OK, so... we just can't bring ourselves to let go of the hobby, despite wanting to live next to the ocean so we can swim in it every day. We won't take the large tanks (too much work, too expensive, etc) but we'll take a couple of nanos just for fun and stock them with local fish and corals. Here's my question - has anyone lived near an ocean and 'harvested' their saltwater from it? Is it as easy as hauling it home and putting it in the tanks, or is it more complicated?
harvesting saltwater
- Thread starter FinsUp
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we used ocean water when i lived in cali... we had a guy go out about a mile and fill huge tanks to deliver to us. I also knew a guy that lived right on the coast in carmel beach near monterey that had a pipe ran right to the ocean...he did weekly water changes directly from the ocean...right on the coast.... he never worried about pollutants. id say that if you had access to a boat, grab water direct from the ocean.
You can get parasites too. Some people run NSW through UV. Some do not. There are tons of threads on this on RC that you can read.
On the good side, the NSW can have rotifers and other plankton that can help feed your coral, and pollute your tank. ...good thing that NSW is plentiful.
Test it. You still might have to supplement depending on the area where you get it. The baja ocean is not as "reefish" as the caribbean, pacific or hawaii.
On the good side, the NSW can have rotifers and other plankton that can help feed your coral, and pollute your tank. ...good thing that NSW is plentiful.
Test it. You still might have to supplement depending on the area where you get it. The baja ocean is not as "reefish" as the caribbean, pacific or hawaii.
1- I'm not a fan of RC. Many in this club are not. They might have some good info, but it isn't worth the irritation to me to weed through the attitudes to find it.
2- yes, real seawater is undoubtedly natural.
3- Well, duh. Of course we'll test it, but I'm sure it's fine. Most of the corals we saw were SPS, so I'm not quite sure what you mean by 'not as "reefish" '
2- yes, real seawater is undoubtedly natural.
3- Well, duh. Of course we'll test it, but I'm sure it's fine. Most of the corals we saw were SPS, so I'm not quite sure what you mean by 'not as "reefish" '
Cindy my travels around the world collecting fish I've found that some areas where freshwater is a "high commodity", that filtered saltwater is used to flush toilets. If you're in an area that dose maintain a sewer system and uses saltwater it can be a huge asset to maintain a saltwater aquarium! When I was on Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands (1991 and 1993), I set-up several tanks for people doing this method and it worked fantastic. Just "tap" into the incoming water going to the toilet with a control valve and the "out going" water into the sewer line!
Cortez water is colder and also has different trace and major minerals than the seawater that is in our tanks. This is why you don't see any baja corals in the trade - they just don't do very well in a tropical reef environment and I have never seen a synthetic salt just for baja/cortez inhabitants. ...same with some of the reef fish from there like catalina gobies. It is a reef, it is just not the same.
If you were wanting a cortez-ish tank, then my apologies. If you were wanting a south pacific/caribbean reef, then the NSW will need some work. A colder water cortez/baja tank would be really cool if you could get corals from there.
You might have to rely on RC or R2R in the future. They have members that live there and could really help.
If you were wanting a cortez-ish tank, then my apologies. If you were wanting a south pacific/caribbean reef, then the NSW will need some work. A colder water cortez/baja tank would be really cool if you could get corals from there.
You might have to rely on RC or R2R in the future. They have members that live there and could really help.
We will be harvesting fish and corals from the sea of cortez for the tank, also. So yes, it will be a cortez tank.
It's interesting that you say the Cortez water is colder. I found it to be warmer than the water in the Caribbean (Jamaica, Belize, Bonaire, St. Maarten, Abaco, and east coast of Mexico), and off the coasts of South Africa, Israel, Spain, and Portugal. Probably not a shock to anyone that it was warmer than Icelandic waters. It was the first time I ever entered the ocean and had it feel noticeably warm, much like bathwater or a cool hot tub. Everywhere else I ever got in the water it was chilly, and took some getting used to. Stepping into the water in Cortez was shocking only because it was so warm, and I wasn't used to that.
I far prefer R2R to RC. Will look into what they have for info there. And, it's a small peninsula, so if there are other hobbyists down there, I'm sure we'll find them.
It's interesting that you say the Cortez water is colder. I found it to be warmer than the water in the Caribbean (Jamaica, Belize, Bonaire, St. Maarten, Abaco, and east coast of Mexico), and off the coasts of South Africa, Israel, Spain, and Portugal. Probably not a shock to anyone that it was warmer than Icelandic waters. It was the first time I ever entered the ocean and had it feel noticeably warm, much like bathwater or a cool hot tub. Everywhere else I ever got in the water it was chilly, and took some getting used to. Stepping into the water in Cortez was shocking only because it was so warm, and I wasn't used to that.
I far prefer R2R to RC. Will look into what they have for info there. And, it's a small peninsula, so if there are other hobbyists down there, I'm sure we'll find them.
