An Enquirer.com Special Section	FRIDAY, MAY 14, 1999
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THE AQUARIUM Introduction Going there The murals The music Shop and Eat Beginnings THE EXHIBITS World Rivers Shore Gallery Touch Pool Bizarre & Beautiful Dangerous & Deadly Riverbank 'Gator Bayou Amazon Rain Forest Coral Reef Jellyfish Gallery Kingdom of Penguins Ray Nursery Repopulation Surrounded by Sharks THE STAFF Staff and keepers

The Tristate is Goin' Fishin' Newport Aquarium brings wonderful water creatures to our doorstep One of the main attractions: 16 King Penguins. | ZOOM |         Marine animals from all over the world have been collected and brought to Oceanic Adventures Newport Aquarium.         Starting Saturday, visitors will see penguins from Japan, fish from as near as the Licking River and as far as Australia. Alligators from Florida and sharks from all over. An estimated 11,000 marine animals live in 1 million gallons of salt and fresh water.         Some animals, such as sharks, rays, catfish and bass, were captured from the wild. Some were obtained from other aquariums or institutions (the Poison Dart Frogs, for example, came from the Cincinnati Zoo.) Others came from private owners and collectors. Visitors walk through see-through tunnels surrounded by fish. | ZOOM |         “We will get fish from the Amazon River regions of Brazil and Peru, and from as far away as Australia and the Philippines,” animal curator Pam Lyons said earlier this year. “In every case we have distributors who are skilled and experienced in obtaining the fish and transporting them.”         Fish are in tanks of all sizes. The shark tank holds 380,000 gallons of water. The “swampland” in the 'Gator Bayou holds 3,600 gallons. Colorful murals cover the walls. | ZOOM |         Seamless tunnels made of acrylic offer unobstructed views of the water and marine life above. In some tunnels, the floor is acrylic, too.         Colorful murals cover the walls. The music, created especially for the aquarium, adds to the mood of specific exhibits.         The Pirate Theater, decorated like a Spanish Galleon, shows educational films. Food is served in the Lighthouse Cafe. There's a gift shop, too, packed with all sorts of aquatic-related souvenirs.         Click here to see the layout of the Aquarium: 620 pixels | 750 pixels The main attraction         It's called “Surrounded by Sharks,” and you are — or at least it appears that way. Ky. Gov. Paul Patton watches a sand tiger shark swim overhead. | ZOOM |         Wander through the winding, 84-foot tunnel and look up at the Lemon Shark. Look down at the Nurse Shark. Look left and right — only 21/2 inches of acrylic separates you from 25 sharks and thousands of other fish. This 380,000-gallon tank is the aquarium's largest exhibit.         The dim lighting overhead and rippling water hide the ceiling, creating an optical illusion. The top of the tunnel seems to melt into water. An acrylic floor panel offers a glimpse below.         After leaving the tunnel, turn right and look through the bubble windows to get a different perspective of the tank. Come up the escalator for a view from above — it's one of the largest open-air shark viewing areas in the United States. Rocks, vine and corals Most of the coral is artificial. | ZOOM |         Because coral is fragile, takes years to grow and is not easily harvested — not to mention protected — almost all of the coral here is man-made. So are the rocks and vines. Rock and Water Scapes of Irvine, Calif., crafted it from resin, polymers, fiberglass and reinforced concrete. The coral in the Coral Reef underwater tunnel is artificial. Live coral is found in the Bizarre & Beautiful exhibit. Aquarium by the numbers         $40 million: cost to build         100,000: square feet of space         16: themed galleries         60: exhibits         11,000: marine animals         600: species         16: King Penguins         50: sharks         200: feet of underwater tunnels         1 million: gallons of water         380,000: gallons of water in shark tank         1,500-1,800: people can move through the aquarium per hour         2-21/2: in hours, average length of visit The Tristate is Goin' Fishin' Going to the Aquarium Murals bring seascapes to life Music sets the mood for 16 exhibits Shop, eat and watch a movie The making of an aquarium World Rivers Shore Gallery Touch Pool Bizarre & Beautiful Dangerous & Deadly Riverbank 'Gator Bayou Amazon Rain Forest Coral Reef Jellyfish Gallery Kingdom of Penguins Ray Nursery Repopulation Surrounded by Sharks Meet the staff and keepers

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