Aquarium Times - Florida Aquarium Forum

Come Party With The Fishies!

2006-11-23T02:57:00.000-05:00

From All Of Us Here At McGuinnessPublishing To All Of You, We Wish You A Very Happy Thanksgiving!

And Remember Our Scaly Friends This Thanksgiving!

Let Today Be National Don't Eat A Fish Day!

A Moving Exhibit

2006-11-01T01:15:00.000-05:00

The Florida Aquarium is adding new displays:

A new display has been set up on the second floor balcony (around the small railing
overlooking the Explore A Shore entrances).
The exhibit: called HEART GALLERY of TAMPA BAY was put together by The Children's Board and other agencies. It features photographs and audio recordings of young children who are looking for adoptive families.
You may have seen the exhibit before - it has been set up in various
malls and other public facilities like ours.
The exhibit will be here from Oct 18th (setting up in afternoon) through November 30th, 2006.

When you visit the Aquarium, you owe it to yourself to take a look!

Dr. Tim

The Best Of Florida!

2006-11-01T00:55:00.000-05:00

Congratulations to all of us!

In Florida Monthly's more than 200,000 readers have voted The Florida Aquarium as Florida's best aquarium for 2006.

YEAH!!!!

Also congrats to Clive Butcher, photographer and the Best Artist in Florida! You can see one of his works at the top of the escalator in the Florida Aquarium Lobby!

John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park is the Best State Park in Florida! What a reef!

Best Birdwatching (other than at the Florida Aquarium) is at the J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge, on Sanibel Island!

The Best Dive Shop in Florida? They say it is Ocean Divers on Key Largo!

Best Florida Aquarium Website? www.TampaBayAquarium.com Ok, they didn't say it, but it's still great!

Thank You Florida Monthly!

What's New?

2006-10-24T00:05:00.000-05:00

From our secret spy, Kristine Sanchez, Florida Aquarium Dive Interpreter

New birds were added in the Wetlands exhibit. Two male Red-Bellied Woodpeckers
can be found on exhibit across the mangroves. There is already one female.
One Great Egret and one Anhinga were added to the mangrove side. Sometimes the
Anhinga will hide, very well too, but just look closely.
Some of our fish have just packed up and moved.
The Sea Hunt Clownfish have recently purchased the home of the Anglerfish for a pretty decent price (really it was a steal!). The Clownfish have been relocated to the Anglerfish tank, right across the Ratfish exhibit. The only problem, is the Clownfish are now telling Ratfish jokes nonstop!
The Anglerfish will be off exhibit permanently. :( It was because nobody could find them!
There are some new baby Skate eggs in the Skate nursery down in the first floor lobby. Go check them out.

Thanks KS!

Dr. Tim

Flying Stingrays?

2006-10-17T13:49:00.000-05:00

It seems to be a wierd time for Stingray attacks, which are almost totally unheard of.

This week we had another incident, involving a chest wound, when an Eagle Ray jumped into a boat.

The Florida Aquarium's Eric Hovland offers guidance to Tampa's Channel 10:

Expert says stingrays jumping, "not uncommon"
By: Preston Rudie of Tampa Bay's 10
http://www.tampabays10.com/news/local/article.aspx?storyid=42059

St. Petersburg, Florida - A Florida man is in the hospital following
what officials call a 'freak accident.'

James Bertakis was heading home after fishing on the Intracoastal in
Southeast Florida this week when a stingray jumped into his boat. When Bertakis
tried to get the ray out of his boat, the 81-year-old was struck by the animal's
barb. Officials responding to the situation called it a 'freak accident.'

However, local experts say rays frequently jump out of the water. One
reason, is to escape predators.

Eric Hovland, of The Florida Aquarium: "Escaping a predator, certainly
if you are chasing a prey, suddenly it is out of your view and it
lands at some other point, it can throw off your predator very quickly."

Hovland says eagle rays can jump as high as 15 feet into the air. He
adds: while the act my surprise humans, he says again "it's not uncommon".

Eric Hovland, of The Florida Aquarium said: "They (rays) are almost in
flight under the water as it is, so breaking the surface isn't that great a feet
for them." Hovland stresses rays do not jump in order to attack, and he
says other fish, such as kingfish, sailfish and mullet are also know to jump
into the air.

Preston Rudie, Tampa Bay's 10 News

My suggestion! When a Ray Jumps in your boat, you jump in the water!

Dr. Tim

It's A Pond!

2006-10-07T00:39:00.000-05:00

From our secret spy, Kristine Sanchez, Florida Aquarium Dive Interpreter

Now that the weather has eased a bit, take a walk upstairs and relax in the new butterfly garden. There are some great chairs to chill in, watch the koi paddle around and check out the butterflies. We unfortunately do not allow any swimming in the pond.

You can also see different animals in the large cage.

By the way, do you know what a Dive Interpreter is? No it's not an olympic judge! No, they don't translate Spanish speaking divers! They present the Florida Aquarium's dive shows!

Dr. Tim

Halloween Parties!! The Best In Tampa Bay!

2006-10-01T17:01:00.000-05:00

Remember, the Florida Aquarium hosts the Guppyween and Nauti Night Halloween Parties again this year!

For details visit www.TampaBayAquarium.com and click on events! Or click here CurrentEvents

More Critter News!

2006-10-01T16:32:00.000-05:00

News from our friend Kristine Sanchez one of the Education Department's Dive Interpreters:

There are "tons" of new sea stars in the No Bones Zone touch tank. 5 pink stars, 6 rainbow stars, 6 false ochres, 23 ochres, 27 bat stars were all added last week. Some of these new sea stars have some beautiful colors to them, so go check them out.

How many sea stars are there in a ton? Any guesses?

There are new graphics in the Wetlands area. All the educational signs about the animals have all been replaced.

The Koi pond is complete! The exhibit is located on the second floor balcony, just outside the doors near the No Bones Zone touch tank.

This is part of the new outdoor rest area constructed in the 2nd floor balcony, overlooking Explore A Shore. It's a good place to get away, and smoking is permitted out there.

It seems like new coral is just growing everywhere! Lots of new sea plumes, sea fans, and sea whips have been added to the Coral Reef tank. The tank looks very vibrant now.

Also some sea plumes were added to the wrasse and bubble tank located in reef mysteries (Reef Caves).

Some new plants were added to the spring’s exhibit as well. Just look up when you walk into the wetlands.

Thanks Kristine!

It looks like the staff has been hard at work adding to the exibits! It is not often said, but the Florida Aquarium's staff and volunteers do outstanding work, so that we all can enjoy the exhibits and animals that the Aquarium houses! Kudos!

Dr. Tim

News

2006-10-01T16:27:00.000-05:00

Sunny the penguin is on vacation and not doing shows for a few days. We had a guest ask why? We always give our animals breaks from presentations and she is taking a few days off. This is standard animal husbandry that we do with all of our animals. So no worries!

The Evening Tide Talks program starts up again on October 4 at 6:15pm in Taylor Great Room at the Florida Aquarium, with Carlton Ward- Photojournalist. The public is welcome! The subject is Conservation Photography: From the Edge of Africa to the Heart of Florida. Carlton is an environmental photojournalist from Clearwater. Through his photographs, he aims to promote conservation of natural environments.

New Volunteer classes are starting up also! Please contact volunteer services cmelton@flaquarium.org or Jason jminnear@flaquarium.org and we will get you signed up.

October 21 from 10am – 3pm is Sea Scouts day; open to all Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts. Our focus for this program will be on sharks. We’re planning on several shark-related activities including special Behind the Scenes Tours with a focus on shark diet and the shark tank.

New Rays

2006-09-19T16:46:00.000-05:00

New Stingrays!

There are new Southern stingrays added to exhibits all over.

A few were added to the Bonnethead exhibit, in Bays and Beaches. This is the first tank you see when walking into the Bays and Beaches.

There are also a few stingrays added to the Beaches exhibit.

Come check them out!

Dr. Tim

Wouldn't Be Cool To Have An Alligator As A Pet?

2006-09-15T19:38:00.000-05:00

NO! It would not! Wild Animals Don't Make Good Pets!

Why Wild Animals Don't Make Good Pets? (from AZA)

Exotic creatures like pythons, kinkajous and scarlet macaws have captured the hearts of animal-lovers looking for companions with pizzazz. Of course, nothing says "wow!" like a tiger; but keeping exotic animals as pets can come with a hidden cost.

What is a "wild" animal?

Wild animals have lived for thousands and thousands of years without the direct influence of humans. They have adaptations that help them survive in their own complex environments. They are not well adapted to living in your house!

What's wrong with having a wild animal as a pet?

There are several important reasons why you should not keep wild animals as pets:

You can't provide the right home for them.
Wild animals have complex behavioral, social, nutritional and psychological needs.
Most people simply cannot meet the needs of wild animals kept as "pets".
Wild animals need to be with members of their own species, not humans.
Taking them from the wild can endanger the species. Parrots (for example) are the world's most endangered family of birds due to devastation from the international pet trade. The enormous global demand for exotic pets is fueling the illegal capture and trade of millions of birds, mammals and reptiles annually, most of which die while being captured or transported.
You could get hurt. Keeping wild animals as pets can be dangerous. They can bite, scratch, attack their owners, and their owner's children and guests. Animal owners are legally responsible for any damage, injuries or illnesses caused by their animals. Finding new homes for large, hard-to-handle animals can be difficult, if not impossible, particularly since most zoos are unable to accept them.
You could get sick. Wild animals carry diseases dangerous to humans. Some diseases are not curable and can be fatal. Diseases include rabies, distemper, herpes viruses, salmonella, polio, tuberculosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever and bubonic plague. Wild animals also harbor parasites, such as ascarid worms, tape worms, flukes, and protozoa.
It would probably be illegal. Many state, county and city ordinances prohibit the ownership of wild animals as pets.

What types of animals do make good pets?

Dogs, domestic cats, guinea pigs, domestic rats and mice, domestic gerbils, common hamsters, domestic ferrets, domestic rabbits, domestic chinchillas.
Interesting insects like African millipedes or Hissing cockroaches.
Responsibly captive-bred parakeets, canaries, cockatiels, doves, and pigeons.
Responsibly captive-bred reptiles and amphibians such as red-footed tortoises, lizards (bearded dragons, leopard geckos), snakes (corn snakes, king snakes, ball pythons) and frogs (White's tree frog, ornate horned frog, fire-bellied toad, red-eyed tree frog).
Tropical fish that are captive-raised or collected from sustainable wild populations make good pets. Look for certification from the Marine Aquarium Council when you buy tropical fish for your home aquarium.

Visit a shelter!

Millions of dogs and cats are destroyed each year because they don't have homes. Shelter directories such as the ASPCA or PetFinder are excellent places to find adoptable animals near you. Look carefully into the source of the animal you're considering. Not all dealers and breeders are reputable, so check them out in person to be sure you're not contributing to inhumane practices or illegal trade. Make sure that the pet you purchase has not been taken from the wild (especially birds, reptiles, and tropical fish). Never take a baby animal from the wild!

Dr. Tim

News From Tourism

2006-08-13T19:57:00.000-05:00

From the Florida Business Journal:

Gov. Jeb Bush has reappointed Thom Stork of Lutz, president and chief executive officer of the Florida Aquarium, and three others to the Florida Commission on Tourism. Stork's term began on Aug. 7 and runs until June 30, 2010, pending Senate confirmation.

The commission is a private/public partnership, consisting of the governor, one member from the Florida Senate and the Florida House of Representatives, and representatives from the various sectors of the tourism industry. In order to fulfill its mandate, the commission created the Florida Tourism Industry Marketing Corp., which does business as Visit Florida.

Congratulations Tom Stork!

Dr. Tim

And End Of An Era - Just For A While!

2006-08-12T00:17:00.000-05:00

As many have noticed over the last few months, the Lobby Stingray Touch Tank, isn't what it used to be. And unfortunately, many a child and adult have been unhappy by not being able to touch a ray.

Well, the current stingray touch tank is NOW a thing of the past. It will be taken down in the days to come, to be replaced by a much better touch tank, similar to the one now at Tropicana Field! If you came to the Florida Aquarium especially to see the rays, they have been moved.

The new tank is supposed to be double the size, with a lower side to make it easier for children to see and touch the rays. It is supposed to be populated with Cow Nosed Rays also, which are much more social and friendly than those that were in the smaller tank. The reason that we didn't have Cow Nosed Rays in there in the first place was that the current tank was too small. After all, the touch tank was originally designed for Dogfish (a kind of small shark http://www.tampabayaquarium.com/intime.htm).

Once the current tank is removed, the space will be used for the Penguin Show. This will go on while the massive new filtration and plumbing system is put in place for the new tank. Then in January, construction of the new lobby stingray touch tank is supposed to begin, with completion in February 2007 (only six months away - so be sure you've got your annual membership so you can come on back!).

If you would like a peek at what it might look like, take a look at the Tropicana Touch Tank (visit www.TampaBayAquarium.com/map.htm and click on Stingrays to see the Tropicana Tank as well as the current touch tank).

To see the rays that were in the Touch Tanks:

The three small Atlantic Stingrays are now in the Coral Caves! Just look up! http://www.tampabayaquarium.com/coralreef1.htm
The two Southern Stingrays: Miss Piggy and Sunshine, are now in the Beach tanks, but can not longer be touched in that tank. Also, the two dark Atlantic rays were also placed in the Beach tank. http://www.tampabayaquarium.com/baysbeaches02.htm

There will be other upcoming new things coming to the Florida Aquarium also in the months to come, so stay tuned to our Blog for all the scoop!

Dr. Tim

2006-08-01T16:52:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday Aquarium Volunters!!!

08/01 Karen C. // 08/01 John K // 08/03 Kyra McGuinness // 08/04 Kim C // 08/05 Dan C // 08/08 Hanna A // 08/09 Beth W // 08/11 Marcie C // 08/12 Russ M // 08/17 Paul H // 08/19 Bill L // 08/21 Erin McG // 08/25 Lillian K // 08/26 Tom T //
08/30 Jeff T // 08/31 Bob C // 08/31 Carol M

Dr. Tim

Name The Penguins

2006-08-01T14:09:00.000-05:00

Have you seen the Black Foot South African Penguins at the Florida Aquarium?

You can view them at www.TampaBayAquarium.com/penguins.htm

Also, The Florida Aquarium is having a contest to name the new young Penguins. There is a boy and a girl penguin. Unfortunately, they only give you three choices, but you could always send your choice to twagner@flaquarium.org To vote on the choices, go here!

Penguins At The Florida Aquarium

2006-07-28T11:33:00.000-05:00

WOW PENGUINS!

New Florida Aquarium "greeters" have wings!

The Florida Aquarium's latest attraction is interative to say the least. The next time you visit the aquarium, it won't be people greeting you in the lobby. It will be penguins.

A Penguin Promenade has been added to the guest experience, with the penguins appearing to meet and greet guests in the lobby of the Aquarium. The African penguins are new to the Aquarium and provide a unique interaction for our guests.

The penguins made their first official appearance this morning. They rolled into the lobby in the Penguin Mobile and promenade on the red carpet inches away from children and their parents.

The penguins will be meeting twice daily.

These penguins still need names and the Florida Aquarium would like your help. Click here to make suggestions.

[from Tampa Bay's 10]

Whales Can Live To Be 200 Years Old!

2006-07-22T21:21:00.000-05:00

Ok, it's not really about the Florida Aquarium, but this is amazing:

Scientists have looked into the eyes of rare bowhead whales and learned that some of them can outlive humans by generations—with at least one male pushing 200 years old.

Click here for the full story: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/07/060713-whale-eyes.html

Dr. Tim

Devil Rays To Pay For It!

2006-07-22T21:06:00.000-05:00

According to Michael H. Samuels of TBO.com

The Florida Devil Rays will pay $2,500 for each ball that lands in the new touch tank:

... If you plan to watch the Tampa Bay Devil Rays take on the Baltimore Orioles tonight, there's a chance a home run ball will land in the new aquatic touch tank beyond the outfield.
Based on the number of home runs hit to the tank's location in the past, more than 400 feet from home plate and 13 feet above the right-centerfield playing surface, Rays officials expect about one ball a year will land in the tank, where fans can view and touch cownose rays.
The team will donate $2,500 to The Florida Aquarium for each water shot hit by a Rays player and the same amount to a charity selected by the batter. Rays players have hit 51 home runs at Tropicana Field this year. Include opponents' runs and you have 98 balls that soared over the fences. None this year has hit where the tank was installed last week, team spokesman Rick Vaughn said.
"I wouldn't look for lots of balls to be raining down in that pool," Vaughn said.
The 10,000-gallon touch tank, which is free to fans, contains 30 cownose rays.
"Obviously the health and well-being of the animals is our No. 1 priority," said Florida Aquarium spokesman Tom Wagner. "It would take a freak accident for one of the rays to get injured." ...
From the story by: Reporter Michael H. Samuels can be reached at (813)835-2109 or msamuels@tampatrib.com.
Click here for the full story: http://www.tbo.com/news/metro/MGBWO081WPE.html

So here's hoping for lots of home runs for the rays (both kinds!)

Here's another story about the Touch Tank on MLB: http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20060721&content_id=1568074&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb

Fishy News

2006-07-13T03:30:00.000-05:00

Well they have been at it again!

A whole bunch of new fish! So next time you visit, take this along as scavenger hunt for you and the kids!

Here's the list courtesy of my buddy Kristine:

Beach Exhibit

lizardfish 1
Ocean Surgeonfish 6
Yellow goatfish 1

Coral Reef Tank
(the shallow side is where you just walk into the Coral Reef side of the Aquarium)
(the deep side is the larger panoramic view)

porcupine puffer fish 1 (shallow side)
scrawled filefish 1 (shallow side)
banded butterfly fish 4 (shallow side)
four eyed butterfly fish 10 (shallow side)
midnight parrotfish 1 (deep side)
stoplight parrotfish 1 (shallow side)
princess parrotfish 1 (shallow side)
Bluestripe Grunt 121 (deep side)
French Grunt 120 (deep side)
Saucereye porgy 1 (shallow side)
Yellowtail snapper 8 (deep side)
Queen Angelfish 3 (shallow side)

Also the Planktivores exhibit in Sea Hunt is back up. It looks great so go check it out.

Thanks to everyone at the Aquarium! You guys do a great job!

Dr. Tim

New @ TampaBayAquarium.com

2006-07-09T13:55:00.000-05:00

What's New!

Since I created the site last year, the public response has been wonderful.

I have received dozens of emails tanking me for: creating a way to preview the Florida Aquarium for those that had never visited; teachers who valued the depth of content that they could use for their students; visitors that were able to share their visit with friends and families; and even Aquarium staff who enjoy my quirky snaps of them doing fishy things! The site has also been a boon to the event sales, since it shows off the Aquarium so well.

Thank you all for your great comments!

I have recently added much more to the site. Whole new sections have been added, as well as incremental items. Here is a short list of what's new!

First and formost, you have to check out our EXCLUSIVE ART SHOW called CryptoAquarium featuring the amazing photo-art of my friend 'amon' from the United Kingdom. Trust me, you just have to see it to understand!

A What's New page has been added to help!

Be sure to check our Aquarium Babies page for new babies

Several new pages have been added to the website Behind The Scenes Tour, including: Animal Care (with pix of new animals too), and Animal Quarantine (show new animals before they are added to the exhibits).

A new Florida Aquarium History page has been added.

A new About The Florida Aquarium page has been added, with easy one-click access to MapQuest location and directions.

If you are looking for the list of Upcoming Events at the Florida Aquarium, then see the Official Events Calendar page.

The Bays & Beaches area on our website has been broken into four pages now: Estuaries (the area leaving Wetlands and just before Bays); Bays (including part of Bay Bottoms); Bridges & Bottoms (including sandy, rocky, and oyster bed bottoms); Beaches (and sandy shores)

A Port Of Tampa photo page has also been added.

Did you know that The Florida Aquarium has its own ISLAND? It's called Fantasy Island and you can see it here!

I have added a new Video Archive section on the website, containing a variety of videos, from The Florida Aquarium's new TV commercial, to the Animal Planet's special on the top aquariums in the world featuring The Florida Aquarium, to video clips of animals at the Aquarium. See it here!

Also, a new FREE Greeting Card service has been added (just because I could!), so enjoy!

And lastly, tons of new photos have been added. I'll let you explore for yourself! Remember that your FREE Photo Tour of the Florida Aquarium starts right here!

I hope you enjoy my site! And please feel free to share your experiences!

Dr. Tim

Wow

2006-07-09T01:01:00.000-05:00

Just a small note.

On June 13th, the Florida Aquarium received its 7 millionth visitor!

Regardless of what_ever_illionth visitor you may be, we would love to hear about your experience! Please leave a comment!

Dr. Tim

Florida Aquarium Parking Lot Alert

2006-07-09T00:52:00.000-05:00

From The Florida Aquarium Management:

Please note that The Florida Aquarium is adding a “members only” lane to our parking lot entrance in early July. The lane will include an automated bar that will raise and lower when you enter your member ID number on a keypad.

Since you will need this member ID number to utilize this system, please be sure to bring your member card with you for each visit to the Aquarium.

We are adding this member’s only parking lane to make it more convenient for our members to enter the lot. Once the new parking system is in place, members will no longer have to wait in line for paying customers in queue at the manned booth.

As always, members will have access to the parking lot during regular business hours and on members’ only nights.

To find the member ID number on your membership card, please locate the three-, four-, or five-digit number located to the right of the “member:” heading in the middle of your card.
Please enter only the number; the symbol at the end (a “u” with two dots over it which looks like a smiley face) is not part of the member ID and should be ignored when you are using the keypad.

If you have any questions, please call the membership hotline at 813-273-4030. Thank you for your support!

More New Critters!

2006-07-09T00:39:00.000-05:00

Well, the Aquarium Staff have been busy as, well, um - Otters! lately! They have added a whole boatload of new critters! We told you about the gators and the porcupine puffers already. But wait there are more...

Some new birds have been added to the wetlands. There are two common moorhens, and new wood ducks (2 males, 2 females total), and one new whistling duck (making 4 total - good thing there were four Marx brothers, so we don't have to change their names: Groucho, Harpo, Chico, and now Zepo!).

Lots of new fish were added to different tanks too. Of course the new barracudas in the Estuary tank. A few spiny lobsters were added to the lobster tank in the Bays and Beaches area. (Including the HUGE one). 2 spiny lobsters were added to the Squirrel Fish tank in the Coral Reef Caves; plus a Spanish lobster and a slipper lobster were added to the concave tank, also in the Caves. Many different small fish, including: a sharpnose puffer, a sea star, and a baby porkfish were also added in the small reef fish tank next to the small nurse sharks also in the Caves.

A bat crab was added to the last Estuaries tank (This tank is one of the last tanks on your left walking out of the wetlands.) Also a scrawled filefish was added to the shallow side of the Coral Reef tank (just as you enter the Coral Reef galleries).

Besure to check them out on your next visit! We will try to add photos to the Photo Tour website as soon as possible.

Dr. Tim

Gator Swap Meet

2006-07-08T23:59:00.000-05:00

After Jose Blanco, the white Gator on loan until May 2006, went back to New Orleans, 50 new baby gators were added. However, cute as they were, they were not a good fit for the Aquarium. So they were sent packing back to the Gator Farm!

Now, there are nine larger gators in the wetlands exhibit. These larger gators are a lot easier to see in the exhibit, and look more ferocious! So be sure to stop by and offer a hand out!

Dr. Tim

Happy 4th Of July - America's Birthday

2006-07-04T14:44:00.000-05:00

To all of you, especially my fellow Veterans, Have a Happy Fourth of July!

Let us never forget what this day stands for, and how hard won our freedoms are! Never forget, that we, Americans, more than any people in the history of our species, are responsible for the freedoms the world now enjoys! Without America, there would be no freedom ANYWHERE!

So on this day, after the fireworks have ended, give a moment of silence in remembrance of those who died for this freedom, and for those who fight this very moment so that we and others around the world can enjoy what we so take for granted!.

Did I mention the best place to see fireworks this 4th is the Florida Aquarium!!! Open till 10pm today! See you there!

Dr. Tim

P.S. if you ever need a reminder of why we fight: click here