real salt water vs man made

[queenfish]

Hi Guys, i am new to the world of salt water fish. I previously had a big Mangrove Jack in a 6ft tank that was full salt water; the aquarium i got him from always used to make me up everything i needed so I never really fully understood everything I was putting into the water. My question is if real salt water from the sea is actually better than salt water made with chemicals? what would be the pros and cons of both?
I have a new fish; Fred is a 40cm estuary cod and at the moment he is in a tank that has been filled up with real sea water as my parents live on the canals on the Gold Coast. I will be moving him to my house soon but wonder if changing everything over to salt water made up by chemicals will effect him?

 

[lbcathee]

Hi and welcome to the site!!! Usually saltwater from a mix is cleaner and a bit more stable than directly from the ocean.

But to be honest I don't know anything about that fish. Does it need brackish water or full salt?

 

[bjohanson1234]

The biggest problem with natural salt water is the contaminants that you could be introducing into your tank. I have heard that if you do use natural sea water, that you get it from a few miles out to sea so that the contaminants have been diluted. This usually makes it impractical to do. Another factor that you have to consider is that you could introduce parasites into your tank that could kill your fish.

However, it is free versus having to mix your own. So you have to figure out what is best for your situation.

In my case, living so far inland, I have to make my own water.

 

[RockStacker]

The biggest advantage of mixing your own saltwater is that you have control of what goes into the mix.
1. You control which brand to use, and therefore decide which ratio of trace elements go into your mix.
2. You control what water you use, and therefore decide the chemical makeup of the water before you start mixing.

"Free" seawater may seem appealing at first.
But even if you live at the beach, the fuel cost of hauling seawater out from several miles off-shore will get old really fast.

 

[sen5241b]

No man made sea water mix has ever perfectly duplicated seawater. The massive 30,000 marine tank in San Francisco pipes water 6 miles across land from the ocean's edge. They filter pollutants out and I would strongly guess subject it to double UV to kill any parasites in it.

 

[cvcdrk]

That is also a cost issue since the cost of marine salts is fairly steep, especially when you need 30k gallons worth.

In the end, it is a terrible idea to use water from a canal for an aquarium. Canal water is going to be some of the most polluted seawater available.

I would mix the water yourself. The added cost of the salt offsets the time and effort going way out to sea to find non-polluted water.

 

[Ted]

If you really have a need for real ocean water they do sell it but its expensive. It also says on the box low nitrates....WTF I want no nitrates thank you very much.