Northwest_FIsh_Keeping

"Wonders of the Deep" Whalefall Tank (2015)

(Exhibit ran from 2013 to 2015/16) In the photo it looks like this tank housed some Fragile Pink Urchins, Japanese Spider Crabs, Sea Stars, and Prawns of some kind. Was meant to mimic a whalefall and I'd say they pulled it off well for the technology at the time
I found this photo going through my Dad's archives in hopes of finding a pic of Monterey Bay's Flapjack Octopus we had seen before.
I almost forgot this exhibit was a thing since I saw it when I was really young, I definitely remember them having Flashlight Fish, Giant Isopods, and Pacific Hagfish. Apparently Chambered Nautilis too, according to the announcement post that's available online, but I don't remember them very well.
Honestly, for it's time, it sounds like it was one of the better Deep-Sea exhibits in North America, considering they didn't have access to ROVs and the technology that didn't exist back then, like it does today. (Monterey Bay's first Deep-sea exhibit had already closed by this time)
 
@Northwest_FIsh_Keeping They had chambered nautilus in a cylindrical tank but had to remove them because they weren’t doing well. I know they were kept behind the scenes for some time after. This was also where they had the moon jelly touch tank before it moved outside. I also remember there being tanks that replicated hydrothermal vents and included some deep sea crustaceans.
 
@Northwest_FIsh_Keeping Aquarium of the Pacific | Exhibits | Animals
This shows most species that were on display though its not complete (for example the Japanese spider crab isn't in it). There seems to be another invert on the model below the lowest spot prawn, maybe a sea star? The picture of the fragile pink urchins above on the website also show a spiny king crab of some kind and what seems to be a surf perch? The picture of the squat lobster shows another small crab behind it, perhaps a spider crab?
 
Funnily enough this fake dead whale is now back on exhibit, they have it in the permanent Japanese spider crab display up in the Northern Pacific Gallery. This was easily AOP's best ever temporary exhibit, and all before Pacific Visions was ever constructed. One hopes in the future they will use that new space for something this cool.
 

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