Live Ocean Water

Saltwater Aquarium Ocean Water

If you live near the coast and have ocean water readily available, you may use it in your saltwater fish tank. After all, what could be better than fresh ocean water in a home aquarium? Natural seawater has proven that it can maintain a wide diversity of species and contains many living organisms not available in synthetic salt mixes. Many hobbyists have had great success maintaining their home saltwater aquariums with water changes directly from the ocean. Remember to never add your aquarium’s waste water or any other creature back into the ocean as this can have terrible effects on the environment! If you plan on using ocean water, collect it in a clean area away from any factories, chemical plants or farms that may dump chemicals into the water. Generally, collect offshore in deeper water away from high traffic boat areas. Before adding the water to your aquarium, run it through some sort of filter to remove any large particles.

Ocean Water Disadvantages

Other hobbyists are strongly opposed to using natural seawater because it may contain impurities and toxins that could harm your aquarium’s inhabitants once confined to a small area. They advocate that Synthetic Salt Mixes should always be used because it reduces the risk of introducing disease and other impurities. For those who don’t have access to ocean water, synthetic salt mixes are more affordable and economical than ocean water sold in boxes on retail shelves.

Salt Mix

Whatever method you select, you now know about the positive and negative effects of using natural seawater. Remember, never dump aquarium water or release animals back into the ocean from your saltwater aquarium!