Original: 20210422
Last revised:20250720
Location: University of Rhode Island, Center for Biotechnology and Life Sciences, Aquarium Room 70
This specific page serves as a user manual to Wetlab pertaining only to the Putnam Lab. This aquarium room is a shared space between different labs hence be mindful while utilizing this space and resource.
PUTNAM LAB: WETLAB AQUARIUM INTRODUCTION AND SETUP
The Putnam Lab CBLS tanks are used for dynamic marine invertebrate projects facilitated by Putnam Lab members. The tanks offer a way for students to investigate methodology pertaining to research questions, monitor water quality, learn aquacultural techniques, and conduct vital research in marine invertebrate systems.
To ensure accurate results, water quality is assessed within the tanks through various measurements that include; temperature, salinity, pH, and total alkalinity.
This manual serves as a baseline for lab members, interns, visiting scholars.
- Introduction
- Room Layout and Equipment Overview
- Tank Descriptions and Designated Uses
- Electrical System
- Plumbing System
- Water Quality Testing and Maintenance Protocols
- Access and Key Control
- Safety Guidelines and Emergency Procedures
- Marine Organism Care and Handling
- Preparing tanks for usage DI and Salt Mixing Procedures
- Data logging and Recordkeeping
- Protocols frequently used by the Wetlab team
- Troubleshooting and FAQs
- Appendices and other Information
- Contact Information
Room Layout and Equipment Overview
When you enter the Aquarium Room, one side of the doors houses the tanks and storage area, while the other side is used by other labs for experimental work and includes a sink for freshwater use and everyday laundry tasks.
The Putnam Lab features the folloiwng Tanks:
- DI (Deionized Water) Tank
- Salt Mixing Tank
- Header Tank
- Blue Tanks (2)
- Display Tank
Here's a map to understand the setup better:
Other supporting equipment like the pumps, LED lights and filtration systems are an individual component of each tanks. Equipment currently not in use, or in excess, is stored either in the storage area in the aquarium space or in the loading dock storage room. If and when needed, the loading dock storage room could be accessed via a key present in the lab. If you do not know where you can find the loading dock storage, you can take a look at the map below.
For Electrical System and Plumbing System overview and troubleshooting take a look at the respective components for detailed information.
Tank Descriptions and Designated Uses
The system we built in the wetlab is a closed loop aquarium system wherein the water is circulated within our blue tanks and filtered in our header tank. The artificial seawater for this system comes from DI water mixed with a special salt in a salt water mixing tank.
1. DI (Deionized) Tank
- DI Tanks
- The main uses of the DI tank is to supply clean water for salt mixing and DI water dosing for evaporation.
- The DI tank is connected to the mixing tank, as well as the header tank and can be pumped to either by a pump and valves.
- Before the DI water enters either of the tanks, it goes through a complex filtering system.
2. Salt Mixing Tank/Mixing Tank
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The salt mixing tank is used to make the salt water using the Fritz Reef Pro Mix Salt mixed with DI water.
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For information about making the saltwater take look at the salt mixing protocol and the Fritz salinity calculator.
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Pump the desired amount of DI water from the DI tank to the mixing tank and add the necessary amount of salt to obtain 35psu
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For example: Adjusting the salinity of 150 gallons of water to 35 ppt will require 47.4 Lbs of Fritz Reef Pro Mix Salt
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Mix the salt and water in the mixing tank for ~24h and check salinity before use
Make sure you always check the salinity of the mixing tank and the other tank that you want to add the saltwater into. If the salinity of mixing tank is >35.3 psu, add some DI to the mixing tank and let it mix for some time and take a reading for the salinity of the tank after two-three hours.
3. Header Tank
The header tank is a rectangular black tank on the floor next to the blue coral tanks in aquarium room. It holds live rock and a protein skimmer and acts to filter water. Here saltwater and DI water can be added to replace water lost to evaporation or used in the system. The water in the header tank continuously mixes with the blue coral tanks
The header tank is the only tank which is dosed by different components like the alkanity reagent, calcium, nitrogen, phosphorous as well as DI which is then circulated through the blue coral tanks.
The header tank has two additonal components like the protein skimmer and the sock filter. The Protein Skimmer is a filteration device needed to get rid of the dissolved organic compounds present in the water. The sock filter takes out the debris and big particles thus also filtering the system.
4. Blue Coral Tanks
In the wetlab, the tanks that house the corals are these two big blue rectangular tanks which are divided into the blue tanks 1, 2, 3 and 4. Each blue tank had additional components like the lights, pumps, and apex probes which measure the salinity, temperature and the pH.
Note: For more detailed information about all the tanks, its working, cleaning and troubleshooting look here.
5. Display Tank
In addition to all the major tanks, a small display tank has been installed for educational and outreach purposes. Among all of the tanks, only the blue tanks and the display tank currently house marine invertebrates.
Water Quality Testing and Maintenance Protocols
We use various ways to test the quality of the water in our systems and different tanks.
In general, everyday we take daily measurements of the header and blue tanks to check if the expected quality is attained. For that, we take measurements like salinity, temperature and pH. To know the process of taking the daily measurements go through this protocol.
Additionally, there are extra test kits to test the levels of nutrients and other parameters which can be utilized as a resource to cross reference the probes or protocols which we test in the lab.
Access and Control to the Wetlab
The aquarium room is located on basement floor closer to the loading dock in Room 70. Access to the Aquarium Room requires a key, which can be found in the PPP Research Lab (Rooms 188 and 190). The key is located on the cabinets positioned at the center of the seating area.
In order to have access to the PPP lab and loading dock please contact Hollie Putnam at hputnam@uri.edu for assistance.
Please note: There are two keys in the PPP lab for accessing the aquarium room. Kindly only use Putnam Lab assigned key for access and make sure to return it back at the end of the day.
Safety Guidelines and Emergency Procedures
Every member of the lab goes through the lab safety training before starting to work in the lab. The information about the trainings could be found here and additonal information about the laboratory resources here.
Marine Organism Care and Handling
Proper handling and care is crucial for the marine organisms in order to avoid threat and minimizing stress. It is also necessary to handle them carefully for their overall health and maintenance of the tanks. Below are some of the things to be considerate about:
- Always rinse your hands thoroughly and ensure they are free of any chemicals before placing them in the aquarium tanks.
- Daily wet lab duties often involve the use of chemicals for tasks such as equipment or laundry cleaning and nutrient testing. These substances can potentially enter the aquarium system, so always exercise caution and be mindful when handling any chemicals.
- Whenever you are handling organisms, handle them underwater to minimize stress and potential harm.
- Be gentle while moving things around and in the aquarium system to avoid disrupting smooth operations of the tanks.
- Familiarize yourself with the daily requirements of the aquarium system, including proper lighting, target salinity, pH, temperature, and adequate water flow. If any of these parameters appear abnormal, promptly contact the PI or lab manager for troubleshooting procedures.
- Be mindful of spacing within and between coral crates and plugs to ensure adequate room for coral growth, and to prevent overgrowth and aggressive interactions.
- Some of the corals or invertebrates we work with produce more mucus when handled. If you'd prefer to minimize direct contact, you’re welcome to wear protective gear such as gloves.
- Make sure your hands are dry before touching any electrical equipment, and avoid letting water drip or spill between tanks to prevent electrical hazards or malfunctions.”
Preparing tanks for usage DI and Salt Mixing Procedures
In order to carry out any experiments or managing the aquarium systems, always make sure before that there is enough DI and saltwater avaliable for your use and some reserve for the tanks. If you think, the avaliable reserve is not sufficient, please reach out to the person managing the wetlab if you are not sure about the working of the tanks. If you have been trained on that, you can go through the tank information and salt mixing protocol to proceed.
Data logging and Recordkeeping
Here are some frequently used data logging links which are useful to the wetlab team.
- DI Water Usage Tracking- Helps you track your DI water usage along with cleaning track of the DI system.
- Salt Mixing Tank Usage- Enables you to track your mixing tank usage.
- CBLS Google Drive includes photos, videos, room maps, and notebook photos which you might need to either access or upload wetlab notebook pictures into.
- Daily Measurements Tracking CSV of water quality tracking data. This is also where you would be updating daily measurements from the wetlab.
- Putnam Lab Inventory- Gives you recently updated inventory list of all the different spaces of the Putnam Lab.
- Cumulative Daily Measurements
- Daily Measurements of the Past Month
Protocols frequently used by the Wetlab team
The following protocols are used by the team to maintain and operate the equipment and components in the aquarium room.
- Salt Mixing Protocol useful for salt mixing.
- Titrator Protocol for carrying out titrations from the blue tanks.
- Orion Handheld Sensor Protocol to calibrate the Orion Star pH/conductivity portable multiparameter meter that we use for daily measurements.
- Apex Calibration Protocol which us used for calibrating the apex probes present in the header tank and the blue tanks.
- All other protocols can be accessed here
Appendices and Other information
For immediate issues or questions, please contact the following through slack or email:
Hollie Putnam at hputnam@uri.edu, Zoe Dellaert at zdellaert@uri.edu and Pooja Pednekar at pooja.pednekar@uri.edu