Real ocean water

gjohnnyp

gjohnnyp

Member
as i said before. Im moveing to a small tropical island 600 miles south of Japan. When I set up my tank I plan on useing Water from the ocean. Has anyone else used actually ocean water before? And if so is there anything I can expect?
 
shawnts106

shawnts106

Member
That might not be such a good idea.. if fact it isnt at all... unless you colect the water from about 100 to 200 miles off shore so there is NO POSSIBLITY of contamination whatsoever!
I would just buy Ocean water or just mix up a fresh batch and just cycle your aquarium... that or use the ocean water and do SEVERAL waterchanges over a course of 3 to 5 months to make sure that you eliminate alllllll possiblitys of contamination.. and use some SERIOUS skimming and carbon and Phosgaurd and Nitrate Sponge and... welll you get the picture!! LOL
BTW: why are you moving>? must be nice to move to a tropical Island!!!
 
judyk

judyk

Member
There is a LFS in Daytona that uses and sells ocean water. They watch the bacteria count and catch it on the incoming tide at the inlet. Their tanks are great. My son and I got the sand for our tanks further north of there.
 
jam marine

jam marine

Member
Hey i would say go for it,cant beat natural sea water,i do 20%water changes every weekend without any problems,i would say try not to collect it too close to any beach or swimming areas,fastmarc also uses natural sea water,go for it:D
 
judyk

judyk

Member
jam marine - have you used any store bought salt to see if there is any difference on how your tank reacts? I've thought of trying sea water but, it seems like a lot more work than I can handle. Getting the sand was no easy task.
 
jam marine

jam marine

Member
Hi Judyk,i used to use instant ocean salt,which at the time i thought was the best,but started using nsw the difference is unbelievable especially with the corals,if you do regular water changes depending on your coral load the only additives you would need is for calcium an alk,all i use is bi-onic.colecting the water is actually the hardest part,i drive maybe about 15 mins to get the water then i fill up5 gln buckets,i guess because of my love for the hobby its no great work,is there anything more magnificent than having a part of the ocean thriving inyour home:thinking:
 
gjohnnyp

gjohnnyp

Member
Thanks for your input guys. As far as the question on how my tank will react...It doesnt really matter, only because im going there and starting from the beginning again. I hope this works out good.
 
billyjoe

billyjoe

Member
Hey johnny i have a sister that is okinawa with her husband. she just moved there about 2 maybe 3 months ago. Good luck on moving. :)
 
smarls

smarls

Member
Johnny,
I ahve used ocean water from my LFS exclusively for the last year (well, ro/di water fro top-offs) and I think my tank is better for the change. They filter the water before selling it, and I thin my pod population and little invertibrate life wihtin my tank has flourished, with no downside as far as I can see.
If I were going to a remote pacific island, I would for sure change to ocean water.
Good luck with the move.
Stewart
 
brian90vette

brian90vette

Member
Yeah I agree use the water. I was there for a year in okinawa and the water is crystal clear. I wish I had a tank when i was there.
Brian
 
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