real salt water vs. homemade

[jawfishray]

As I have always lived near good sources of clean salt water I have never had the need for making my own water. Now that may be an issue as the salt water I can get to is, not the best.
So, in the end, the question at hand is...which is better?
I would assume for a tank with LR, that real would be preferred. Real brings it's own issues, but it also brings a great deal of naturally occuring minerals/micro fauna-flora/etc..
Opinions?
Ray

 

[beaslbob]

I have gut feel there will be not much difference between the two. Tanks are constantly being filtered and buffered so that after say a week or two you could not tell the difference between natural or man made sea water.

 

[matti070]

ocean watewr has too much ammonia in it. your fish might not like that.

 

[nm reef]

Living here in New Mexico real salt water is not readily available...but if it was...I believe I'd still use Instant Ocean just because I know what I'm supposed to be getting with Instant Ocean and with any water from the ocean I have no way to determine what exactly is in the water. I'd think you could run the risk of pollution/toxins in natural salt water and at least with Instant Ocean and RO/DI water you know that pollution and toxins are not supposed to be in the mix!!

 

[lesleybird]

Not only could you get some pollutant from fresh ocean water, you could get some fish diseases. Probably not likely, but possible.

 

[cliffrouse11bas]

I say go with Instant Ocean. We dont have to worry about anything with it. It is not too expensive either.

 

[cprdnick]

I'm assuming that since you live in the great state of Texas, that you are talking about water from the "Gulf". First, the gulf is very heavily trafficed (sp). There is probably alot of pollutants, ie. diesel fuel, oil, radioactive waste? Chances are that even if you can go far enough out to fill jugs you are getting the water from only the first few feet off of the top of the ocean, which is usually where oil and fuel hangs out. Anyway, with your aquarium being a small replication of the reefs below, you don't have the volume that the ocean does, and that gives you a strong disadvantage. You have to filter and buffer and do water changes. In the ocean all of this is done naturally with currents providing large quantities of water to circulate over alot more than a few gallons of coral. With IO or most of the other brands of salt mix you are getting the trace minerals that need to be replenished on a regular basis.

 

[jawfishray]

Thanks for the replies,
I also believe that for the most part, pollutants would be an issue. But I was going out 3-5 miles, collecting with 5gl buckets, in Key West, Miami, Ft Lauderdale, and for a good while the dead center of the Pacific Ocean, Johnston Island.
Never had any issues of any kind. But, and a big but, I only worked with local flora/fauna, xeriscaped as it were. If there was a fish, plant, shrimp, etc with issues I would release.
I have always, up to this point, lived where I could dive and collect. Now it looks like I will be taking trips out to closed offshore rigs for my collecting.
There is a good chance that I may start cultivating my live rock at these same sites. I am making arrangements to setup a platform at the 18-20' mark on one of the support beams, to leave my created rock to grow and grow.
I was mothly just musing the subject aloud. Thanks again for the responses.
Ray

 

[cprdnick]

FISHAHOLIC, I believe I read in the another thread that the first mile or so of sand from the beach out is basically part of the oceans mechanical filtration. I mean think about it, if there is pollutants floating on the water, the best way to get them off is to splash the water onto a dry porous surface, right.