ABQ Biopark Aquarium List of Species On Exhibit 3/9/18

geomorph · 17 Mar 2018

This is an attempt to list every species on exhibit at the Albuquerque Aquarium in Albuquerque, New Mexico during my visit on 3-9-18. I am including species for which there is a sign on each exhibit, and using the named zones according to the order in which they are encountered along the visitor path. This list may be of more interest to those already familiar with the aquarium since I am not arranging the species by animal type.

RIO GRANDE: (2 Exhibits)

Medium-sized pedestal tank:
Bluegill Sunfish
Carp Sucker
Channel Catfish
Common Carp
Fathead Minnow
Flathead Chub
Gizzard Shad
Longnose Dace
Mosquitofish
Red Shiner
Rio Grande Chub
Rio Grande Silvery Minnow
Rio Grande Sucker
South American Suckermouth Catfish

Medium-sized pedestal tank:
Blue Sucker
Longnose Gar
Shovelnose Sturgeon
White Sucker

TROUT STREAM: (1 Exhibit)

Small-sized open-topped rocky stream:
Rio Grande Cutthroat Trout

SALT MARSH: (1 Exhibit)

Medium-sized open-topped rocky pool:
Balloonfish
Gray Angelfish
Gray Snapper
Mottled Mojarra
Mummichog
Pinfish
Sailfin Molly
Schoolmaster Snapper
Southern Puffer
Spotfin Mojarra
Yellowfin Mojarra

GULF COAST: (4 Exhibits)

Small-sized pedestal terrarium:
Diamondback Terrapin

Medium-sized pedestal tank:
Blue Chromis
Bluehead Wrasse
Brown Chromis
Harlequin Bass
Loggerhead
Midnight Parrotfish
Plumed Scorpionfish
Queen Angelfish
Red-spotted Hawkfish
Shy Hamlet
Spanish Hogfish
Spotted Drum
Stoplight Parrotfish
Striped Parrotfish
Tobaccofish
Yellowtail Snapper

Medium-sized pedestal tank (labeled as "Jetty"):
Molly Miller
Pencil Urchin
Red-spotted Hawkfish
Reef Squirrelfish
Royal Gramma
Sargeant Major
Sharpnose Puffer
Short-spined Urchin
Slippery Dick
Yellowhead Wrasse

Small-sized column tank:
Cardinal Soldierfish
Cuban Hogfish
French Angelfish
High Hat
Glassy Sweeper
Slippery Dick
Tobaccofish

SHALLOWS & SHORES: (1 Exhibit)

Large-sized open-topped rocky pool:
Alligator Gar
Balloonfish
Black Drum
Cownose Ray
Gag
Great Barracuda
Ladyfish
Laughing Gull? (unsigned, on ledge of pool)
Pinfish
Porcupinefish
Red Drum
Schoolmaster Snapper
Sea Catfish
Sheepshead
Southern Stingray
Tarpon
Yellowfin Mojarra

SURF ZONE: (1 Exhibit)

Medium-sized wall tank:
Horse-eye Jack
Palometa
Spotted Sea Trout

ATLANTIC CORAL REEF: (1 Exhibit)

Large-sized floor-to-ceiling wall tank:
Banded Butterflyfish
Black Durgon
Blue Hamlet
Blue Tang
French Angelfish
French Grunt
Hogfish
Lookdown
Ocean Surgeon
Porcupinefish
Queen Triggerfish
Sand Perch
Sargeant Major
Spadefish
Stoplight Parrotfish

PACIFIC CORAL REEF: (1 Exhibit)

Large-sized floor-to-ceiling tank with visitor walk-through tunnel:
Achilles Tang
Arc-eye Hawkfish
Balloonfish
Bannerfish
Bicolor Foxface
Bignose Unicornfish
Blacklip Butterflyfish
Bluespine Unicornfish
Clown Fairy Wrasse
Clown Tang
Clown Triggerfish
Convict Surgeonfish
Cortez Angelfish
Dogface Puffer
Domino Damselfish
Emperor Angelfish
Flame Angelfish
Flame Fin Tang
Flame Hawkfish
Formosa Wrasse
Four-spot Butterflyfish
Green Bird Wrasse
Green Chromis
Harlequin Tuskfish
Hi Fin Snapper
Lei Triggerfish
Lemon Peel Angelfish
Longnose Hawkfish
Majestic Angelfish
Merten's Butterflyfish
Metallic Foxface
Multicolor Angelfish
Naso Tang
Niger Triggerfish
Orange Shoulder Tang
Oriental Sweetlips
Pacific Blue Tang
Paddlefin Wrasse
Passer Angelfish
Pearlscale Butterflyfish
Picasso Triggerfish
Powderblue Surgeonfish
Powder Brown Tang
Raccoon Butterflyfish
Rectangular Triggerfish
Ringed Angelfish
Saddleback Butterflyfish
Sailfin Tang
Scribbled Rabbitfish
Scott's Wrasse
Sixbar Wrasse
Smallmouth Squirrelfish
Spotted Sweetlips
Spotted Unicornfish
Striped Sweetlips
Threadfin Butterflyfish
Tomato Clownfish
Trumpetfish
Twinspot Wrasse
Yellow-face Angelfish
Yellow Longnose Butterflyfish
Yellow Tang

SHARK/RAY ENCOUNTER: (2 Exhibits)

Small-sized wall tank:
Dwarf Indian Mudskipper

Medium-sized open-top touchpool:
Atlantic Stingray
Banded Archerfish
Bluestripe Snapper
Diamondfish
Epaulette Shark
Four-stripe Damselfish
Manybar Goatfish
Southern Stingray
Targetfish
Whitespotted Bamboo Shark

SOUTH PACIFIC GALLERY: (8 Exhibits)

Medium-sized wall tank:
Anemone (unspecified species)
Clownfish (unspecified species)

Small-sized wall tank:
Garden Eel (unspecified species)

Small-sized wall tank:
Cuttlefish (empty)

Small-sized wall tank:
Seahorse (unspecified species)

Small-sized wall tank:
Ringed pipefish

Small-sized wall tank:
Blue Linckia Sea Star

Small-sized wall tank:
Giant Clam

Medium-sized pedestal tank:
Coral (multiple unspecified species)

JELLIES: (3 Exhibits)

Small-sized wall tank:
Moon Jelly

Small-sized wall tank:
Chambered Nautilus

Large-sized column tank:
Moon Jelly

INSIDE THE WRECK: (1 Exhibit)

Large-sized floor-to-ceiling wall tank with back windows looking into the 'Atlantic Coral Reef' and 'Shark Tank' exhibits:
Unsigned exhibit, but a few species observed:
Spiny Lobster? (unidentified)
Squirrelfish? (unidentified)
Lookdown

SHARK TANK: (1 Exhibit)

Extra large-sized floor-to-ceiling wall tank:
Balloonfish
Black Durgon
Black Margate
Blue Angelfish
Bluestriped Grunt
Cobia
Cottonwick
Crevalle Jack
French Angelfish
French Grunt
Great Barracuda
Hogfish
Horse Eye Jack
Lookdown
Nurse Shark
Porkfish
Queen Triggerfish
Red Drum
Sandbar Shark
Sandtiger Shark
Sargeant Major
Spadefish
Stingray (unsigned, unidentified)
Tarpon
Tomtate
Yellowtail Snapper

SHARK REEF CAFE: (3 Exhibits)
After the aquarium exit, the cafe has another view of the 'Shark Tank' Exhibit, and:

Medium-sized wall tank:
Red-bellied Piranha

Medium-sized pedestal tank:
Multiple tropical fish, about 6 species (unsigned, unidentified)

Medium-sized pedestal tank:
Multiple freshwater fish, about 6 species (unsigned, unidentified)

SUMMARY:
By my count, the total number of exhibits currently at the Albuquerque Aquarium is: 30
By my count, the total number of species in permanent exhibits with identification signs is: 201
The number of species I counted can be broken down into the following categories:
Mammals: 0
Birds: 1
Reptiles: 2
Amphibians: 0
Fish: 188
Invertebrates: 10

snowleopard · 18 Mar 2018

I can recall enjoying this aquarium as the exhibit quality is fairly high but with only 30 tanks it doesn't take much longer than an hour to see it all. Of course if an individual is tracking every single species in every body of water then an hour might not be enough.

You didn't mention the North American River Otters but I think that the brand-new exhibit is not quite finished yet. I found a news article that stated "spring 2018" and so it must be close to completion. Did you see any signs advertising an opening date?

geomorph · 18 Mar 2018

snowleopard said:
I can recall enjoying this aquarium as the exhibit quality is fairly high but with only 30 tanks it doesn't take much longer than an hour to see it all. Of course if an individual is tracking every single species in every body of water then an hour might not be enough.

You didn't mention the North American River Otters but I think that the brand-new exhibit is not quite finished yet. I found a news article that stated "spring 2018" and so it must be close to completion. Did you see any signs advertising an opening date?

The new otter exhibit is basically finished and easily visible from the first large room of the visitor path, I took a few pictures and will post them once I get organized and edited. It looks like a standard good exhibit for the species and is an outdoor one thankfully.

I spent about an hour and 45 minutes in the aquarium including taking pictures of all those species identification signs! I spent about an hour and 15 minutes in the Bugarium at the botanic garden doing the same, which shows how engaging that new arthropod facility is. I spent about 5 hours at the zoo the previous day; however I did not note all the species for a list and only photographed the exhibits that were attractive, as about half the zoo is lackluster in that regard. Speaking of the zoo, I'm sorry to report that the new indoor penguin exhibit in a new building looks to be behind schedule and looks to be a poorly-sited clumsy design that doesn't relate well to its surroundings and can't decide if it wants to be a modern style or a southwestern style! On the brighter side, I was impressed with the reptile house; it is a larger and well-displayed collection than I anticipated!

geomorph · 10 Apr 2018

snowleopard said:
You didn't mention the North American River Otters but I think that the brand-new exhibit is not quite finished yet. I found a news article that stated "spring 2018" and so it must be close to completion.

Here are a few images of the nearly-finished otter exhibit: