Exhibit maintenance
Have you wondered how we keep all of the aquariums clean? Unfortunately, our job isn't just working
with
animals—we also have to clean up after them! Aquariums present a few different upkeep challenges, and most of the "cleaning up after animals" is actually just cleaning filtration equipment. (Which is introduced on the
life support page.)
Exhibit access
Some exhibits and aquarium systems may be entirely in the public space, and some organizations even favor this model for most of their exhibits. Traditionally, though, aquariums are
housed outside of the public space in a
service area
. (Also referred to as
"behind-the-scenes".) An aquarium constructed this way allows its aquarist to maintain the exhibit and care for its animals outside of the public area, so work can be done throughout the day. There may be benefits to placing an aquarium entirely in the public gallery from an exhibitry perspective, but service areas allow aquarists to do their work more effectively.
Move the slider to compare a visitor's view of an exhibit to what an aquarist sees behind-the-scenes. Do you see the same giant green anemones?
Removing algae
Windows
Obviously, the vast majority of aquarium exhibits have windows! Even in a well-balanced aquarium system, there will be nutrients that support the growth of algae. In no way is algae on its own an indication that an aquarium or its animals are in poor health—it probably just means its aquarist is actually taking some time off work! But if windows are covered in algae, it impacts a visitor's ability to see the animals.
Modern aquarium windows are not glass, but
acrylic—a transparent plastic also called plexiglass. Older or specific types of aquariums may still be glass, but acrylic allows for unique shapes (like tunnels), thickness (to support deep aquariums), and clarity through saltwater. One of the most common methods for cleaning windows is a utensil you may use at home—a magic eraser! The ones we purchase aren't chemically treated though. This can be used on walls too, especially if they are also made out of acrylic.
Besides magic erasers, other tools used are cotton cloths, doodlebug pads, plastic scraper blades, and extension poles of different lengths that attach to these tools in order to reach deeper areas. Depending on how thick the windows are, we can also use magnets!
Rockwork and walls
If there are artificial rock or coral structures in an aquarium, these are handled differently depending on size. Hand-held brushes are always a likely candidate, but can scale down to toothbrushes and scale up to pressure washers. (Yes, underwater!)
A diver at Mystic Aquarium utilizes a battery-operated scrubber to clean rockwork in a larger mammal exhibit
(from
this video).
Cleaning substrate
Sand or gravel at the bottom of an aquarium quickly gets dirty when animals are eating and pooping above it. Keeping this clean is important in maintaining water clarity and to help interrupt the life cycle of parasites. One easy method is to just stir, which will hopefully move microbes and extremely tiny animals up into the water column and then into filtration. However, a better method is called
gravel vacuuming. In order to accomplish this underwater, sand is jostled inside of a container by the water being pulled through it. There are two primary ways to do this:
In a shallow exhibit like this one, an aquarist "vacuums" the sand using a plastic tube and hose. The water is being pulled through the tube and hose using a
gravity siphon.
In a much deeper exhibit, the other end of the hose can be connected to a pump, which pulls water through the container and hose using electricity. That's some good shtuff that diver is pulling out of there!
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Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium
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