BMSC is one of the few marine research facilities that can successfully house sensitive organisms.
BMSC’s seawater system supplies 3,000 litres of high quality seawater per minute to all areas of the Centre. Seawater is pumped from 30m below sea level to 97,000 litre holding system. Aquaria throughout BMSC are then fed by gravity in a one-way flow-through system.
Our flow-through freshwater system consists of a 120,000 litre holding tank for de-chlorinated fresh water. Currently, two freshwater wells are under construction and will provide unchlorinated freshwater to laboratories in the main building and fluid dynamics lab facility.
Our total aquaria space exceeds 800 m2, with a wide range of tank options, available both indoors and out. Our largest seawater aquarium is the “Cable tank”, an 9-meter diameter, 2.4-meter deep tank, having a volume of about 140,000 litres. The cable tank holds dogfish for our visiting researchers, and has been used in the past to study herring acoustics.
Laboratory-grade water is also available; both reverse osmosis or glass distilled (water distilled from an all-glass still and is free of metals and other trace contaminants) water treatment is available on site.
Contact the Head of Research Services for your specific aquaria requirements.