me the place in La Jolla said the idea for putting it in the dark for a while was to kill any organisms, good or bad, that may have made it through the filtration. Best to be on the safe side. Does that make sense or should I let the organisms live?
For all, my friend told me that Scripps gives the water for free for aquarium enthusiasts to benefit the fish. Something that LFS folks don't like to hear. Anyone living on the coasts may want to check local universities or oceanographic insitutes. Montery, CA comes to mind. Anyway, anymore advice is greatly appreciated. Don't really trust what the LFS employees tell me.
For Ophiura, I have a sea lion filter on order now. It's a killer whale! LOL.
And you're right about finding something free in La Jolla! Everytime I go to fill up, I look over my shoulder expecting to get arrested. Just doesn't seem right driving away with all that water.
Thanks, all!
 
xdave

xdave

Active Member
I'm pretty sure that needs to be without light for 14 days or more. You could also run it slowly through a UV, or use a diatom filter for a few days.
 
1knight164

1knight164

Member
Originally Posted by LazyPinoy
another pinoy in the the hobby? ahaah good luck! ive spent so much of my no my moms money!

I know what you mean about $$. I drive to SD once a month to get water. Takes me about an hour. For you, 1 1/2 hours? May be worth the drive. Make a day of it. Lots to do. But i'm hooked. May have to give up some golfing and scuba so I can afford this.
 
Y

yeffre kix

Guest
How do you transport the water? I go every two weeks to a LFS that sells ocean water for like 75 cents a gallon. But that is cheaper than driving to SD to get it free. For my new tank it will be about 50 gallons bi-weekly. I have been debating over a larger holding tank for saltwater to keep in my garage with a heater for water changes. If I order 300 gallons each time Catalina will deliver it for about 50 cents a gallon.
 
1knight164

1knight164

Member
Originally Posted by Yeffre Kix
How do you transport the water? I go every two weeks to a LFS that sells ocean water for like 75 cents a gallon. But that is cheaper than driving to SD to get it free. For my new tank it will be about 50 gallons bi-weekly. I have been debating over a larger holding tank for saltwater to keep in my garage with a heater for water changes. If I order 300 gallons each time Catalina will deliver it for about 50 cents a gallon.
I use 5 gal containers and since I only have a 55 gal, I don't need much. I usually get 30 gal a trip. I didn't make special trips to SD just for water though. We spend a lot of time over there. Wife says shopping is better and the kid loves all the activities there. And i'm now stationed at MCAS Miramar which makes it very convenient for me.
But if your LFS sells the natural sea water at that price, definitely the way to go. I've read a lot of posts talking about different parameters with different brands of salt mixtures etc. BTW, when I was there, a guy was there with a a HUGE tank on a flatbed truck from Lake Elsinore. He had to use a firehose to fill the tank! I asked what he does with all that water and he says he sells it to LFS in Riverside and LA! I bet he supplies your LFS. Are you happy with the sea water? Any problems? Do you find yourself supplementing much? I've only had my tank a few months and would appreciate any tips.
 
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