Natural Sea Water?

[Salty Yogi]

Hi everyone, I see many posts on which brand of synth water ...etc. Does anyone go to the shore and take a few 5 gal buckets or jerry cans? When I lived in SFLA most Reef stores sold natural sea water by the gal, like 1.5/gal i think? some of us took water off the beach as part of our visit. The stores were served by a nice cuban man with a old tanker truck, he would go to the local pier and pump out a truck load then distribute to those of us who could afford a visit by him or our favorite store.

I'm making water now, with RO and all the right stuff and it seems ok so far. just thought i'd put it out there.

 

[ReeferNets]

If you go to petco you can buy water from one of the companies who are leading in the use of NSW and its filtration.

Its called catalina water company. They have been doing it for years.


About two years ago petco asked them to package the water in their boxes. I have been using it with great results. I wouldnt recommend it for anyone who has to do a 20 or more gallon water change.

 

[Nickjr000]

The bottled water is good stuff from what i heard, but it's too expensive for me

 

[whitebear1020]

I use PETCO water as well. I could never get the right salinity and don't have space for the buckets to sit overnight to dissolve the salt properly. I have been using it for two years and works well for me. I tested a few containers, all tests were within the norm. PETCO water is the least expensive around here ... you can find it cheaper online, but shipping charges are high due to the weight. I read about people in LA using natural sea water. There is a huge difference with NJ shore. I think fish will get upset if you use it ;D I wonder if anyone tried testing our water, I would be curious to see results.

 

[9supratt4]

Just going to the shore and filling buckets can be bad news!!

The shoreline, the bay, off the piers....thats where all the gunk builds up. Now if you had a boat and went 10 miles or so off the shore, then thats where the clean, healthy water is.

 

[Salty Yogi]

Hey everyone, thanks for the tips, I happen to have a petco down the street. I'll check it out! Next time i go surfing i'll grab a liter or so for testing and see just how sweet our nj water is!

Thanks again -

 

[Hawkeye]

lol - it's not as sweet as miami - that's for sure!!!!

 

[reeferwanabe]

last year I tested some right off allenhurst jetty.
All parms were dead on including nitrates.
never use it and if I were to use it I'd check each time before I scooped it up. In the middle of summer its different than other seasons due to heat.IE algae blooms fertilizer run offs etc. winter, spring, late fall I would not have a problem using it.

 

[twisted]

my boss has had a tank for about 15 years now and since the beginning, has used natural water. he fills 25 gal containers from the inland waterway in stone harbor, lets it sit and settle, and siphons the water into another container leaving the crud on the bottom. the salt is .022ish so he adds a little salt and aerates it before going into his tank and thats it. his tank is pretty nice and has some killer rose nems,blasto,acans....ive never seen algae issues in his tank, though some familiar sponges pop up occasionally. im not saying i would do it this way, but his method hasnt let him down since he has owned the tank. i think the biggest part to consider is the fact that the micro orgs in our water are different than those in the trops. reefs have thier own immunities to things on the reef, not our area. its a risk id rather not take. make your own or buy it premade from a reputable company

 

[Paul B]

I have been taking it from a beach or my boat for almost 40 years, no problem yet.
Maybe in 41 years there is a problem ???