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Local Atlantic Water
- Thread starter SurfnTurf
- Start date
there's a guy on another board who's done it for years with no adverse affects. Of course he also has a beer can in his tank so who knows. I guess you could call it a literal depiction of the atlantic coastline. 
i think if you are into SPS and sensitive corals -it's probably better to go the synthetic route.
Don't forget the vast majority of corals/fish people purchase are from the pacific. Still it's possible to work.
i think if you are into SPS and sensitive corals -it's probably better to go the synthetic route.
Don't forget the vast majority of corals/fish people purchase are from the pacific. Still it's possible to work.
the ocean is (sadly) a vast dumping ground (sometimes intentional) around the world. The question is - the section of water you plan on getting water from - is it the same or does it carry with it high nitrates (from farm run-off)?
So my point would be if you are going to go this route - might be best to go a few miles off shore to get the water.
So my point would be if you are going to go this route - might be best to go a few miles off shore to get the water.
i would be more concerned about all the phyto / zooplancton that lives in the ocean, that would die in the tank do to differences in conditions.... could just turn into dirty water.... salt is relatively cheap. i wouldn't skimp....
depending on where along the jersey coastline, i'd skim the heck out of it before using that water.
NO NO NO Water BAD!!!
The inshore water is contaminated with all types of run off. The Phos levels are thru the roof. I experimented with it years ago and even the salinity varies. If you must,
only collect on incoming tides, with a south or southeast wind, that blows in deeper cleaner water inshore. Anyway, hair algae, Diatoms, Plague, Locusts!
The inshore water is contaminated with all types of run off. The Phos levels are thru the roof. I experimented with it years ago and even the salinity varies. If you must,
only collect on incoming tides, with a south or southeast wind, that blows in deeper cleaner water inshore. Anyway, hair algae, Diatoms, Plague, Locusts!
ha, that's what I thought. I wasn't asking because I'm too cheap to buy salt but more out of curiosity. I have swum, boated, fished and still surf year round (although this winter is really flat) locally since I was a kid in the 60's, first on the western LI Atlantic but more recently around N jersey beaches and understand that local water quality is variable, from dirty post-rain storm bacteria fests to crystal clear gulf stream currents bringing tropical fish up here to swim around under my board on a crisp fall morning - it all depends upon winds and currents. I just thought that someone out there might be collecting water locally (maybe via boat in clean looking currents) and experimenting to see how natural water works in comparison to synthetic. My guess was that besides the obvious pollutants, that colder water organisms would die when you brought the bucket of seawater up to reef temps, which seems to be what you guys said above. I was also hoping that maybe something new and interesting (not algae based) happened to the tank during the experiment. Where can I read up on the beer can reefer guy?
People used to do it (when there weren't many salt mixes) and they would let it settle in a garbage can for a while, let the plankton settle out. I think there would be a big difference between a couple miles off of Ocean Beach State park, and taking it from the bay side of Sandy Hook. Might get some solids in there, things people throw in the water. Xenia would probably do better Just kidding.
Just kidding.i helped a friend set up his 900 gallon system as u all know salt water can get expensive to make. he was trying to save a couple bucks so i was joking around with him and told him we can go to the beach and get salt water. well he said that was a good idea. off we went to point pleasent inlet with a mag36 pump a small generator a 250 gallon drum and a bunch of 55 gallon drums all plastic. it took about 1 week for the green tint from the ocean water to clear up. we put all his corals and fish in 1 week after filling it. so from me doing it myself i can tell you it works fine we did it on an in tide so the water was the cleanest we could get around here. the only down fall was my f350 pickup was on the bump stops coming home with that much water. very heavy
i swallowed atlantic water once...
...i havnt been the same ever since.
...i havnt been the same ever since.
I'm cheap so if I had the containers I would go and try it..lol..Seriously though do you think synthetic salts are really close to ocean water or do you think there are some elements (literally) missing in the salt? One web site shows 80 elements in ocean water. I agree with REEFLECTIONS in that the tiny critters in the water would die and fowl it..I think thats why almost all the public aquariums use syntheit salt also.
ha, great stuff there, thanks and thanks for that link, beer bottle reefer guy is really interesting (definitely not the sterile type) - excellent story repo man - 1fish2fish; my older brothers/cousins/ and whoever else piled on used to think they were real badass and hold me under until I drank half the ocean, but was fine, in fact the chicks really dig the third arm growing out of my left armpit - puffanatic; the monterrey aquarium uses a real seawater system as a recent upgrade (at least the TV told me so)
i think when the ocean water is cold during the winter most of the trace elements that coral need have been killed from the cold water if u were to do it i would do it during summer when its warm. some company's that make salt that we use in our tanks have things added in to the salt like reef crystals that replace some of the nutrients a healthy reef needs .
N
njstillwell
Guest
You say you surf(AS DO I) so the only time i would get sea water is when that water gets very tropical for those two weeks in the mid summer when that water is crystal clear and blue and even then i would filter it out for maybe a week along with skimming. Down at lbi it usually hits the middle of July so maybe then you can get good water if you read the local times from the shore during the summer like those news papers no one reads they sometimes tell you people are snorkeling and seeing Caribbean fish for those weeks out in the wrecks off lbi
repo man said:
Trace elements don't die.