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THE SUBMARIUM

A totally new concept in visitor attractions, the Submarium is a dramatic fusion of aquaria and state of the art interactives telling the story of the world's oceans through time, latitude and depth!

KEEPING FISH

Our Aquarists work around the clock to make sure all the fish are as happy and healthy as they can be.

The fish started arriving at The Deep in May 2001. Our Head Curator, Dr David Gibson, travelled the globe to find supplies of species from the world's oceans. He made sure that all species were from sustainable and well managed sources.

The Deep organised the tricky transportation of the fish to ensure the very best conditions. Dr Gibson runs a tight ship here on site to guarantee the very best quality environments for our fish.

All the fish were kept in a secret location in quarantine for several months to make sure that no illnesses were spread between species. Constant observation and routine sampling of the water quality was needed. From November 2001 onwards they were moved into the tanks in the new building at Sammy's Point.

FEEDING FISH

When it comes to feeding the fish there are so many different requirements, it is hard to imagine how detailed the record keeping has to be, which is why The Deep is the only UK Aquarium to employ a specialist science officer. Some fish are herbivores, some omnivores and some carnivores, all requiring something different to eat. The choice of species placed in each tank is carefully selected to make sure that agression and predation do not become a problem.

Aquarists understand the dangers of predators and venomous fish like the Lion Fish whose spikes emit a deadly neuro-toxin when touched.

CONSERVATION AND CORAL

The Deep is an Educational Charity designed to promote a deeper understanding of the world's oceans and help to create a sustainable future for all the oceans of the world. All the staff are dedicated to conservation of these amazing creatures.

The coral in the lagoon tank is not real because it would be very wrong to take large quantities of live coral from the wild reefs. We have set up a Coral Breeding Programme to help safeguard the future of the reefs. These corals can be seen in the Coral Realm.