About What is a Fluvarium?
Designed as an open system, fish swim freely in and out of the Nagle's Hill Brook --a tributary of Rennie's River. This brook orginates 3 kilometers north of the Suncor Energy Fluvarium, at Three Pond Barrens. It was diverted to flow past the "windows on a stream" for visitors to explore the life of a river and the ecosystem of which it is part.
These nine large viewing windows illustrate three typical areas found within all river systems.
The first area seen from the windows is called the Deep Pool. It is an area of deeper water with a slower waterflow, where larger, older Brown trout can be found. This pool has room for fish to swim around, seeking the ideal water temperature be it shade in the summer or heat in the winter.
The Riffle Area is characterized by shallow, fast moving water, is well oxygenated from a small waterfall, and contains a gravel bed. It is here that Brown trout migrate to spawn or lay eggs. See the reproductive process unfold. Watch females build their nests in the fall and maybe see the eggs hatching!
The Shallow Pool, an area of slower water flow and shallow water, is an excellent habitat for young fish and is sometimes called the nursery of a river system! Filled with vegetation, the shallow pool provides shelter, stabilizes the stream banks, and is an important food source for these species.
This open system allows fish species to move back and forth at will - moving through
Nagle's Hill Brook, Long Pond, Rennie's River, Quidi Vidi Lake and on to the Atlantic Ocean.
Come see it here. Experience it. Explore.
