Moderate Consumption of Reef Water

[Maverick00]

lol, i actually wondered about that myself, after seeing little organisms running around on the glass panes with a handheld microscope.. i stopped "manually siphoning" (after getting a few mouth rinses myself) the same day and now use a pump.

[eli@fijireefrock.com]

the saltwater from your tank is not any better than directly from the ocean,how many of us had swallowed that ocean water while swimming i had it few times as a kid learning how to swim or playing in the ocean.

[eli@fijireefrock.com]

Oh by the way welcome to Canreef.

[cathyg_99]

it wont hurt you even if you were to drink it (dont know why you would) i just dont do it i got a hand pump it just makes me think of creepy crawly's and itchy! ugh!

[Pinnochio5]

Originally Posted by elias

Oh by the way welcome to Canreef.

Thanks! I'm a member of nano-reef.com as well. Disappointed I didn't find this forum earlier, ITS GREAT! Its loaded with as much of the great content as nano-reef.com, plus its Canadian.

you'll only do it a few times before you get to where you dont get a mouth full. I have definitly drank a few shot glasses in the time I have had the tank.

Bottoms up!

[Delphinus]

It's worse to get FW tank water in your mouth. SW just tastes .. well .. salty. Besides, what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger ... right? Something like that anyhow.

Sometimes I use a syringe to start a drip siphon when acclimating someone. For water changes if you're using a siphon hose with a little flapper thing then all you have to do is give the tube a few shakes and the siphon starts.

[abcha0s]

I agree with everyone else that the water is generally harmless; although harmful bacteria can on rare occasion be found in our tanks. The odds are certainally in favor of the water being safe, but not 100% of the time.

I would point out that if there was something bad in your water, spitting it out wouldn't really be much protection from anything. I can think of several analogies to illustrate that point, but I will refrain. Considering the acids in your stomach, bacteria probably has less of a chance of surviving there then it would in your mouth.

I personally start my siphons by sucking on the house, but make your own decision. Don't assume that the water in your tank is harmless just because I haven't got sick from the water in my tank.

- Brad