Saltwater used by most biz

[Henry1]

What SW does most LFS/wholesalers use in their operation?
Commercial salt mixes in RO/DI?
Commercial salt mixes straight into tap water?
Natural seawater?

 

[MaryHM]

I use natural seawater piped direct into our facility. But I'd guess I'm one of the few in the country doing that.

 

[flameangel1]

henry,,
retail store here and I only use commercial salt mixes in RO/DI.

 

[Henry1]

Mary, Judy

Thanks for your input.

The reason I asked is one of economy vis a vis quality trade off without compromising the well being & mortality of livestock.

On a commercial scale, although natural seawater is cheaper, the obvious risk is infection.
RO/DI prepared saltwater while rank high on quality certainly contribute a higher overhead.

Mary - how do you treat your water to ensure it is safe for livestock?

Judy - if you could access a reliable supply of natural seawater, will you go for a switch?

I'm about to start a LFS though and reckon such understanding are important.
Look forward to your sharing.

Cheers
Henry

 

[flameangel1]

Henry,,
The higher cost of using RO/DI water and commercial salt mix, FAR outweighs the risks involved in using tap water !!!! You might save money at the "water end", but would spend/lose far more at the fish end.

Being in Central Pennsylvania, I have NO access to ocean water and not sure if I would feel safe using it, even if I did. RO/DI water is very clean and safe.
(so long as one watches the filters and monitors properly )

 

[MaryHM]

We only pipe on an incoming tide. Our saltwater is filtered down to 1 micron, then runs through UV, ozone, carbon for several hours. After that, it is placed in a completely dark reservoir tank until it is ready to be used. I think the fact that our water off the California coast is not tropical helps with disease issues also. Temp averages about 58 degrees F.

 

[danmhippo]

Mary, do you have a link to the system you are using to filter natural seawater down to 1 micron?

TIA

 

[MaryHM]

No, sorry. I think my husband purchased the bags from a science lab supply place.

 

[danmhippo]

Bag? I thought it's supposed to be like a filter machine or some sorts....... 8O

 

[jamesw]

They're called "sock filters" jimmy. They come in all sizes - even down to the 50 micron level or so.

HTH
James

 

[Henry1]

Mary wrote

Our saltwater is filtered down to 1 micron, . . . . . After that, it is placed in a completely dark reservoir tank until it is ready to be used.

Mary, are the 1um filter socks reuseable? How many pre-filtration stages/type before the 1um.
IYE, how long to dark-storage before its considered 'ready' for use.

My intention is to consider using RO/DI prepared SW for corals & inverts and treated natural SW for fish.
My rationale is, corals are more affected by nutrients, algae plaque.
For fish, properly treated SW to render it disease safe will not compromise the quality/wellbeing of fish.

Do let me know if this is not a good idea

Anyone else doing things differently?

Cheers
Henry

 

[MaryHM]

It goes thru a few of the micron bags before it gets to the last one. I'm not sure how many or what size they are- that's hubby's job. The water is in the dark tank anywhere from 4-7 days.