water collection

[neap]

Do many people collect their own seawater? I collect mine from the mouth of a large river ( Gold Coast seaway) where commercial water suppliers get their water to service LFS. Many other fishkeepers collect their water from here too, so i assume pollution levels are v low.
I have collected water to test my skimmer and have got baby jellys, fish fry and presumably plankton unintentionally.
What should i do with this water when filling a new tank?

TC

 

[tpro]

Hey neap,
You want to store the water in a big container like a plastic trash can in the dark for about two weeks before you use it, to eliminate any troublesome algae blooms and critters before you put it in your tank. Also run a small powerhead in the water to keep it recurculating while it cures.If the water is not polluted it is a good source for natural seawater.

 

[neap]

Hi there tpro,
I've done just that with the water. I filled the bare 125 tank and have run the powerheads and skimmer for a few days prior to setting up. The water tested fine and the skimmer didn't collect anything(boring). It is working a treat now that the tank is set up. Waiting for the in coming tide and collecting near the river mouth did the trick although it did take me 4 trips to fill the tank. Good exercise.
Thanks
TC