Saturday, March 20, 1999
Amazon comes to aquarium
300 fish flown in from Brazil
BY TERRY FLYNN
The Cincinnati Enquirer
NEWPORT — More than 300 fish are now swimming in the temporary holding tanks at the Newport Aquarium's warehouse, the first group of approximately 11,000 fish that will be in display at the aquarium beginning in May.
And although they made a 14-hour trip by air from Brazil, arriving late Thursday, the fish were hungry on Friday less than 24 hours after their arrival.
“They're eating real well,” aquatic biologist Rich Terrell said Friday afternoon after watching some of the smaller freshwater fish dine.
“That's not always the case. Sometimes after a trip like that they are a little stressed and don't eat for a while.”
Among the species that were shipped by plane in water-filled plastic bags inside insulated foam containers were piranhas, black armor catfish, leopard catfish, redtail catfish, red-bellied pacu, black-finned pacu and a pair of 3-foot-long electric eels.
The eels are handled very carefully with thick rubber gloves and heavy weights are placed on top of a wire cover over their tank because, according to aquarium staff, the large slender fish like to push their way out of the water.
Aquarium spokeswoman Lisa Popyk said most of the fish in this initial shipment will be seen in the Amazon Rainforest tunnel, while the piranhas and electric eels will be in the Deadly & Danger ous Gallery.
Speaking of deadly and dangerous, the aquarium now has about two dozen poison dart frogs, compliments of the Cincinnati Zoo. To keep them company are three deadly eye-lash vipers, some snapping turtles and a pair of alligators.
Mr. Terrell said the alligators, rescued after they were confiscated by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources from pet shops, have quickly adapted to their temporary home at the warehouse.
“They eat everything I give them,” he said. That includes various fish, and an occasional mouse.
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