Alicia's Aquarium Journal - April 30

How would you like to sleep with the fishes? You can!!!

Tonight there is a family sleepover at the aquarium. Once the crowds are gone, our family groups have the aquarium to themselves. We'll have a private tour, a scavenger hunt, snacks, and crafts...

Bring your pillow and sleeping bag, and snuggle down in font of your favorite fish. You won't forget this visit.

Alicia's Aquarium Journal - April 29

Here at the aquarium we offer shark dives if you're feeling adventurous. I've done it several times and just love the thrill of it. You can watch if you want...or evensong up to try it if you meet the requirements. All the necessary equipment is provided for you. Come join us and meet the sharks up close and personal! Friends and family can watch from outside the tank.

Alicia's Aquarium Journal - April 28

Here at the aquarium we have some wonderful bottlenose dolphins. You can get a glimpse of their daily life. Watch how they learn, play, and interact with each other. You can watch them below and above the water.

Our marine animal experts will explain what it is like to teach, care for, and form relationships with these social creatures.

Alicia's Aquarium Journal - April 27

The anglerfish is not a pretty fish, but it is unusual. They live mostly in the murky depths of the Atlantic and Antarctic Oceans, up to a mile down.

What's unusual? The female has her own built-in fishing rod above her head with a lure that is illuminated. She dangles this above her mouth filled with sharp teeth. The mouth of the angler is so be and its body can stretch to swallow prey up to twice its size whole! The angler's sharp teeth keep the prey form escaping while it is digested. 

The female's lure also attracts a smaller male (or up to 6 males) that will latch onto her and become a parasite, getting nutrients from her body for the rest of his life.

There are more than 200 species of anglerfish.

Alicia's Aquarium Journal - April 26

The clownfish became so popular after the movie, "Finding Nemo." People always come into the aquarium asking where Nemo is. lol Clownfish are named for the multicolored sea anemone in which they live. Yes, they make their home in the anemone. The clownfish is immune to the deadly sting of the fish-eating anemone. The clownfish and the anemone have a great relationship and help each other survive.

Alicia's Aquarium Journal - April 25

Today is the last scheduled visit by the first graders. We will be going outside to our Koi Pond. Kor are Japan's national fish, and are bred to produce many different colors and markings. Although they are related to goldfish, koi can grow up to 3 feet and live 50 years.
The kids had a lot of fun feeding the koi and learned about their diet.
The koi pond contains some aquatic plants like water hyacinths, water lilies, papyrus, and cana that help the koi survive.

Alicia's Aquarium Journal - April 24

Have you seen our electric eel tank? Electric eels are not really eels, but members of the knife fish family. Their bodies contain about 6,000 special cells that store power like batteries. They can emit a burst of at least 600 volts, which is 5 times the power of an electric wall socket.

Electric eels live in muddy waters in South America. They are mostly blind, and rely on their electric power to explore their surroundings, kill prey, and to protect them from predators.