Florida Aquarium SwampDonkey's Florida Aquarium updates and visit log

[SwampDonkey]

Similar to my running Zoo Tampa thread, I am going to use this space as a update from when I make visits. I have a membership here and at ZT, so I go frequently enough to both of them. I hope some people find value in a thread that is updated with changes noticed from one person's perspective.

Visit from January 14th 2023:
The Wetlands dome looks as stunning as ever. The time that has passed from the FL Aquarium's opening until now has given time for the living plants to really mature. IMO this is one of the premier swamp/estuary habitats in the southern USA.

Noticed species this visit were many birds that are not always out along with Florida ivory millipedes, Burmese python, and the updated entrance to "Shorelines", which it the update for "Bays and Beaches".

The remodeled "Shorelines" area seems to be largely complete. All the graphics have been replaced with digital signs, new animals have been added, and the entire area has been repainted and re-themed. The first large tank has a variety of fish, including several different species of grouper - which is nice to see. Red, black, gag, and I believe another grouper were signed along with green moray eel and jacks. The new digital signs are all up and look great. The new goliath grouper seems to have settled into the former "bridges" tank (there is another smaller goliath grouper in the Coral Reef tank). The pufferfish tank has been spruced up a bit with some decorative elements.

Signs are up for the first of the new expansion areas. The smallest expansion is adding an area with small amphibians such as axolotls and small tanks yet to be announced:

The Coral Reef area has three new sand tiger sharks added at various times in 2022.

Waves of Wonder finally filled out the main tank with bonnethead sharks, spotted eagle ray, and others. The sharks and rays are the "main" show here.

 

[SwampDonkey]

Great visit at the aquarium this past weekend. They did a members preview of the new MORPH'D gallery, which was very impressive. My full review is HERE.

Other news I was able to see the Queensland grouper in the Heart of the Sea gallery. Otherwise it was a great visit, but got really crowded in the afternoon. The otters are getting ready for new enrichment items to be added, the kayak is currently removed. I skipped the Madagascar exhibit.

The bird show is back on through Labor Day, but I did not watch it this time.

 

[SwampDonkey]

I was at the aquarium for their annual guppyween event this past Saturday. They have a few new exhibits/animals since my last visit in the summer.

• Cherry shrimp and poison dart frogs added to the MORPH'D gallery. Both were teased as additions but were not present when the new gallery opened in the summer.
• The unsigned octopus in the MORPH'D gallery is now signed as Caribbean reef octopus.
• A leucitic gar is now in the entry tank at the wetlands gallery.
• I was able to see one of the new honeycomb rays in the Heart of the Sea.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

 

[SwampDonkey]

Visit from October 26 2024. A few changes, mostly in the MORPH'D gallery. They also have a huge banner announcing the new cold water touch tank coming in 2025.

Wetlands -

• Python seems to have been replaced with caracara. The bird was visible but un-signed, but python signs have been removed.

MORPH'D -

• Arowana tank now houses freshwater stingrays with the arowana. This is a good move as the rays were really cramped in their tank. The rays are still in their own tank as well.
  

• A new tank for four-fingered lipsuckers has been added across from the mudskippers.
  

• Electric catfish have been replaced by painted frogfish. I preferred the catfish.
  
  
  
  
• The Caribbean octopus is gone, the tank is empty and has a sign "New Species Coming Soon".

Shorelines -

• Clinging crab tank has been replaced with a great tank holding emerald crab, banded coral shrimp, cardinal fish, arrow crab, and giant Caribbean anemone.
  

 

[SwampDonkey]

Visit April 26 2025:

Stopped by for a bit to check out the new fish added to Reef Secrets and the bluespotted ribbontailed ray in Shorelines as well as the construction of the new North Atlantic Rocky shores area.

Overall I am really enthused with the way the aquarium is rolling out consistent updates. I am highly optimistic on the new additions under construction and the recent additions.

Construction:
The majority of the second level mezzanine is blocked by construction walls, so progress is being made but unseen. There is a large sign and construction walls where the new puffins will go in the first floor lobby:

Florida Wetlands:
The former python and caracara habitat is empty with just a "under construction" sign and some rockwork equipment. A worker nearby didn't know what was going to be in the exhibit.

Shorelines:
Lots of changes in Shorelines. The American Spiny lobster tank is now just fish: Honeycomb cowfish, Spanish hogfish, high-hat. The lobsters have been moved into the ray touch tank, you are not allowed to pet them (I asked).

They have added 4 or 5 VR pods in the space between the old lobster tank and the puffin round tower tank.

Ray touch tank:
Spiny lobsters moved here and there is a new bluespotted ribbontailed ray:

MORPH'D:
Carp have been added to the paddlefish tank. The former Caribbean octopus tank now houses pearl gourami and chili rasbora.

Florida Coral Reef:
False pilchards and brown shrimp are gone, the sign says a new living coral tank is coming soon, which is actually what was there before the false pilchards IIRC.

Reef Secrets:
Probably the most "exciting" change is the addition of milletseed butterflyfish, raccoon butterflyfish, potter's angelfish, yellow tang, and flame angelfish (both unsigned). There is a separate tank for peacock mantis shrimp:

 

[SwampDonkey]

I was invited to the preview of the new touch pool last night after the aquarium had closed for the day - it is a really nice addition to the aquarium. The old touch pool was OK, but very small and only had a few animals in it. The new pool is 60 feet long, 4,00 gallons (over 1,500 liters) and will have about 200 animals in it, primarily inverts of course.

We were asked to not take any pictures since it has not opened yet, but it looks great. There is a water splash down/wave every 30 seconds or so (I didn't time it) and the background is a large mural that spans the entire pool. The mural is dynamic and changes light and sky color over an 8 minute span from dawn through night.

No animals were in the tank yet as they are still working out the water chemistry. The official opening is August 1st.

Unfortunately the only area open to walk through during the preview was MORPH'D, so I don't have a lot of notes other than the touch pool.

MORPH'D -

The former freshwater stingray tank (they were moved in with the arowana) is now Epaulette Sharks and the Epaulette sharks tank now houses harlequin rasboras.

 

[SwampDonkey]

Visit from August 23 2025.

The visit was for the "cuddle clinic" where kids could bring stuffed animals and have them examined at different stations throughout the aquarium, it was a really great event for kids.

There were quite a few changes. It is actually quite astonishing how many changes there are at this aquarium every time I go. The biggest change, and not really a good one, is the decision to get rid of Journey to Madagascar and par it back to just the lemurs and spiny tailed iguana.

The inside part of the restaurant is closed for remodeling. They also re-routed the exit from Waves of Wonder, so something is happening in that space.

Wetlands:
The Burmese python is back, albeit a different animal. They remodeled the exhibit and it looks really good. I really think that this is a great exhibit to highlight the invasive pythons of Florida.

Lemur Lookout:
Journey to Madagascar is now gone. It is kind of strange to climb up the stairs just for the ring tailed lemur and spiny tailed iguana. All of the other tanks have been removed and filled in with new wooden walls, if you didn't know what was there before you would not know. Gone are the tomato frogs, giant day gecko, Madagascar fish tank, panther chameleon (although they were also in MORPH'D), radiated tortoises, and some others that I can't recall.

Shorelines:
The entry tank that housed bonnethead sharks and an assortment of groupers now houses no sharks or groupers, but instead French grunt, flounder, Gulf toadfish, porkfish, butter hamlet, jackknife fish, southern stingray, and a few others. The groupers have been moved to the large Heart of the Sea tank in Waves of Wonder. The tank looks really good with lots of fish, even thought there are not really any standout fish.

The Caribbean lobster are back in their tank. There are three monster lobsters in the tank.

Touch Tank:
The new touch tank is a huge hit, it was crazy crowded so I could not get any great pictures of it. The area goes from night to daytime over the course of about 8 minutes and I could not get any pictures during the day mode, so these "night" pictures are a bit funky.

Reef Secrets:
I am not sure if these spotted spiny lobsters were here before, but I had not noticed them previously. Cool lobsters.

Florida Coral Reefs:
The false pilchard tank was replaced with '"Ako'ako'a" which is supposed to represent a Pacific reef. It is pretty....but I liked the false pilchards and brown shrimp better, they were more unique for the space IMO.

Waves of Wonder:
The large Heart of the Sea tank now houses several grouper (some present previously): red, speckled, Queensland, goliath. There are still lots of other fish including a huge school of yellowback fusilier, unicorn fish, butterfly fish, and the loggerhead turtle. No sharks.

 

[SwampDonkey]

Visit from October 25

Lemur Lookout:
I took a closer look at the former Madagascar area and determined that all the tanks are likely still there, just covered over with various disguises. There is now a sign that says that "Improvements are on the way", so fingers crossed that the area will be improved soon.

Shorelines:
Pajama and Blue streak cardinalfish are in the first cylinder tank now.

Several large lobsters have joined the two that were in the lobster tank before:


MORPH'D:
A unspecified species of freshwater ray simply signed "Potamotrygon s.", possibly a juvenile P. tigrina (thanks @Local_Shark ) has replaced the harlequin rasbora.


Waves of Wonder:
I have not spotted the large whipray in the large tank on my last to visits, which is disheartening.