Using real seawater?

BRS
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SebastianReefer said:
I also live in Florida not far from Sebastian inlet where the tide changes every 8 hours so there is always fresh offshore water coming in the inlet I don’t have a yacht but I do have a 20ft mako and a jet ski I have taken off shore I have thought about it the only way I would try is with a new tank which I can’t do right now as I’m at 6 tanks already 125,75,40,bio29,16 and one fresh water 55
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Hey I live in Melbourne beach. It’s like 20 minutes from sebastion inlet
 
Deltec
Not a good idea imho. When you use Ro/di water, there is NOTHING in the water. When you use ocean water, you’ll get all kinds of bad stuff. I live in southeastern Florida. Despite the water looking crystal clear and beautiful, it’s far from clean. When lake okeechobee gets drained, all the fertilizer from the local cane farms gets flushed into our local waterways. This causes green slime, cyano, and Dino (red tide) blooms. You also have people waste. Not to mention cruise ships, which dump their trash and waste directly into the ocean. Yuck! I wouldn’t want that in my tank.
 
Nutramar Foods
SebastianReefer said:
Yep cool I’m in Melbourne all the time at nahackys and mad reefer
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I’m literally 5 minute car ride from Nahackys but I usually go to mad reefer. Do you know any stores down near you? Can’t say I’m happy with mad reefer or nahackys. I feel like John doesn’t really care about growing his business and nahackys is based mainly on freshwater
 
MelReefer said:
I’m literally 5 minute car ride from Nahackys but I usually go to mad reefer. Do you know any stores down near you? Can’t say I’m happy with mad reefer or nahackys. I feel like John doesn’t really care about growing his business and nahackys is based mainly on freshwater
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There isn’t any in Sebastian but I will tell you south of me about 30 minutes is The Fish Store really nice corals and equipment and you can see all of their grow out pieces it’s worth the drive
 
Deltec
SebastianReefer said:
There isn’t any in Sebastian but I will tell you south of me about 30 minutes is The Fish Store really nice corals and equipment and you can see all of their grow out pieces it’s worth the drive
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Just looked it up. Is it the one in port st lucie?
 
Also if you
SebastianReefer said:
There isn’t any in Sebastian but I will tell you south of me about 30 minutes is The Fish Store really nice corals and equipment and you can see all of their grow out pieces it’s worth the drive
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.
SebastianReefer said:
There isn’t any in Sebastian but I will tell you south of me about 30 minutes is The Fish Store really nice corals and equipment and you can see all of their grow out pieces it’s worth the drive
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Also if your ever up near Daytona or you just want a really nice selection of corals Bluewater Reef Aquatics is off the chain now I have been to WWC and all of the big name places and they are nice but this guys prices are amazing and if your a stick head this is the place
 
I too considered doing this when I move permanently to Fl and just alone Observing the amount of people who apply and use suntan lotion was enough alone to say " DONT DO IT ".
 
The first years (17) when I had saltwater, (1968-1985) I used only local sea water and learned how to collect it. You run a risk and I wouldn't do it if you have expensive fish/corals. But there are health benefits though. I collected from the Atlantic, (Chesapeake Bay and Jersey Shore) and the Pacific. (Southern Cal and Baja Beaches and from Puget Sound Piers).
Collect on incoming tides only. Collect when the water is a little rough. Make sure your bucket has a weight on the lip to a.) tip it over and b.) sink it a little. Collect from the end of a long pier. Use a plastic 5 gal gascan. that is food grade. (Most are now). or a bucket with a screw on lid (Cheaper.) Look for signs on the beaches re: to the safety of collecting shellfish and swimming. (That will clue you into unsafe water). ALWAYS test with a specific gravity meter first! Rain water floats! I once hauled 160 pounds of water down the pier to my car and got home and discovered the water was 1.000! (This was after Puget Sound's usual rainy Jan. Watch for creepy crawly's though your fish may love eating them. I always stored my water in the dark sealed airtight for more than a month to kill alot of parasites etc and never had any trouble. Florida bay water also tends to have a lot of parasites. I'm not sure if this is still true but 50 years ago we all knew to take care when we got Florida fish.
 
Depending on the boiling point of the various contaminants, you could consider collecting the seawater and boiling off the water to collect the salt. Though that still leaves the chance of introducing pollutants into the tank if they don't boil off.
 
Tidal Gardens
MelReefer said:
So I just so happen to live across the road from the beach in Florida. Right now I am using Aquaforest but I’m thinking about using seawater. I don’t have any reefs in my area. Is it a good idea and how do I know if the water is good?
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If I had a choice and in the past I used to use real ocean water but I would get it from one of two companies out here in Southern California, my cost would be $0.25 or $0.35 a gallon. Even though it's free I wouldn't bring that ocean water home unless I was 3 or 4 miles out in the ocean and then I would grab some ocean water. Sorry
 
hikermike said:
The first years (17) when I had saltwater, (1968-1985) I used only local sea water and learned how to collect it. You run a risk and I wouldn't do it if you have expensive fish/corals. But there are health benefits though. I collected from the Atlantic, (Chesapeake Bay and Jersey Shore) and the Pacific. (Southern Cal and Baja Beaches and from Puget Sound Piers).
Collect on incoming tides only. Collect when the water is a little rough. Make sure your bucket has a weight on the lip to a.) tip it over and b.) sink it a little. Collect from the end of a long pier. Use a plastic 5 gal gascan. that is food grade. (Most are now). or a bucket with a screw on lid (Cheaper.) Look for signs on the beaches re: to the safety of collecting shellfish and swimming. (That will clue you into unsafe water). ALWAYS test with a specific gravity meter first! Rain water floats! I once hauled 160 pounds of water down the pier to my car and got home and discovered the water was 1.000! (This was after Puget Sound's usual rainy Jan. Watch for creepy crawly's though your fish may love eating them. I always stored my water in the dark sealed airtight for more than a month to kill alot of parasites etc and never had any trouble. Florida bay water also tends to have a lot of parasites. I'm not sure if this is still true but 50 years ago we all knew to take care when we got Florida fish.
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Yup. Tons of bad stuff in our water (The gulf tends to be a tad better though). Your water in NJ would be much better because of temperature. Our water rarely falls below 78°. It’s a perfect temperature for reefs, algae, and bacteria alike. Warmer the water, the better the incubation. The water in NJ is probably around 70° or less during the summer and in the 50° range during the winter. We usually have green slime and red tide blooms in the summer when the water is running in the low to mid 80’s. I’ve even seen it hot as 86° on a fishing trip in the Everglades. I almost melted that day. LOL
 
I have been using it from here in New York for almost fifty years. No problems yet, but I hear after 51 years, problems start to creep in. :rolleyes:

I take it right from the shore where it is like 4" deep. I also don't do anything special to it except strain out the cigarette butts, hypodermic needles and bikini tops.

I throw a bilge pump into the water, and pump it into my Jeep.

 
Deltec
Maybe just set up a 10 or 20 gallon nsw tank for a bit and see how it works? Low investment, low risk. You can experiment to find the best source water location/method.
 
Paul B said:
I have been using it from here in New York for almost fifty years. No problems yet, but I hear after 51 years, problems start to creep in. :rolleyes:

I take it right from the shore where it is like 4" deep. I also don't do anything special to it except strain out the cigarette butts, hypodermic needles and bikini tops.

I throw a bilge pump into the water, and pump it into my Jeep.

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Dude, I'm 51, heee
 
Paul B said:
I have been using it from here in New York for almost fifty years. No problems yet, but I hear after 51 years, problems start to creep in. :rolleyes:

I take it right from the shore where it is like 4" deep. I also don't do anything special to it except strain out the cigarette butts, hypodermic needles and bikini tops.

I throw a bilge pump into the water, and pump it into my Jeep.

Click to expand...
What I can't figure out is how are you calibrating your hydrometer if you can't go to those beautiful islands now and calibrated it. How are you doing that, I wonder
 
Deltec
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IF YOU HAD TO TAKE A REEFING EXAM, WOULD YOU PASS?

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  • Not yet, but I have one that I want to buy in mind!

    Votes: 9 12.9%

  • No.

    Votes: 26 37.1%

  • Other (please explain).

    Votes: 3 4.3%
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