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.

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.