How does the Florida Aquarium get its brackish water?
Exhibits showing brackish habitats are first filled with fresh water, salt water is then added to the exhibit to bring the water to an optimum salinity, between 8 and 10 parts per thousand. When salinity waivers from this optimum it is brought back into balance with the appropriate form of water. Does the Aquarium recycle its water? Both salt and fresh water are recycled through the exhibits after passing through filtration systems. Saltwater is further reclaimed after a backwash (reversing the flow of water through a filter to release lodged particles). It takes anywhere from 3,000 to 5,000 gallons of water per filter to perform a backwash of one filter. It takes a total of 70,000 gallons of water for a full backwash of all 14 filters. This water is transferred to two, 34,000 gallon reservoirs and allowed to settle for one to two days. At this point it is filtered with a sand filter, ozonated, and aerated. Once completed it is ready for use.
