reef tank fed by the sea??

[adam.direct]

I haven't seen any systems with this set up (probably mostly due to location restriction) but to me this seems like a solid way to have a rock solid tank?….. As long as some precautions are taken. sorry in advance for any errors as i am typing one handed (left) and this is one of my first post. please be gentle..
Here is my concept. one would need to live close to the cost (like literally next to the water) one would need a huge tank stocked with all the coolest corals/fish/inverts, with its location inside the house. lets also assume we have access to a basement under the tank or a sizable room adjacent to the display tank that can house any necessary equipment or support system. This tank or sump/support system would then be plumed with a feed and a return line to the ocean. basically you would pump seawater into your system and outflow overflow water back to the sea. lets say you lived 500 ft from the coast and you have buried some some PVC from the water to your home. (the plumbing would be no different than an irrigation system for your lawn) i once lived in Hawaii, which gave me the idea, but didn’t have the time to build and test a system. lets assume the financial part of this concept is not a problem. Now i do not mean, could you spend a million dollars and make it work…… i would hope that for a million dollars, you would have success. what i am after is a realistic option that could be implemnented at a hobby level.
So I pose some questions on the concept of this system. please add your own questions or concerns to consider
thanks
- would it really work? i think with the right set up….. absolutely!!! what is that set up? i guess thats the question. direct connection to tank? holding/conditioning tank then feed display tank? if you are artsy post some diagrams.
- ideal setting would be in a tropical environment where a reef already exist, but could the desired result be achieved in a non tropical environment such as northern California or Washington, maybe North Carolina or Maine? I’m no scientist and don’t know if the chemistry of the water is similar in those areas as a tropical environment? if so then heating/filter incoming water would be essential, what else would one need to consider?
- how much water change over time? continuous? once a day? maybe 20% once a week? guess that depends on the quality of the incoming water. the closer to ideal parameters the more continuous the water change could be. the less ideal the incoming water = the more conditioning needed thus the lower the change rate. thoughts?
- what are some items one would need to be concerned with? contaminants in incoming water biological/hazardous?
- what are the potential benefits to a successful system? cost, no longer need to buy salt, dosing elements, RO system, no longer need to do conventional water changes, stability?