Florida Aquarium Florida Aquarium News & Notes

On November 30th, the aquarium announced they moved 2 new invertebrate species on display in the Reef Secrets gallery, sphere sea urchins and pom-pom crabs (genus Lybia).

Discover the intriguing invertebrates that have moved into Reef Secrets! Blue tuxedo sea urchins, a vital herbivore to the ecosystem that munches on filamentous algae. Pom pom crabs, aptly named for it's habit of carrying sea anemones in each claw. | The Florida Aquarium | New Kids On The Block · You Got It (The Right Stuff)

On December 14th, it was announced that the aquarium was inducted into the World Association of Zoos & Aquariums (WAZA) as an institution member.

The Florida Aquarium

On December 19th, the aquarium announced that they welcomed their 1 millionth patron of 2023 which is the first time in the facility's history that 1M guests visited in a year.

Aquarium Celebrates One Millionth Guests | Breaking News! We just welcomed our ONE-MILLIONTH guest of this year! Aquarium staff packed the lobby and erupted in cheers as President and CEO... | By The Florida Aquarium | Facebook

On December 26th, the aquarium announced that (0.0.3+?) knobby brain corals were born in the coral nursery in September.

The Florida Aquarium

On December 30th, the aquarium announced that (0.0.5+) dwarf seahorses were born which are on exhibit in the Reef Secrets gallery.

The tiniest Christmas present Dwarf seahorse babies were born on Christmas! These babies are about the same length as a grain of rice See the newborns in our Reef Secrets gallery alongside a variety of seahorse species! | The Florida Aquarium
 
Also, the Aquarium is going to start enforcing the timed entry. Whether they continue after spring break season is over remains to be seen. Further, the annual membership no longer includes parking, and grandfathered memberships will see that benefit expire May 2025.
 
From a member email:

The "Heart of the Sea" tank has been transformed into the Indo-Pacific with the addition of 26 new species including:

Among the new inhabitants are 26 different species, many of which are rarely seen in this part of the world, including:
  • Māori wrasse
  • Gold goatfish
  • Spotted unicornfish
  • Blue speckled grouper
  • Emperor angelfish
  • Giant squirrelfish
  • Various species of butterflyfish
  • A large school of fusiliers
 
On August 13th, the aquarium announced they rehabilitated and released 5 sea turtles (species(s) not specified), as well as a green sea turtle rehabbed at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium in Florida back into the wild.

The Florida Aquarium

On August 23rd, the aquarium announced they received a $3M donation from The Mosaic Company for the construction of the future sea lion exhibit.

The Florida Aquarium
 
Smaggledagle said:
On August 13th, the aquarium announced they rehabilitated and released 5 sea turtles (species(s) not specified), as well as a green sea turtle rehabbed at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium in Florida back into the wild.

The Florida Aquarium

On August 23rd, the aquarium announced they received a $3M donation from The Mosaic Company for the construction of the future sea lion exhibit.

The Florida Aquarium
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What's the progress on the sea lion exhibit?
 
SwampDonkey said:
Not under construction yet that I am aware of. The next section to open will be the Rocky Coast area with puffins and the new touch pools, along with more fish tanks in the upper area where the touch pools are now. After those are done the outside sea lion and penguins will be built.
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Ah, ok. I do think Florida Aquarium, excellent as it is, does need exhibits of animals from outside the Caribbean.
 
I
Ebirah766 said:
Ah, ok. I do think Florida Aquarium, excellent as it is, does need exhibits of animals from outside the Caribbean.
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I kind of disagree. While these enhancements will be really nice, and I am excited for them to be sure, I would prefer they had stayed with the mission of "telling the story of Florida water from the spring to the open sea" as it was when they first opened. I think there are ways to maintain that mission and enhance the visitor experience. They could have opted for manatees instead of sealions and penguins, for example. Rehab space is always needed in Florida for them.
That said, the FL Aquarium started the departure from that original mission only a few years after opening when they added Madagascar.
 
Does anyone know the total volume of the Florida Aquarium? I know there biggest tank is a half a million gallons but that is all I could find. Does the Florida Aquarium have one big tank with small tanks elsewhere or does it have more big tanks?
 
Cuban-Floridian said:
Does anyone know the total volume of the Florida Aquarium? I know there biggest tank is a half a million gallons but that is all I could find. Does the Florida Aquarium have one big tank with small tanks elsewhere or does it have more big tanks?
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I don't know the total volume, but they have two huge tanks: the coral reef and the open ocean.

Then there are several very large tanks such as the first Springs tank, Shoreline main tanks (2), paddlefish tank, and the shallow estuary tanks which are large but don't hold a lot of water due to their depth.
 
A member email said the splash pad and playground were damaged in hurricane Helene. Instead of repairing them they will convert it into "an outdoor greenspace" and use it for kids programming. It also said the construction for the sealion habitat, which will occupy that space, will start Fall 2025.
 
On September 20th, the aquarium announced they rehabilitated and released a (1.0) green sea turtle back into the wild. On October 15th, the aquarium announced they rehabilitated and released another green sea turtle back into the wild.

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1049567283285299
The Florida Aquarium

On October 21st, the aquarium announced they acquired 2+? common seahorses which are on display in the Reef Secrets gallery.

18 reactions | There's a new resident in Reef Secrets! Can you spot the Common Seahorse (Hippocampus kuda)? This unique species is found in the warm waters of the Pacific Ocean, wrapping their tails around coral, seaweed, or even each other! | The Florida Aquarium
 
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