new interest

Question
I'm in coastal S.C. and would like to set up a new saltwater tank and catch local fish and use local water.  I worked at a bait shop years ago and we would regularly cycle water from the minow and shrimp tanks by adding water from the creek. Aside from clarity issues what would be the draw back to using the water from the creeks near my house?

Answer
Hi Frank,
The use of ocean water and natural sources is quite common in the trade among aquarists in coastal areas. The major problems we run into when doing this are pollutants, toxins, and parasites being imported into a closed system. In small closed systems this can create huge problems near impossible to overcome. The concentrations can become EXTREMELY high in closed systems without constant exchange as they have in the oceans and streams. Clarity issues clear up with filtration and water movement. It may take several days but it does clear up. I lived in Redondo Beach years ago and used the ocean to fill one of my largest tanks then, and after months of cleaning an oily residue off the glass and equipment daily and doubling mechanical filtration it finally got to the point I could place inhabitatnts in the system. I have known many people that have done it without problems, but the risks are there and pretty high. You can get water source test resilts from your local EPA office and water treatment facilities(usually online) that can help you choose your source and lower the risks. You can also can also do some sampling and testing on your own to minimize risks. Whatever source you use, I would run the source water thru heavy filtration before adding animalia. A week to two weeks of filtering through media and lots of carbon(a quarter pound per gallon) will remove most pollutants and toxins. It may be a little extra work but it is cost efficient and does have a built in bacterial population and diversity of life that can take aquarists months to cultivate with mixes. Good luck to you, let me know how it goes!