Table 1.
Characteristics of aquarium exhibits.
| Water type | Exhibit (abbreviation) | Temperature (°F) | Salinity (ppt) | pH | Ammonia (mg/L) | Nitrite (mg/L) | Nitrate (mg/L) | Resident animal | Plant | Disinfection system | Sample collection |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freshwater | Colder Great Lakes (GLB) | bbbbb156.6 | 1.0 | 7.20 | 0.02 | 0.010 | 44.8 | Teleosts | Present | UV contact chamber | 4/30/15 |
| Warmer Great Lakes (GLA) | bbbbb263.0 | 0.2 | 8.20 | 0.01 | 0.004 | 5.2 | Amphibians, Reptiles, Teleosts | Present | None | 4/30/15 | |
| Amazon Rising (AZ) | bbbbb383.0 | 0.3 | 7.57 | 0.04 | 0.008 | 14.8 | Elasmobranchs, Reptiles, Teleosts | Present | UV contact chamber | 5/1/15 | |
| Seawater | Oceanarium (OC) | bbbbb158.6 | 30.5 | 7.96 | 0.00 | 0.149 | 451.3 | Marine Mammals | Absent | Ozone | 5/1/15 |
| Wild Reef (WR) | bbbbb277.1 | 34.0 | 8.15 | 0.01 | 0.011 | 43.6 | Elasmobranchs, Teleosts | Absent | Ozone, protein fractionation | 5/1/15 | |
| Caribbean Reef (CR) | bbbbb378.9 | 35.5 | 8.01 | 0.01 | 0.014 | 49.8 | Elasmobranchs, Sea turtle, Teleosts | Absent | Ozone, protein fractionation | 5/1/15 | |
| Stingray Touch before human contact (STA) | bbbbb479.2 | 34.7 | 8.37 | 0.08 | 0.751 | 10.0 | None | Absent | Ozone, protein fractionation | 5/1/15 | |
| Stingray Touch after human contact (STB) | bbbbb579.3 | 34.1 | 8.02 | 0.00 | 0.020 | 36.7 | Elasmobranchs, Teleosts | Absent | Ozone, protein fractionation | 10/9/15 | |
Stingray Touch exhibit is open to the public seasonally from late May to October. Water samples from the Stingray Touch were collected before and after human contact. Except Stingray Touch after human contact collected on October 2015, water quality parameters, including temperature, salinity, pH, ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate are mean values for the period April and May 2015. Water quality parameters of stingray touch after human contact are mean values for the period of October 2015.