Symposium Theme Abstracts
A New Approach to Renovation: LSS, Electrical and Automation
Laurie Kormos & Matt Hoard, Steinhart Aquarium, Marine Mammal Center Watch Video (Login required) Full Abstract
An overview of the holding and quarantine room improvement project at the California Academy of Sciences, Steinhart Aquarium. This project utilizes programmable automation to improve the ease of use and animal safety of the holding and quarantine Life Support Systems. The core principle of the design is to couple the biologists input and experience with simple automation, to mitigate the most common causes of mortality in a holding environment. In addition, the automation allows greater productivity for the attending biologist, prevents accidental draining of the systems, prevents overflowing during refilling, and provides real-time 24/7 electronic monitoring and remote notification to alert staff when parameters are out of range. From Otters to Penguins: Exhibit Modifications for the Florida Sun - George Tenhagen and Ivonne Vazquez (Busch Gardens Tampa) Exhibiting Asian Clawed otters in an open air exhibit in Florida presents its own challenges. Maintaining good water quality and an acceptable water temperature in an open air exhibit swathed in the Florida sun with underwater viewing just to name a few. Now imagine changing the exhibit to display African Penguins, those cool water loving stars of today. This 9000 gallon Busch Gardens Tampa exhibit was designed for future modifications but can it handle this animal change? How do we cool the water to an acceptable temperature? What filtration modifications should we make? How do we modify the display to provide an acceptable environment for the African Penguins? Anticipating organic loading and how to handle future algae issues? These are some of the problems we reviewed and sought to mitigate with our up front design and display modifications. |
Polyvinyl Chloride Heat Separation Phil Argiros, Long Island Aquarium Watch Video (Login required) Full Abstract
The Long Island Aquarium has 47 aquatic exhibits, hundreds of thousands of gallons of water, and miles of associated polyvinyl chloride plumbing (PVC). With yearly new expansion construction and constant maintenance operations, new challenges and situations arise from time to time. There’s always a plumbing project ongoing. There are several options to repairing, altering, adding onto, or redirecting PVC pipelines. Some processes include: the four elbows method, unions, couplings, various glue on patches and epoxies, compression fittings and heat separation. Some ways are common, all are fairly simple. The one that we will be focusing on here is heat separation: a process that separates glued PVC joints with the application of heat and the use of hand tools. This has been used many times in many different areas of the Long Island Aquarium and has proven itself very valuable and useful. Actual monetary value and time savings will be expressed. |
Chlorine Monitoring Utilizing
ORP and PPM: A Case Study Joel Yankie, Columbus Zoo and Aquarium Watch Video (Login required) Full Abstract
At the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium’s Polar Frontier exhibit, a secondary 7,600 gallon freshwater polar bear pool is oxidized using Sodium hypochlorite solution. Over time it was determined that the free chlorine monitoring and injecting system was not maintaining stable chlorine levels in this pool. Regularly the probes were cleaned and recalibrated but did not remain stable for long. Considerations were made regarding other water quality parameters, probe range and manufacturing. Because all other chlorinated systems at the zoo were monitored by ORP controls, it was decided that this method would be evaluated on this system. This presentation analyzes free chlorine stability utilizing methods of ORP and PPM for monitoring and injection and is guided by a discussion and review of chlorine and ORP probes and theory. |