Getting Specimens Prepared for Display!

The Collections Department is hard at work getting close to 120 specimens prepared for display in the Water Gallery.  The specimens, which will include Whale Tape Worms, A Squid Tentacle, Starfish, Jellyfish and Urchins, among many others, will all be displayed in one of three ways:  some are being freeze dried, some are being mounted and the rest will be in glass jars containing the fluid preserved specimens.  This may sound fairly straightforward, but there are plenty of logistical issues that staff are in the process of working out.  For example, the specimens which are going to be mounted in display cases have to be very securely anchored in order to withstand the excited visitors crowding around as well as things like stroller traffic through the gallery.  For certain specimens this isn’t a problem, but for others, like the Brown Vase Shaped Sponge (or Acanthascus dowlingi) which has glass fibers sticking out all around it, it is a challenge to come up with a way to safely mount and display the specimens without damaging it. Of course, cost is also a factor so unfortunately the museum isn’t able to build anything too elaborate or custom-made for each of the specimens.

Specimens being prepared for display

For the fluid preserved specimens on display, the challenges are different, but plentiful! The specimens are stored in fluid for conservation purposes, and alcohol has been found to be the best for this because it doesn’t damage the specimens, fog up the display jars or evaporate over time. However, there are building regulations to follow when using a flammable substance like alcohol.  For a space the size of the water gallery, only 30 litres are allowed to be used, which isn’t enough for all of the specimens the museum wants to put on display.  Ethanol is an alternative which will likely work best, although it isn’t perfect!  Ethanol evaporates over time, so staff will have to monitor the levels and refill when necessary.  Now that staff are close to finding a replacement for alcohol, they must now find appropriate containers for the displays.  Not only do the containers have to safely contain the specimen and be leak proof, they have to be clear from all angles so the visitors can actually see inside!  Since some of the specimens will be displayed in a way that the visitors will be looking down on them, this means the lids can’t obstruct that view either, and it’s been a challenge to find a seamless, clear lid for a container with so many other demands too!  Staff have explored many options, including getting samples from a company in England, and will surely get all the problems solved before the exhibit opens in May.  Next time you visit the museum, pay attention to the all the different kinds of displays used and remember all the obstacles they overcame to get there!

Display containers all the way from England!

Under Construction…

The new tank for the freshwater fish is in place, but the turtle tank is still under construction behind the scenes. Whereas the fish tank arrived at the museum pretty much ready to be filled with water, the staff members have taken a more active role in designing and building the turtle habitat. And it has involved a bit of testing and experimentation.

The glass tank, Styrofoam layers, and wooden stump that will form the spotted turtle habitat.

First the staff had to make sure that the materials they ordered, including the glass that will make up the walls of the tank and the glue that will hold them together are not toxic to the turtles. All materials give off some chemicals, and the staff couldn’t just take the manufacturer’s word that the products were safe. So they built a prototype tank in the Animal Care Facility to determine whether or not the turtles could tolerate the components of their new habitat. They also had to design the habitat so that water could circulate through it efficiently – if the water doesn’t flow properly, its chemistry could change, and that would be bad news for the turtles.

Now they are working on making the habitat look like a true “slice of nature.” This means designing the interior so that all of the lights and components of the water filtration system are hidden from view. That way, museum visitors can focus on spotted turtles and not on the inner workings of their habitat.

Canada’s Waterscapes – A Traveling Exhibit

 “Canada’s Waterscapes” is the name of the traveling water exhibit that was on display at the museum until this past weekend.  This exhibit is a branch of The Water Project which includes new school programming from the Education and Research departments as well as the brand new permanent Water Gallery currently being installed in the east wing of the museum. “Canada’s Waterscape’s” covers a wide range of topics including lakes, rivers, oceans, estuaries and stewardship, among others, which all contribute to the overall theme of how vast and varied water sources are in Canada. If you were lucky enough to see the exhibit while it was at the museum, I’m sure you noticed the live fish and frog aquarium that was included too!  This was an added bonus for the display at the Museum of Nature only.  Since this is an exhibit that travels, it would be too stressful on the live creatures to always be changing environments, and moving into new homes.  The frogs and fish that were on display will be moved to “Animalium”, the new section for creepy crawlers that opens in May!

Fish in the live specimens aquarium

Now that staff has packed the exhibit up, they will accompany it on the road to the Biosphere in Montreal and help set it up in its new location. After the exhibit’s stay in Montreal, it’s off to the New Brunswick Museum in Saint John!  The process of packing and shipping an exhibit like this is quite precise.  Care has to be taken to ensure that there won’t be any damage to the exhibit components, like the models of mini ecosystems, wildlife specimens, all the interpretive panels as well as all the hands-on components.  There is a lot to consider!  Ideally each component would have its own custom-fitted case, but this is very expensive so staff use a variety of packing materials like foam, felt and padding to ensure nothing gets scratched or damaged in any way.  This includes ensuring the cases are packed tightly, and the panels are wrapped up properly so there won’t be any damage from the vibrations on the road while it’s being shipped! This is another reason why staff members accompany the exhibits while they’re in transit; to minimize damage that could be caused by the shipping process. When designing a traveling exhibit, it is important to consider all of these factors so that the exhibit will not only be appealing and educational but also that it will durable and travel with ease!

Staff member packing up exhibit components

 

 

The Education Department helps out with The Water Project

The new permanent Water gallery is just one part of a larger water project at the museum.  The Education department is participating by developing new programming and collaborating with teachers across the country to create new learning resources.   “Water in our Lives” is the name of a new school program developed for the grade 2 level that will be offered starting in September. In this program, students learn about water in all its different forms on earth, the water cycle, what people use water for and how much of it we use everyday.  There is also a fun experiment on the surface tension of water that is sure to leave an impression on the students!  First they will have to guess how many drops of water they think can fit on top of a penny before the water starts to spill over the edges, and then they actually get to do it to see how close their guesses were.  (Spoiler alert:  up to 30 drops of water will fit on top of a penny!)  Many of the activities will be done in a take-home booklet, so the kids have a souvenir and are able to keep learning at home.
 
The Education department has also been developing some great teacher resources for grades 9-12.  This is an online project that will be available shortly on the museum website (nature.ca) that includes lesson plans and flash animation that has never been used anywhere else before!  One of the animation videos is based on a paper written by a scientist at the museum, and shows the invasion of Zebra Mussels in the Rideau River over the course of seven years.  It shows how Zebra Mussels will attach to anything (even passing boats, locks, plants!) and eventually take over the river.  Another flash animation video shows the formation of Arctic Ice, from the beginning where it’s nothing but calm water all the way to its final form.  The development of this project was a collaboration between the Education and Research departments as well as the 3D lab, and promises to be very useful to teachers!

Lunch Time in the Fresh Water Aquarium!

Now that a variety of fish are calling the fresh water tank home, the next step is working out the feeding procedures to suit all the different breeds.  With the aquarium being divided into two sides, one side containing larger game fish and the other side containing smaller bait fish, the diet requirements of the different fish need to be considered.  At the moment, all of the fish get fed every two to three days and all of them enjoy smaller fish for their meals!  The bait fish can also eat worms, larva and a variety of other small specimens. In the future, staff plan to introduce breeds like Sun Fish, Rock Bass and Large and Small mouth Bass to go along with the Pike and Black Crappie that live on the game fish side, and Lager Birch, Creek Chubs and small minnow-type fish to live on the bait fish side of the aquarium.  The process of introducing these new specimens, as well as determining their feeding requirements is slow, and involves a learning curve for staff who have to monitor how the fish adapt and the behaviours they begin to exhibit in their new environment.  Some of the fish previously lived in smaller aquaria so it’s expected that in the new larger tank, where there is more territory to defend, the fish may behave differently than before. The logistics of how the feeding will be done once the exhibit opens depends on factors like how all the specimens get along, the number of fish in the tank as well as the temperature of the water.  Did you know that the cooler the temperature of the water, the less the fish will eat?  There is a lot to consider when establishing and maintaining an aquarium like this which includes such a large variety of specimens, but so far everything is on track, and the freshwater aquarium will certainly be an exhibit highlight come the grand reopening in May!

Black Crappie enjoys a Goldfish for lunch

Wild colours in a cool habitat

We tend to associate exotic underwater species with warm climates. But you don’t have to go snorkeling in the Caribbean to see some gorgeous, brightly coloured sea creatures. The cool waters off the coast of British Columbia are home to vibrant animals, some of which will be featured in the water exhibit’s new Pacific Habitat.

Anemones, starfish, sea urchins and other residents of the Pacific habitat hang out as their tank gets its weekly cleaning.

During the Pacific tank’s weekly cleaning, I had a chance to get a closer look at the habitat’s residents, including a variety of anemones in shades of crimson and blue-green. There were also a number of starfish, including a blood starfish that is the most amazing shade of deep red. I witnessed a large pink starfish snacking on a mussel. To feed, it bores a hole through the mussel’s shell with the mouth on the underside of its body, then protrudes its stomach into the shell to digest the fleshy part of the mussel.  The tank is also home to purple and red sea urchins, distant relatives of the starfish. If you hold an urchin in your hand and watch closely, you can see the long spines on its body waving gently.  The spines are a form of protection, but also help the urchin move and feed.

A starfish dines on a mussel.

At first glance, the Pacific habitat may appear tranquil, but take a closer look and you’ll see a beautiful group of aquatic animals that are always active.

Bath time!

Recently, I had the chance to observe as Stacey Tidman in the Animal Care Facility vacuumed, sorted and scrubbed the Pacific tank.

A suction tube removes waste from the gravel in the Pacific tank.

The process starts with emptying some of the dirty water from the tank. The Pacific Habitat is a saltwater tank, so white crusts of salt build up everywhere. These have to be wiped away. Then Stacey fires up a large suction apparatus that pulls the detritus (waste and uneaten food) from the gravel bed at the bottom of the tank.  This sucking tube is equipped with a screen so that no valuable sea creatures (like the worms that live in the gravel bed) end up going down the drain.

The next step is to remove any empty mussel shells. The starfish and sea urchins that live in the Pacific habitat love to snack on mussels, and the Museum staff provide them with a steady supply. The staff leave a few mussel shells in the tank as a source of calcium.

Finally, Stacey scrubs the algae growth off the inside of the tank. There are snails in the habitat that help keep the tank clean by eating algae, but sometimes they need a bit of assistance. Stacey uses a special fibrous mitt to remove the algae from the tank without damaging the Plexiglass.

Scrubbing a week’s worth of algae from the Pacific tank.

But bath time isn’t just a chore; it’s also a chance to get hands-on experience with some really beautiful and fascinating creatures. In my next post, I’ll introduce you to the colourful residents of the Pacific tank.

The Pacific Aquarium Arrives!

The Fresh Water aquarium isn’t the only aquarium in the water exhibit! The Pacific aquarium holds 120 gallons of water and will be the first thing visitors see when they walk in.  Since this aquarium will be situated right at the front, exhibit designers decided that the visitor’s first impression of the gallery would ideally be Zen-like, and really shouldn’t include the loud buzzing and noises made by the aquariums mechanical support.  To avoid this, parts of the mechanical set up will actually be installed above the washrooms just outside the exhibit!  The aquarium and its mechanical support system have just been unpacked and therefore it isn’t installed yet, but once it is up and running it will have specimens like anemones, star fish and urchins amongst many others and will act as a wall between the doors and the blue whale.  Once visitors walk around the pacific tank they will see the blue whale for the first time, and hopefully experience the “Wow” factor that comes along with displaying a specimen that is 65 feet long.  Stay tuned for progress on the Pacific aquarium!

The Pacific Aquarium in the Gallery Entrance

Here fishy fishy fishy fishy…

There are fish in the Fresh Water aquarium!  A few Emerald Shiners have been introduced to the aquarium as part of the process of establishing the biological system, and the fish are doing their jobs well!  Immediately after the fish were introduced, ammonia levels in the aquarium spiked a bit which was expected, since fish naturally excrete ammonia.   However, since then ammonia levels have been dropping which means there is some successful biological activity in the tank that is naturally starting to deal with the ammonia.  No supplements have been added in close to a week which also confirms that the fish are doing their jobs!  Staff will continue to introduce Shiners to the tank until the biological system has been fully established and it is safe to introduce the permanent specimens to the aquarium, which will include clams, mollusks and bass.

Emerald Shiners in Fresh Water Aquarium

            I assumed the process of changing the water in this giant aquarium would be complicated; however after witnessing a water change today I realize it is actually very efficient and well thought out.  Everything is done from the mechanical room and involves turning a few knobs to open and close some shut off valves.  Of course the process is closely monitored to make sure the proper amount of water comes in and out as well as making sure the water is the correct temperature, but the manual labour involved in changing the water is minimal.  The new water that is brought into the tank is just tap water from the city which is very cold and could therefore change the temperature of the aquarium by 2 or 3 degrees, which is stressful on the fish, but also helps level out ammonia.  Monitoring the temperature is important, but again is largely managed by the machines that support the aquarium. Overall, the process of changing the aquarium water is beneficial not only to museum staff but also to visitors because once the exhibit opens it means their visits won’t be interrupted by maintenance work.  Visitors won’t even be able to tell when the water is being changed even when it’s happening right before their eyes!

Getting along with new roommates can be a challenge…Part 2

Last week we met the spotted turtles that will soon be calling the water exhibit home. Now it’s time to meet the freshwater fish and the Pacific habitat fish…

The residents of the freshwater river habitat have presented a bit of a challenge for the Museum staff. This habitat will include a variety of fish species collected from the Ottawa and Rideau Rivers. Determining which species could coexist peacefully in the habitat has been a learning process.  For example, the staff tried to keep a group of large- and smallmouth bass in a tank with a group of Bluegill fish. But the bass decided that the Bluegills would make better snacks than roommates – they ate half of the Bluegill population in one night.  For now, the more aggressive species of freshwater fish are kept in separate tanks in the Animal Care Facility. When the fish go on display, these predatory species will be separated from the less aggressive fish by an invisible Plexiglass barrier that bisects the freshwater aquarium.

Some large- and smallmouth bass daydream about tasty Bluegill fish.

There may be conflict between the freshwater river fish, but the residents of the Pacific habitat are getting along just fine. The Pacific tank, which is already on display in the Museum’s cafeteria, is a biodiversity habitat, meaning that it contains many different species that can live in harmony. The water in their tank is kept at a cool 9 degrees Celsius. This relatively low temperature means that they don’t eat too much (and therefore don’t produce much waste), so a large number of animals can share the habitat.  This tank includes a wide range of vertebrates (including a foot-long gunnel fish) and invertebrates (such as brightly-coloured starfish). Each day, these laid-back West Coast species receive their nutrition in the form of an “algae shake.” It’s not very appetizing-looking, but it seems to hit the spot.

Having a lengthy acclimation period is extremely important for both the animals that will be living in the exhibit and the staff who will be caring for them. It means that that there will be fewer surprises (and fewer conflicts between tank-mates) when the water exhibit goes live in May.