Lowestoft Experimental
Aquarium
The Lowestoft Aquarium is
able to provide aquatic animal
facilities for a range of
experimental designs and
conditions. As a licensed
Aquaculture Production
Business, Lowestoft Aquarium
is capable of breeding, rearing
and maintaining a range of
aquatic animal species from
around the globe.
Husbandry Facilities
The Lowestoft Aquarium consists of 59 fixed
flow-through tanks with a total volume of
approximately 200,000 litres. In addition, there
are areas that allow for bespoke tank and
aquaria set ups that significantly increase the
total volume and capability. All tanks can be
supplied with seawater and most can also be
supplied with dechlorinated fresh water.
Temperature control is available for most of the
tanks and all tanks have a supply of filtered
compressed air. The current facilities are split
into three main sections with an additional
‘quarantine’ facility. Each section is flexible, able
to be reconfigured to suit almost any
requirement.
The Raceways
The Raceways are the main holding area of
native marine fish and invertebrate broodstock.
This area consists of two 30m³ marine ‘raceway’
tanks, ten 1.5m³ GRP external tanks and three
rooms with flexible tank configuration. The area
is supplied with pressurised air, de-chlorinated
freshwater, ambient and chilled seawater from
our own beach wells.
The Hatchery
The Hatchery is designed for the rearing of eggs
and larvae harvested from our broodstocks. The
Hatchery is split into the hatching room, where
eggs are hatched and yolk-sac larvae reared,
There is an active Animal Welfare and Ethical
Review Body (AWERB) which meets regularly
and Cefas employ a fish vet who contributes to
the AWERB and provides external authoritative
advice as required.
Staff Experience
The staff at the Lowestoft Aquarium have a
range of experience with different species from
scientific, retail and public aquaria backgrounds.
These species include;
and the rearing room, where post yolk-sac
larvae are reared on to their juvenile life stages.
The hatchery also holds our live feeds
production area, producing a range of
phytoplankton and zooplankton.
Experimental Facility
The experimental facility comprises seven
controlled temperature rooms and one large
tank room. All of the controlled temperature (CT)
rooms have a flexible lay out to enable a variety
of tank configurations. All of these rooms have
air supply, ambient seawater, chilled seawater,
and de-chlorinated freshwater. The largest CT
room also has access to heated seawater and
freshwater. Each CT room can be chilled to 1°C.
There is a Kriesel Tank for the rearing and
husbandry of Jellyfish.
Temperate freshwater species:
• Salmonids
Eels
• Carp
Temperate marine species:
• Cod
European bass
• Turbot
Plaice
• Sole
Spurdog
• Conger eel
Amphioxus
Invertebrates:
• European lobster
• Edible crab
Hermit crab
• Whelks
Brown shrimp
• Jellyfish
Cuttlefish
• Hard/soft corals
The large tank room holds a 13m³ flume tunnel,
a swim tunnel respirometer and a choice
chamber system. The room is flexible and is
able to hold large pieces of equipment.
Tropical species:
• African/South American Cichlids
• Tilapia
Pangasius
• Lungfish
Discus
• Clownfish
Catfish
• Seahorses and pipefish
• Lionfish
• Tropical shark and rays
Licenses and Regulations
Enquiries
The Lowestoft Aquarium is authorised to operate
as an Animal Production Business (APB) by the
Fish Health Inspectorate (FHI) and is also
licensed by the Home Office (HO) to carry out
regulated procedures under the Animals
(Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA). As
such it is regularly audited and inspected by
both departments, and internally, to ensure
compliance with the license requirements as
stipulated by the FHI and HO.
For further information on our Lowestoft
aquarium facilities, please contact Samuel
Roslyn via [email protected].