Use of Sea Water for water changes

[chriscaronna]

I have been using the salt water in the canals outside my home for 2 gallon water changes in my BioCube. When I started this I stopped adding any calcium supplements, purple up etc... Since that time my corals have grown much better than using the water from my local aquarium store.. The local store told me to stop this immediately that I was going to ruin my tank. Any thoughts on this practice. The water I am using is from the Intercoastal canal fed by the Gulf of Mexico. I collect water from about 18 inches below the surface to prevent any surface oils etc... I have several corals, 4 fish, a shrimp, a lobster, and cleaner snails and a few gobies I collected wild from the Gulf of Mexico.

Any ideas about continuing this?

[ichthyogeek]

The general consensus about this is to keep the water in a dark place for a while while filtering to make sure that you don't introduce any parasites, algal spores, etc. If your tank is thriving, then disregard the store. Remember, that they get money from people buying stuff from them, like salt and water. I would imagine that the water is quite good, as it's from the Gulf, and full of coral food, like copepods and similar.

[Indymann99]

If your tank is thriving on your NSW... all the better. +1 that the LFS is NOT an unbiased opinion as they have something to sell to you, I would take their advice with a "grain of salt" ha ha

Alas NSW is not such an option for me.. lol

[tmz]

NSW is ok if it's collected from an area free of pollutants. Not sure what the status of the water is at your collection site.

[Vilas]

I use NSW, completely fresh from the Indian ocean. But it is unpolluted and comes straight from Mozambique.
I find that things thrive with the plankton and so on that I introduce. Yeah, so I get the odd tint jellyfish, but loads of small crustaceans and whatnot. I've even had luck keeping sponges, which I blame on a weekly infusion of particles small enough for them to eat.

[Mike Ordner]

I collect my water right around the corner from you at Packery Channel. There are a few concerns about water coming from the canals, although you are not the only one using this water. First is salinity. The Laguna gets really salty, so of course make sure you are adding at the corrected salinity. Second, depending on where you are in the canals, there could be some concern from nutrients from runoff. These canals are dead ends, so the further back you are the more this could be a concern. Lastly, we do have toxic algal blooms at times, especially Karenia brevis. So do not use the water that time. I collect my water at the Packery Channel boat launch for the concerns mentioned above. At that location the salinity stays more stable and I get the good water on an incoming tide directly from the Gulf. Long answer, but I have been using NSW for a long time and all the corals like the plankton with the water change. I change 50 gallons at a time and would never consider not using NSW. Good luck with your tank.

[PatW]

The advantage of a defined mix is you know what is in it assuming the people who make the mix don't mess up. But you have to start with RO/DI, mix it and do your change. It costs money.

Your NSW seems to be doing fine. Filtering it and letting it sit in the dark are both good ideas. Correcting for salinity is a good idea. I would think your corals are doing better because you may be doing more and larger water changes.

A problem you might have is a spill or other contamination that might be episodic, rare and devastating. Of course, it may never happen.

Now large, public aquariums use mixes. It is just safer, if more expensive.

In your case, I would be tempted with the if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

[tmz]

IIRC correctly many/most public aquariums use natural seawater. Los Angeles, Monterey.South Carolina,and even the inland Chicago Shedd aquarium brings it in with tank cars; there are more. Rechecked a few references. The Georgia aquarium is a notable exception using artificial seawater. This article has more:

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2006/2/aafeature

from it:



"While most Public Aquarium coral reef tanks use natural seawater, either pumped or trucked in, The Georgia Aquarium uses artificial seawater..."

[Vilas]

Our local aquarium (uShaka) uses NSW, highly filtered. They give it to you for free if you show them your permit to keep a marine tank. Handy service.

[hcl2195]

I have been using NSW for about 6 yrs now ,with no ill effects. I always collect my water at high tide from the intercostal near Ponce Inlet. I just run it throgh a 1 micron water filter when it is collected.

[Azedenkae]

Originally Posted by chriscaronna

I have been using the salt water in the canals outside my home for 2 gallon water changes in my BioCube. When I started this I stopped adding any calcium supplements, purple up etc... Since that time my corals have grown much better than using the water from my local aquarium store.. The local store told me to stop this immediately that I was going to ruin my tank. Any thoughts on this practice. The water I am using is from the Intercoastal canal fed by the Gulf of Mexico. I collect water from about 18 inches below the surface to prevent any surface oils etc... I have several corals, 4 fish, a shrimp, a lobster, and cleaner snails and a few gobies I collected wild from the Gulf of Mexico.

Any ideas about continuing this?

There is always a potential threat when using NSW. It is a common suggestion by LFS to not use NSW, and for most customers they are right to suggest so, because not everyone understands the danger.

NSW can contain:
1.) Pollutants, that you may not know about. For example, I work at an institute, and once jokingly asked about collecting mussels from the bay to eat. I was met with frightful eyes, and then was told of just how toxic they are due to the fact that the bay was heavily contaminated with heavy metals. This is actually pretty much all of Sydney Harbour, including where people swim. >.< The water though, I guess isn't too bad since it is usually shellfish that sequesters so much metal into their body. But,
2.) I did not know either that the area was host to a species of phytoplankton that in elevated numbers, was extremely toxic. And they bloom after each time it rained. Each time.
3.) Doesn't apply to my case, not really, but towards where you have river mouths, salinity and pH can change drastically, especially if it rained.
4.) You always run the risk of having something dangerous in the water, and even if you 'QT' it, well... you only need something to escape QT once to cause trouble.
5.) The argument that 'it comes from nature so it is safe since our live stock also come from nature' is moot. Remember, death occurs in nature too...

With that said, I do use NSW so... XD

Many LFS just doesn't want their customers to play lottery with their tanks, so they suggest artificial salt water. But hey.