The Plankton Lab contains 5-gallon tanks that are used for experiments on single specimens, to culture small species, or for experiments in behavioral traits. They are capable of the same level of control as the large tank array in the Aquaculture Lab. An AHAB system containing linked one-gallon tanks is used to culture small organisms, and a large optically-clear Plexiglas tank with available high-speed digital camera system can be set up to approximate meso-scale systems to study fish behavior
The fish fisheries laboratories are among the most technically advanced aquaculture laboratories on the Great Lakes today. Both the Aquaculture Lab and the Plankton Lab can use either lake water or de-ionized city water to run experiments. In the Aquaculture Lab, two sets of (8) 200 gallon tanks hooked together in series can provide scientists with either flowthrough or re-circulating conditions for fish rearing. Water can be filtered with both charcoal and biologically active media, as well as with ultra-violet sterilization. Further, water can be chilled to near-freezing, and, following completion of the current renovation in the water treatment room, we will be able to accurately heat water in this lab, including different temperatures into different tanks simultaneously. Diet studies benefit by the use of automatic feed dispensers above each tank. These are fully programmable to control both the amount of food dispensed as well as the frequency of feeding. Light is another variable that can be fully controlled in this room. Through the use of 24 super actinic bulbs, we are able to more accurately simulate natural sunlight encountered by fresh and saltwater organisms. In order to monitor and keep a historical record of lab activities, we have installed an Aquanode© water monitoring system. This system monitors and records oxygen, temperature, pH, redox, and conductivity of lab water and can be controlled from a modem connection. All control systems in the lab can be operated remotely through the internet. An alarm may also be employed which will notify a researcher (via a phone or pager) if one of the variables goes above or below a pre-set value.
