Mixing marine salt with seawater

Lexoid · 08/29/2008, 07:38 AM

Hi there,

I've been an avid reader of threads/articles on this site for a while now and have finally decided to set up a reef tank. I live on the coast in a relatively undeveloped area of the (temperate) southern Australian coastline and have access to good quality seawater. I just ordered an RO/DI unit (my first purchase) as I'll need this for top ups. What I wanted to know:

1. Is it ok to use seawater in a marine tank. I know this sounds stupid but the water here is quite cold (11 - 15 deg C). I expect that the zoo/phytoplankton would die off when heated to tropical temps causing increased bioload. I imagine the effects would be negligible, but just wanted to check.

2. We get pretty big seas (Southern Ocean) here for sometimes weeks at a time, which would make it impossible to collect water at times. Would tank inhabitants be stressed out by a switch from real seawater to RO/DI water mixed with marine salts? Assuming WQ (temp,pH,Sal) parameters were similar.

Please forgive my ignorance if these seem like stupid questions, just want to give any future inhabitants the best chance from the start.

Lemeshianos · 08/29/2008, 07:56 AM

assuming that there are no contaminations in the water( undeveloped area) it could be good enough for a reef, but harmful elements could travel through currents to your location. I would suggest taking a sample to a chemist and having it checked for anything that could be harmful. If the chemist approves then why not. Also check salinity to be sure its where it should be as it fluctuates around the world.

Since the RO/DI water mixted with marine salts will be used for top-off(10% or 20%) I don't think it will have an impact on the inhabitants health.

Lexoid · 08/29/2008, 08:26 AM

I'll only be using fresh to top off evaporation. Just wanted to know the effects of changing from seawater to marine salt mix for water changes if necessary. If it's a problem I'll just go marine salt mix from the start. Thought I might be able to save some money in the long run.

tanker · 08/29/2008, 10:50 AM

I switch back and forth all the time. But I buy my NSW.

limitdown · 08/29/2008, 11:15 AM

I remember reading another NSW-user on here that chlorinated (ie bleached) his water to kill any local bacteria and parasites first. Then he would let the water sit for a few days for the chlorine/bleach to evaporate.

If you don't want to go this route, at least put the NSW through 1 or 2 carbon blocks to remove any chemicals.

08/29/2008, 07:38 AM	#1
Lexoid Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 14	Mixing marine salt with seawater Hi there, I've been an avid reader of threads/articles on this site for a while now and have finally decided to set up a reef tank. I live on the coast in a relatively undeveloped area of the (temperate) southern Australian coastline and have access to good quality seawater. I just ordered an RO/DI unit (my first purchase) as I'll need this for top ups. What I wanted to know: 1. Is it ok to use seawater in a marine tank. I know this sounds stupid but the water here is quite cold (11 - 15 deg C). I expect that the zoo/phytoplankton would die off when heated to tropical temps causing increased bioload. I imagine the effects would be negligible, but just wanted to check. 2. We get pretty big seas (Southern Ocean) here for sometimes weeks at a time, which would make it impossible to collect water at times. Would tank inhabitants be stressed out by a switch from real seawater to RO/DI water mixed with marine salts? Assuming WQ (temp,pH,Sal) parameters were similar. Please forgive my ignorance if these seem like stupid questions, just want to give any future inhabitants the best chance from the start.

08/29/2008, 11:15 AM	#5
limitdown Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 640	I remember reading another NSW-user on here that chlorinated (ie bleached) his water to kill any local bacteria and parasites first. Then he would let the water sit for a few days for the chlorine/bleach to evaporate. If you don't want to go this route, at least put the NSW through 1 or 2 carbon blocks to remove any chemicals. __________________ All I want for Christmas is to stay employed... Current Tank Info: 200g display + 50g sump FO

08/29/2008, 07:56 AM	#2
Lemeshianos Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Limassol, Cyprus Posts: 468	assuming that there are no contaminations in the water( undeveloped area) it could be good enough for a reef, but harmful elements could travel through currents to your location. I would suggest taking a sample to a chemist and having it checked for anything that could be harmful. If the chemist approves then why not. Also check salinity to be sure its where it should be as it fluctuates around the world. Since the RO/DI water mixted with marine salts will be used for top-off(10% or 20%) I don't think it will have an impact on the inhabitants health.

08/29/2008, 08:26 AM	#3
Lexoid Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 14	I'll only be using fresh to top off evaporation. Just wanted to know the effects of changing from seawater to marine salt mix for water changes if necessary. If it's a problem I'll just go marine salt mix from the start. Thought I might be able to save some money in the long run.

08/29/2008, 10:50 AM	#4
tanker Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: sf bay area Posts: 3,522	I switch back and forth all the time. But I buy my NSW.