Creating an Ocean in Fort Wayne
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To a fish, water is everything - it provides oxygen, supports the fish's body, and its chemical composition maintains the proper balance for life. At the zoo, we can't pump in water from the ocean, which is hundreds of miles away, so we make our own sea water at the Great Barrier Reef aquarium.
The process begins with 1,100 gallons of tap water poured into a mixing tank and stripped of all additives. "Basically, we take out anything the filtration plant has added to the water [to make it drinkable by humans]," says Gary Stoops, Area Manager for the aquarium. The water runs through a carbon tank, a water softener, and a reverse osmosis filter to exclude microscopic elements and absorb chemicals, a process that takes half a day. The result: purified water that is ready to be converted to sea water.
Sea water contains every natural element on Earth, from the major salts to trace elements. Stoops purchases powdered artificial sea water mix in 80 pound bags. Three bags and a cup of alkaline buffer are dumped into the 1,100-gallon mixing tank, stirred, and allowed to rest for a day before being pumped into a holding tank.
"We'll drain 800 to 1,000 gallons of water from the reef tank or the shark tank, then we pump the new sea water in," Stoops says. "This process helps maintain water quality and remove waste." By replacing only a small percentage of water at a time, the change to the fishes' delicately balanced environment is minimal. Over the course of six months, all 17,000 gallons of the reef tank and all 50,000 gallons of the shark tank are replaced.
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Zoo Recognized for Conservation Efforts
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The Northeast Indiana Sustainable Business Council recognized the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo for its strong resource conservation program with certification as a Bright Green Business at the Two-Star Level (out of a possible three stars).
"As an organization dedicated to preserving wildlife, it makes sense for the zoo to conserve resources every day," said Zoo Education & Communications Director Cheryl Piropato, who chairs the zoo's Resource Conservation Task Force. "Every action we take for conservation, big or small, makes a difference." Recent changes include placing shutoffs on water hoses, installing programmable thermostats, adjusting exhibit filtration systems to use less water, installing skylights to reduce electricity use in animal holding areas, and increased use of recycled paper products.
Join us in our conservation quest - click here for ideas that you can implement at home, work, or school and start making a difference!
Summer Safari Day Camp Registration Underway
Registration for the zoo's popular Summer Safari Day Camp and Spring Break Camp has begun! Zoo members at the BasicPlus, Zoo Friend, Zoo Booster, Safari Club, Director's Circle, and King of the Jungle Levels can register now. All other members and non-members may register beginning February 8.
For details and to register online, click here.
Coming Up
| Now thru Feb. 7 |
Summer Safari early registration for BasicPlus, Zoo Friend, Zoo Booster, Safari Club, Director's Circle, and King of the Jungle members only. |
| Feb. 8th | Summary Safari open registration begins. |
| Feb. 10 | Volunteer Information Fair |
Closed for the Season
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