The Aquarium gets its fresh water from the City of Vancouver water system and its saltwater from the ocean. Saltwater is pumped up to the Aquarium from 14 metres below the surface of Burrard Inlet. The saltwater is filtered and cleaned twice once when it arrives and once when it leaves the Aquarium, before it is returned by pipe to the Inlet. The saltwater used in the Arctic Gallery is cooled by chillers. The heat generated by the working chillers is piped to the Amazon Gallery.
Water used in the tropical galleries is warmed by heaters.
The animals stay healthy because we feed them a wide variety of nourishing food. Most of their food is purchased from local fishers and food suppliers. A few examples of what we feed our animals are listed below. Aquarium animals come to us from many places and in many different ways. Many animals arrive at the Aquarium as part of an exchange program with other large aquariums, zoos and universities.