Over the last four years, we have run a small "rockpool aquarium" in the cafe.
We set it up in March when the cafe opens, and break it down at the end of October when the cafe closes for the season.
The sand and water and a few rocks are brought up from the beach and all the livestock is found in and around the rockpools here. The visiting children help us tremendously. Then, when the café closes for the season, all the inhabitants are returned to the rock pools on the beach along with the water, sand and rocks!
We run filters, and wave makers to give the tank some natural flow and do water changes every three days to ensure ideal living conditions for the fish and critters. The aquarium is not only a feature in the cafe it is also an educational tool to give people an insight into what goes on underneath the water!
It has proven to be very popular with not only holidaymakers, but also with schools and local study centres while on educational visits to the beach.
Here are some of our previous residents: