Facilities

MARFU has a team of dedicated staff with a combined 42 years of experience to assist in all facets of research aquarium system design, construction and maintenance.

Staff can assist and advise on the most appropriate selection of tanks, instrumentation and sensors, pumps and life support system components to maximise research outputs for minimal costs. Where practical, the use of existing equipment, tanks and infrastructure can be utilised to minimise the cost of a new system build.

Our onsite workshop provides convenient access to a vast array of PVC and poly fittings and pipe at wholesale prices. Staff can assist in the construction of custom PVC and Acrylic tanks in addition to design and construction of all other system components.

At the heart of the facility is the Direct Digital Control (DDC) system which monitors all aquaria within the facility 24/7, sending on-call staff alarm messages to notify them of system irregularities or issues. Numerous sensors provide ‘live’ data on system parameters and can be accessed by researchers from anywhere in the world. Researchers can also turn appliances or instruments on and off or start and stop processes remotely via a web page. Data logging to a secure database is also available.

System automation can be achieved on many levels including photo-period, diurnal fluctuations in temperature and pH, and simulated weather events such as tidal inundation and heatwaves.

Our staff pride themselves on their ability to design and create experimental systems made to suit researchers' needs and the welfare of their animals.

Aquarium system builds and advice

Some examples of research treatments that are currently operating at MARFU:

• Future predicted ocean temperatures including marine heatwaves
• Replication of diurnal temperature fluctuations to a tolerance of (±0.05˚C)
• Seasonal conditioning and spawning of broodstock
• Endocrine manipulation