seawater

[quiksilver]

does anyone here use sea water straight out of the ocean for their tanks?

[plah831]

see my response in this thread
http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=78874&highlight=ocean+water+filtered

[plah831]

also just wanted to add that Marine Labs (such as the ones where I've worked and studied) use flow-through, which means fresh seawater is filtered and run through our tanks. In essence, then, the aquaria in the labs become an out-pocketing of the ocean.

This is different, though, because these are not home aquaria. The animals were obtained from that source water, so they are accustomed to those conditions. This is in contrast with your home tank where the animals are not native to those waters, and might possibly be exposed to pollutants, diseases, and parasites unknown to them.

I'm not trying to sound mean. I just want you to know the risks, and make a decision that's best for your fishes' health.

[quiksilver]

i have visted a place that took there water straight from the ocean and just filterd it through sand, no chems nothing. they also used natural light. it was very impressive.

that link sorted it all out.

[plah831]

i have visted a place that took there water straight from the ocean and just filterd it through sand, no chems nothing. they also used natural light. it was very impressive.

yeah, at most display aquariums like the Baltimore Aquarium or Monterey Bay Aquarium, they don't even filter the water because they want the natural invertebrates and larvae that come in to help feed their tanks and populate the displays with natural encrusting organisms and stuff. At Marine Labs where I work, the filter is a cursory sand filter, like you said, just to get large particles out.

Man, I wish that one day I would be rich enough to have my home tanks on flow-through :) Yeah, right, here's dreaming.