Dunstaffnage Marine Laboratory hosts a modern marine aquarium consisting of a suite of aquarium tanks with photoperiod manipulation capability along with air-conditioned and temperature controlled (0-25 °C) rooms  all supplied by a constant flow of natural and filtered seawater.

The aquarium facility is commonly used for activities ranging from fundamental science through to commissioned research and commercially based activities. Studies have been conducted on a wide range of topics including  fish physiology, fish feed trials, deep-sea coral behavior, animal-environment interactions along with invertebrate biology and mariculture.  Recent clients include BOCM Pauls, Unilever, Roche, the Scottish Salmon Growers Association, the Crown Estate, the Highlands and Island Enterprise and DEFRA.

The aquarium facility is supplied with 'pristine' seawater, pumped straight from the Lynne of Lorne on the west side of the Dunstaffnage peninsula. A flow through system is used throughout the facility with optional recirculation capabilities available. Dedicated technical staff ensure that the aquarium facility is well maintained and provide support as required or according to experimental protocols.

The following facilities are available through SRSL

Main aquarium

• 12 tanks (2m diameter) which can be used for feeding trials and other experimental procedures on fish over 0.5 kg (e.g. salmon, cod). Each tank is equipped with an airlift filter to maintain circulation and water quality along with a disc feeder which can be programmed to deliver food at preset times and in defined quantities.
• 28 tanks (1m diameter) which can be used for short term experiments. stock holding, treatment, segregation and also as a quarantine facility.

Aquarium II

• an indoor facility with two 200L tanks and 18 tanks with a content of 25 litre
• a photoperiod suite for indoor manipulation of alternating light - darkness periods.
• outdoor aquaria consisting of 20 circular tanks (250 litre) and 6 rectangular tanks (50 litre).

Annex

• 24 self cleaning tanks with flow-through rates of 4.5 litres per minute per tank. The effluent from each tank is re-circulated through sedimentation and biological filters. These tanks can also be run with a continuous supply of fresh seawater and flow rates can be adjusted depending on experimental conditions.

Temperature controlled rooms

• 3 rooms with adjustable temperature control in the range of 0 - 20°C (±1 °C)
• 3 rooms with adjustable temperature control in the range of 5 - 25 °C (±1 °C)
• All of these rooms are 4.2 x 3.2 metres in size and are provided with both sea and fresh water supply, programmable light conditions and water protected power point.