Natural sea water users - post your horror stories!

[CoastalTownLayabout]

Often see threads where people ask about collecting and using natural sea water and are advised against it due to the apparently high risk of toxins or pests. Can’t recall seeing any actual examples of negative outcomes though. I’ve used natural seawater for 20 odd years and never had any problems. So let’s hear the horror stories. What pestilence’s have you unleashed on your tank using natural seawater?

 

[fishface NJ]

Sorry no horror story here. I have been collecting sea water from our beaches since 2010. I only collect in the Spring to early summer. Too cold here to deal with getting wet. I'm from New Jersey USA

 

[MrGisonni]

I have used Vip seawater in Miami for decades. No problem. I dose AFR daily
With weekly doses of trace elements and Iodide in between natural seawater water changes.

 

[Devaji]

I live in Hawaii for some time. resqued i tank from someone there collects 5 gallon bucks of NSW right from the shore no problems at all. only had the tank for 6 months tho before moving back to the main land.

also used NSW with i lived in Santa Barbara CA could get it from the college there thy ran it through a sand filter but it was free and good. used that for about a year.

 

[Jasonak]

Im curious about this, Im right next to the ocean. But never thought of using natural seawater. The water here in the inlet is always muddy because of the large tidal change but in the summer I take my boat miles out to sea. I could collect easy enough if there was a benefit to it.

 

[LgTas]

Oldish thread but I'm interested to hear more on this one.

Ive used NSW for 5 years collected from my bay. Recently set up an auto water change system and I now store my NSW in a 1000l container.

The only issue Ive had was discovering a parasitic isopod in the tank and another in one of my drums straight after collection. Ive mitigated this by adding a 100 micron mesh cover on the end of my collection hose.

The diversity in my sump fuge is next level and I suspect much of this has come in via the NSW.

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

Horror stories... Well I live in LA so when it rains I can't collect because of bacteria blooms. So I will have to make it from a mix. I am not old, but I am not young either, so there is always the danger of pulling a muscle or worse carrying two 5g jugs on the rocks where I collect. In the winter, the water can get cold and sometimes I get my feet wet.

 

[crazereef]

Out here in SoCal, you can get water from the Scripps College pier, but it all depends if there has been a local storm. It'll flush waste from the local rivers, raising phosphates, wouldn't recommend.

 

[CoastalTownLayabout]

In the winter, the water can get cold and sometimes I get my feet wet.

Oh, the horror