[Torontovibe]

One of the reasons to put an aquarium on the lake is that you can use the lake as a huge tank. You can either put glass walls looking into the lake or build actual tanks into the lake. It would also bring more people to the waterfront and make it a much more animated and interesting place. Aquariums should be on lake, especially if they plan on having exhibits of the aquatic life in our lake. (yeah, I know Lake Ontario fish are not as exciting as tropical fish) If it's about education, they should have exhibits on the fish in Lake Ontario, as well as the more colourful kind. Ontario Place would have been great!

 

[Tulse]

One of the reasons to put an aquarium on the lake is that you can use the lake as a huge tank.

I would guess that both the temperature and water quality are not controlled sufficiently to use actual lake water for the exhibits.

Personally, it seems silly and bordering on deceptive to have an aquarium by the lake, given that most of the animals will most certainly be salt-water creatures. I suppose the aquarium could just have trout, salmon, and a few turtles (along with some zebra mussels), but all the big megafauna, the real aquarium attractions, are marine animals.

 

[taal]

One of the reasons to put an aquarium on the lake is that you can use the lake as a huge tank. You can either put glass walls looking into the lake or build actual tanks into the lake. It would also bring more people to the waterfront and make it a much more animated and interesting place. Aquariums should be on lake, especially if they plan on having exhibits of the aquatic life in our lake. (yeah, I know Lake Ontario fish are not as exciting as tropical fish) If it's about education, they should have exhibits on the fish in Lake Ontario, as well as the more colourful kind. Ontario Place would have been great!

I can see it already:

"And this folks, the cloud of fuzzy green water, is lake Ontario - on the top right, you can see a pop can, some more trash on the bottom right, oh and there goes a dead body on the lower left - hmm, and is that a two headed fish near the top? - sorry folks we're having some technical difficulty, please refrain from looking "

 

[Red October]

One of the reasons to put an aquarium on the lake is that you can use the lake as a huge tank. You can either put glass walls looking into the lake or build actual tanks into the lake. It would also bring more people to the waterfront and make it a much more animated and interesting place. Aquariums should be on lake, especially if they plan on having exhibits of the aquatic life in our lake. (yeah, I know Lake Ontario fish are not as exciting as tropical fish) If it's about education, they should have exhibits on the fish in Lake Ontario, as well as the more colourful kind. Ontario Place would have been great!

Tides and Storms...
Oh, and pollution.. and the fact that it's not clean water OR salt water..

 

[Tewder]

... other aquariums seem to handle each of those issues just fine.

The setting though! I mean, come on, what more could you want for an Aquarium?

 

[Torontovibe]

I can see it already:

"And this folks, the cloud of fuzzy green water, is lake Ontario - on the top right, you can see a pop can, some more trash on the bottom right, oh and there goes a dead body on the lower left - hmm, and is that a two headed fish near the top? - sorry folks we're having some technical difficulty, please refrain from looking "

Are you one of these people who thinks Toronto's beaches are a toxic soup? I think things have improved. With all the advances in science and technology, I have faith that all the problems can be successfully dealt with. It just takes a little creativity that many people are sorely lacking. It's amazing what people can accomplish when they focus on solutions instead of focusing on the negatives.

 

[Thanos]

Wow talk about ignorance. All those issues can easily be dealt with. Several aquariums are next to lakes.
If there is one aquarium to use as inspiration it has to be Shedd Aquarium in Chicago. And oh yeah it's right next to the lake.

 

[egotrippin]

Are you one of these people who thinks Toronto's beaches are a toxic soup? I think things have improved. With all the advances in science and technology, I have faith that all the problems can be successfully dealt with. It just takes a little creativity that many people are sorely lacking. It's amazing what people can accomplish when they focus on solutions instead of focusing on the negatives.

And I think if we just all hold hands and sing Kumbaya perhaps the entire Toronto waterfront revitilization will complete itself too!

 

[Tulse]

Wow talk about ignorance. All those issues can easily be dealt with. Several aquariums are next to lakes.

But do any actually use lake water? My guess would be no, at least not directly -- many species are very sensitive to aspects of water quality, and in any case most of the prime exhibits involve marine animals, such as sharks, rays, orcas, squid/octopus, etc. etc. etc.

As I said above, siting an aquarium by a lake is almost deceptive -- lakeside locations are only about a vague association with water, and not for any real practical reason.

 

[interchange42]

Sorry Tulse, but aquariums do not have "a vague association with water".

Maybe they don't have straight-from-the-lake (or ocean) untreated water in their tanks, but the siting of an aquarium on a body of water is all about suggesting that you are going to learn something about what lives in that environment.

Siting an aquarium at the base of the CN Tower suggests to me, however, that it's all about being an attraction, and not so much a real learning experience.

42

 

[Tulse]

Sorry Tulse, but aquariums do not have "a vague association with water".

Not to be too pedantic, but that quote is a bit out of context, as I said that "lakeside locations are only about a vague association with water", and not aquariums themselves.

Maybe they don't have straight-from-the-lake (or ocean) untreated water in their tanks,

Right, which is the main issue I was responding to (see all the earlier posts implying that the benefit of a lake location was that the aquarium would actually use lake water, and that using such water was why other aquariums are by lakes).

but the siting of an aquarium on a body of water is all about suggesting that you are going to learn something about what lives in that environment.

But my point is that sharks, rays, octopuses, orcas, etc. etc. etc. most definitely don't live in the environment of Lake Ontario, or any lake. Those animals live in what is actually a radically different environment. At best they have a "vague association" with lakes. And siting an aquarium with primarily salt-water exhibits on a fresh-water lake could be said to promote mis-information, via that "vague association".

It's like having a seafood restaurant on the Toronto waterfront, when none of the seafood served actually comes from Lake Ontario. It would be like putting penguins and polar bears next to each other at the zoo, since they both live in cold environments. I think it promotes de-contextualization and misunderstanding.

This is, of course, just my opinion, and I have indeed been to large aquariums next to bodies of water and enjoyed them. I'd be happy for T.O. to have a nice aquarium anywhere, even at the lake.

 

[Big Daddy]

pedantic? de-contextualization ?? Interesting ideas, but nobody on these threads will have a clue what you are talking about and will attempt to shred you systematically and with malice. Around here you must use small words and explain them well - pictures help.

 

[Dan416]

I think some of you should really call up say Chicago or Boston and tell them that aquariums have nothing to do with water, or any of the many, many aquariums that are, you know, on the water! What a concept!

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

I do tend to agree with Tulse - any rationale for siting the aquarium close to the lake is more for symbolic than practical reasons. A privately funded aquarium will of course put in attractions that entertain (read: exhibits for exotic creatures/ecosystems) than ones that are designed to educate. I mean, at the end of the day, just how many would really want to see say, zebra mussels? Why would a private firm chose to undertake the infiintely risker move to say OP where everything is up in the air so to say, when there is a site with known tourist potential? If the government is ponying up some dough, that might be different - but do you really want to see public funds diverted to a private business for that reason?

AoD

 

[Red October]

... other aquariums seem to handle each of those issues just fine.

The setting though! I mean, come on, what more could you want for an Aquarium?

No no don't get me wrong, a lakeside location would be fantastic for an Aquarium in Canada's largest city, my point was just that they couldn't use lake water for the tanks...