Table 1.
Life support and water quality response summary. n refers to the number of respondents that indicated each response.
| Parameter | Range | Mode (n) | Median | Mean | Total (n) | Survey | Ideal Levels per AZA Manual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Life support system | open, closed, other | Closed (29) | 37 | 1 | |||
| Habitat volume (liters) | 1893–16,389 | 1893 (3), 5678 (3) | 5405 | 6162 | 35 | 1 | >1893 L |
| Temperature range (°Celsius) | 5–14.4 degrees | 35 | 1 | 6.0–12.0 °C | |||
| Average temperature (°Celsius) | 8.8–14.4 | 10 (5) | 10 | 10.4 | 15 | 1 | |
| Average pH or range | 7.4–8.3 | 8 (4) | 19 | 2 | 8.0–8.3 | ||
| Average salinity or range (ppt) | 29–36 | 32 (5) | 20 | 2 | 28–33 ppt | ||
| Nitrate (mg/dL) | 0–29 | ≤10 (4) | 19 | 2 | 0–19 mg/L | ||
| Dissolved oxygen (% saturation) | 90–109 | 90–100 (3) | 8 | 2 | 85–95 % | ||
| Water change percentage | 3–100 | 20 (3), 100 (3) | 19 | 2 | |||
| Water change frequency | Continuous—weekly | weekly (8) | 19 | 2 |
Note for Survey 2 responses: When respondents were given the option to list other parameters, measured parameters included temperature, bromine, phosphates, copper, and alkalinity.