Scripps water questions

[Coach Car]

Hi! I will be starting my first reef tank soon and I'm thinking about using Scripps water (I live in San Diego). I was wondering if this is a good route to go for beginners, or if I should go some other route with regards to water. And what sort of filtering will I have to do with this water in order to make it safe to put in my tank? Thanks!

 

[Jekyl]

Hi! I will be starting my first reef tank soon and I'm thinking about using Scripps water (I live in San Diego). I was wondering if this is a good route to go for beginners, or if I should go some other route with regards to water. And what sort of filtering will I have to do with this water in order to make it safe to put in my tank? Thanks!

I would have my own way to make water. Saves hassle during emergency situations. I use a 5 stage RODI.

 

[Coach Car]

Also, does anyone know where exactly the water is dispensed? And do you need an appointment to get it?

 

[Coach Car]

Oh, and I see in some places that this water might not be great for coral? Is that true?

 

[Jekyl]

Oh, and I see in some places that this water might not be great for coral? Is that true?

Depends on the salinity and parameters of the water.

 

[teela]

I've been using it since I started my first tank in January. The tap is at the back of the parking lot between the NOAA fisheries science center and the W. M. Keck Foundation Center for Ocean-Atmosphere Research on LA Jolla Shores drive. I've been filling up a 6 gallon carboy and keeping it in my garage for a month or so with no problems.

i have a nano so I don't need a lot of volume. For rodi I've been using aquatics warehouse and filling up another carboy.


So far it's been fine. And free! I've never seen anyone else getting water. Ph has been right around 8, alkalinity at 9-10 dkh, salinity at 1.026.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

So far it's been fine. And free! I've never seen anyone else getting water. Ph has been right around 8, alkalinity at 9-10 dkh, salinity at 1.026.

Something is not right with that. Natural seawater at that specific gravity should not have alkalinity nearly that high.

 

[bradreef]

I dont think you will have any issues with it. I used it years ago and it was solid. I would only avoid for a few days after rains.

 

[teela]

Something is not right with that. Natural seawater at that specific gravity should not have alkalinity nearly that high.

I'm using a cheap api kit for kph, a refractometer for salinity. It's repeatedly been in that range for all both before and after addition to my tank.

 

[teela]

An Examination of the Seawater Aquarium System at Scripps Institution of Oceanography

Author(s): Jio, Daniel Akira | Advisor(s): Tresguerres, Martin | Abstract: Scripps Institution of Oceanography (Scripps Oceanography) utilizes a flow-through aquarium system to provide seawater to the various aquaria used to conduct research on campus; however, information on this system is not...

escholarship.org

This could be worth a read...

 

[Midrats]

Something is not right with that. Natural seawater at that specific gravity should not have alkalinity nearly that high.

It's really just IO

 

[Luky]

Hi! I will be starting my first reef tank soon and I'm thinking about using Scripps water (I live in San Diego). I was wondering if this is a good route to go for beginners, or if I should go some other route with regards to water. And what sort of filtering will I have to do with this water in order to make it safe to put in my tank? Thanks!

Ive been using it for about 25 years and no issues. Ive checked mine using hanna checkers and a calibrated refractometer. Salinity is more like 1.024. Other parameters are ocean normal (dont recall specifics).

 

[mermaid_life]

i used scripps water on my first tank for a while. It was great when I only had softies. As soon as I went to LPS, I found out that water changes by itself did not maintain the ca/alk levels that I needed so I had to go to mixing my own.

I'm pretty sure things still get through the filter though because I would get a few pieces of macro algaes here and there =).

 

[Luky]

i used scripps water on my first tank for a while. It was great when I only had softies. As soon as I went to LPS, I found out that water changes by itself did not maintain the ca/alk levels that I needed so I had to go to mixing my own.

I'm pretty sure things still get through the filter though because I would get a few pieces of macro algaes here and there =).

I do weekly 15 gal changes on a 75gal system and dose with all for reef 8.5ml/day and my alk/calcium parameters have been solid 8.5 and 420. Been struggling to keep nitrites under 20 and recently got a reactor and biopellets to see if that will help. All my stuff was transferred to this tank in 2015 when last tank cracked, so very mature. Just got a parwise meter and realized how weak my lights really are (but mostly softy/mushrooms/zoa with some LPS) so new lights will be next step.

 

[mermaid_life]

I do weekly 15 gal changes on a 75gal system and dose with all for reef 8.5ml/day and my alk/calcium parameters have been solid 8.5 and 420. Been struggling to keep nitrites under 20 and recently got a reactor and biopellets to see if that will help. All my stuff was transferred to this tank in 2015 when last tank cracked, so very mature. Just got a parwise meter and realized how weak my lights really are (but mostly softy/mushrooms/zoa with some LPS) so new lights will be next step.

yep that makes sense. Dosing would work as well. Now I mix my own water AND dose lol. But back to original question, quality of the water was no issue for me when I used it. Avoid rains like someone else already said.

 

[TrevorHenryTDH]

I just picked up 500 gallons from Scripps last night, Got to meet their service guy and he actually took us on a full tour of the facility including the pier at 10 at night! It goes through 4 filters which is just sand on the shore. They run 5 50 Horsepower pumps at the dispensing area and a I believe a 70 horse pump that fills their containers. The water comes from the edge of the pier. I am sending a ICP test off monday of the water to see what it really is. It does go through multiple smaller filters at the pier then pushed to the containers and filtered through the sand, They do on average 5 back washes a day he said on the filters.

 

[TrevorHenryTDH]

Talk about a big fish tank lol. Was very cool to see everything up close and personal.

 

[DJF]

I heart Scripps! As is known locally- avoid during storms/ red tide. But if I needed I’d rock a Paul B. trick and bust out my diatom filter.

Wow! A tour would be next level cool. Even spotting a service guy is unique and rare

 

[KeepSkimming]

Just so everyone knows, the there’s a hose coming out of a fence with a slab of concrete and a drain to the right of the noaa building at the top of the parking lot. Took me a second to find it.

 

[ReefinInSoCal]

I just picked up 500 gallons from Scripps last night, Got to meet their service guy and he actually took us on a full tour of the facility including the pier at 10 at night! It goes through 4 filters which is just sand on the shore. They run 5 50 Horsepower pumps at the dispensing area and a I believe a 70 horse pump that fills their containers. The water comes from the edge of the pier. I am sending a ICP test off monday of the water to see what it really is. It does go through multiple smaller filters at the pier then pushed to the containers and filtered through the sand, They do on average 5 back washes a day he said on the filters.

Curious, did you ever get the ICP test done and do you still use the Scripps water? I’m considering trying it.