Adopt a bio ball today!

With a $10 digital adoption, you can provide a home for thousands of beneficial bacteria that help keep the animals in our care happy and healthy. It’s a ballin’ way to support the Seattle Aquarium and our animal care work! Your gift supports the work of the Seattle Aquarium as we expand with the Ocean Pavilion.

Become a Bio Baller and receive…

- A digital certificate of adoption (PDF)
- Your name on the digital gratitude wall in the new Ocean Pavilion (donation must be made by 12/31/24)
- Access to the Bio Baller community webpage
- Sharable bio ball images to show off your scientific pride
- More fun surprises to come!

A gloved hand holding a bioball, a small wire-frame sphere, approximately the size of a quarter, made of six crescent shapes that meet in the middle.

What is a bio ball?

With beautiful sharks, rays and other fish comes lots of poop and pee. That’s where bio balls come in. Bio balls are small spheres with lots of surface area for beneficial bacteria to grow on. These bacteria help process animal waste. The Seattle Aquarium uses millions of bio balls across our campus with about four million in just the new Ocean Pavilion.

Want to go in-depth on the nerdy science of bio balls and water quality? Check out this web story.

For a big impact, think small. Bio balls!

Watch the important work of bio balls in action supporting the health of Aquarium habitats in episode one of our series, "Ready. Set. Ocean Pavilion!" below.

Frequently asked questions

How does bio ball adoption work?

By donating $10 to support the Seattle Aquarium you will get access to the following:
     - A digital certificate of adoption (PDF)
     - Your name on the digital gratitude wall in the new Ocean Pavilion (donation must be made by 12/31/24)
     - Access to the Bio Baller community webpage
     - Sharable bio ball images to show off your scientific pride
     - More fun surprises coming soon

Do I get a physical bio ball when I donate?

Your digital certificate of adoption—that you can physically print out—is a symbolic adoption, this is a great gift for the marine enthusiast in your life!

Physical bio balls will continue to live indefinitely in the Aquarium’s life support systems, providing homes for beneficial bacteria to maintain the best water quality for our habitats. Your symbolic adoption is of a bio ball that is still hard at work in the closed water system of the Ocean Pavilion.