GALLERY

Lampsilis ovata

Movies. Fast connection recommended:

"Villosa" fabalis - mantle display (.WMV)
Lampsilis cardium - mantle flaps (.MOV)
Lampsilis cardium - mantle flaps (different population) (.MOV)
Lampsilis ovata - mantle flaps (.MOV)
 

New photos:

AHAB #2 - modular aquaria in a self-contained system for host identification and propagation work. Unit includes four types of filters, chiller, air supply, UV sterilizer. Residential drinking water is passed through two types of filters, degassed and dechlorinated, and stored in a reservoir before entering AHAB to replace water lost by evaporation. We currently have two AHAB units, and soon will purchased two more.
AHAB #1 - backside of AHAB #1. The reservoir, containing processed drinking water, is visible in the background.
Glochidia / juvenile collector - the back of each tank in the AHAB systems have drain outlets; water moves across the bottom of the tank, under a baffle, and out the outlets. Originally devised as a self-cleaning system for holding fish, the mechanism also flushes glochidia and transformed juveniles out. We collect these from each tank in 30 or 100 micron mini-sieves that are checked and cleaned daily. Water passes through the sieve into troughs and is collected and recirculated.
Quarantine tank - to ensure that zebra mussels are not introduced to the Facility or the adjacent river, mussels entering the Facility are scrubbed, washed, and placed in the quarantine tank (round black tank) for up to one month. The quarantine system is completely closed and involves recirculating pumps and a bio-ball tower (right) for biofiltration. Water is periodically flushed and new water added. Flushed water is passed through a UV sterilizer and/or a water heater to kill zebra mussel veligers. When there is no evidence of zebra mussels, the mussels are moved to their holding tanks. (Background - top reservoir holds water pumped from river, bottom reservoir is biofiltration unit for recirculating system).
Mussel holding tanks - the large numbered tanks contain individual tubs, each with ~15 cm of substrate. Tubs hold up to 30 mussels each. We currently have ~700 mussels of 24 species. The blue trays are settling basins to precipitate silt from the river water. The system may draw water directly from the river in a 100% flow-through system, or be placed on a complete closed recirculating system with biofiltration, or any combination of flow-through and recirculating. Individual tubs may contain one or more species:  Amblema plicata or Pyganodon grandis, for example. Outlets from each tub pass through filters to collect any glochidia or conglutinates released. Each mussel bears a numbered tag. This enables us to track mussel growth, mortality, etc.
Juvenile mussel rearing tank - once glochidia metamorphose and fall from their host fish in the AHAB units, they are moved to the juvenile system. Water passes through two settling basins and a 100 micron filter to remove excess silt and predators large enough to eat the juveniles (Hydra, planaria, leeches, etc.). Juveniles are held in the grey baskets in several types of substrate.
Intake maintenance - intakes in the river are periodically brought to shore and cleaned of mud and Corbicula.
 

Freshwater snail propagation
        One room at the facility is dedicated to rearing freshwater snails
            Adult Elimia livescens with newly hatched Ferrisia rivularis
            Newly hatched Elimia livescens (2-3 mm) (sorry for the bad photo)
            Pleurocera canaliculata egg cases (~ 5 mm across entire case)
            Closer view of Pleurocera canaliculata egg cases
            Pleurocera canaliculata lays eggs while feeding. Note the feeding trail studded with egg cases.
 

Kudos - thanks to Monte MacGregor and Paul Johnson for showing us how it's done.

Old photos:

Welcome
Front of facility
Tank room - note head and sump tanks on right
Education and meeting room - view 1
Education and meeting room - view 2
Meeting room and proposed living quarters
Front - mid-renovation
South side - mid-renovation
River-side - mid-renovation
North end of tank room before tanks
South end of tank room before tanks
Tank room - mid-construction
View from tank room to Scioto River (tanks not in place)
Water intake (one of two)
Kitchen
Belly up to the bar!
Rules to live by
The highly coveted Sputnik ceiling light and transmogrifier
South embayment during 2002 drought (typically ~ 1 m deep)
South embayment during Christmas 2002
River view - geese on water
Visitors - the Director's spawn (2 of 3)
Ryan, the Facility Dude (on left), and Director's spawn (all three - can you spot them?)