This is an attempt to list every species on exhibit at the Albuquerque Aquarium in Albuquerque, New Mexico during my visit on 3-9-18. I am including species for which there is a sign on each exhibit, and using the named zones according to the order in which they are encountered along the visitor path. This list may be of more interest to those already familiar with the aquarium since I am not arranging the species by animal type. RIO GRANDE: (2 Exhibits) Medium-sized pedestal tank: Bluegill Sunfish Carp Sucker Channel Catfish Common Carp Fathead Minnow Flathead Chub Gizzard Shad Longnose Dace Mosquitofish Red Shiner Rio Grande Chub Rio Grande Silvery Minnow Rio Grande Sucker South American Suckermouth Catfish Medium-sized pedestal tank: Blue Sucker Longnose Gar Shovelnose Sturgeon White Sucker TROUT STREAM: (1 Exhibit) Small-sized open-topped rocky stream: Rio Grande Cutthroat Trout SALT MARSH: (1 Exhibit) Medium-sized open-topped rocky pool: Balloonfish Gray Angelfish Gray Snapper Mottled Mojarra Mummichog Pinfish Sailfin Molly Schoolmaster Snapper Southern Puffer Spotfin Mojarra Yellowfin Mojarra GULF COAST: (4 Exhibits) Small-sized pedestal terrarium: Diamondback Terrapin Medium-sized pedestal tank: Blue Chromis Bluehead Wrasse Brown Chromis Harlequin Bass Loggerhead Midnight Parrotfish Plumed Scorpionfish Queen Angelfish Red-spotted Hawkfish Shy Hamlet Spanish Hogfish Spotted Drum Stoplight Parrotfish Striped Parrotfish Tobaccofish Yellowtail Snapper Medium-sized pedestal tank (labeled as "Jetty"): Molly Miller Pencil Urchin Red-spotted Hawkfish Reef Squirrelfish Royal Gramma Sargeant Major Sharpnose Puffer Short-spined Urchin Slippery Dick Yellowhead Wrasse Small-sized column tank: Cardinal Soldierfish Cuban Hogfish French Angelfish High Hat Glassy Sweeper Slippery Dick Tobaccofish SHALLOWS & SHORES: (1 Exhibit) Large-sized open-topped rocky pool: Alligator Gar Balloonfish Black Drum Cownose Ray Gag Great Barracuda Ladyfish Laughing Gull? (unsigned, on ledge of pool) Pinfish Porcupinefish Red Drum Schoolmaster Snapper Sea Catfish Sheepshead Southern Stingray Tarpon Yellowfin Mojarra SURF ZONE: (1 Exhibit) Medium-sized wall tank: Horse-eye Jack Palometa Spotted Sea Trout ATLANTIC CORAL REEF: (1 Exhibit) Large-sized floor-to-ceiling wall tank: Banded Butterflyfish Black Durgon Blue Hamlet Blue Tang French Angelfish French Grunt Hogfish Lookdown Ocean Surgeon Porcupinefish Queen Triggerfish Sand Perch Sargeant Major Spadefish Stoplight Parrotfish PACIFIC CORAL REEF: (1 Exhibit) Large-sized floor-to-ceiling tank with visitor walk-through tunnel: Achilles Tang Arc-eye Hawkfish Balloonfish Bannerfish Bicolor Foxface Bignose Unicornfish Blacklip Butterflyfish Bluespine Unicornfish Clown Fairy Wrasse Clown Tang Clown Triggerfish Convict Surgeonfish Cortez Angelfish Dogface Puffer Domino Damselfish Emperor Angelfish Flame Angelfish Flame Fin Tang Flame Hawkfish Formosa Wrasse Four-spot Butterflyfish Green Bird Wrasse Green Chromis Harlequin Tuskfish Hi Fin Snapper Lei Triggerfish Lemon Peel Angelfish Longnose Hawkfish Majestic Angelfish Merten's Butterflyfish Metallic Foxface Multicolor Angelfish Naso Tang Niger Triggerfish Orange Shoulder Tang Oriental Sweetlips Pacific Blue Tang Paddlefin Wrasse Passer Angelfish Pearlscale Butterflyfish Picasso Triggerfish Powderblue Surgeonfish Powder Brown Tang Raccoon Butterflyfish Rectangular Triggerfish Ringed Angelfish Saddleback Butterflyfish Sailfin Tang Scribbled Rabbitfish Scott's Wrasse Sixbar Wrasse Smallmouth Squirrelfish Spotted Sweetlips Spotted Unicornfish Striped Sweetlips Threadfin Butterflyfish Tomato Clownfish Trumpetfish Twinspot Wrasse Yellow-face Angelfish Yellow Longnose Butterflyfish Yellow Tang SHARK/RAY ENCOUNTER: (2 Exhibits) Small-sized wall tank: Dwarf Indian Mudskipper Medium-sized open-top touchpool: Atlantic Stingray Banded Archerfish Bluestripe Snapper Diamondfish Epaulette Shark Four-stripe Damselfish Manybar Goatfish Southern Stingray Targetfish Whitespotted Bamboo Shark SOUTH PACIFIC GALLERY: (8 Exhibits) Medium-sized wall tank: Anemone (unspecified species) Clownfish (unspecified species) Small-sized wall tank: Garden Eel (unspecified species) Small-sized wall tank: Cuttlefish (empty) Small-sized wall tank: Seahorse (unspecified species) Small-sized wall tank: Ringed pipefish Small-sized wall tank: Blue Linckia Sea Star Small-sized wall tank: Giant Clam Medium-sized pedestal tank: Coral (multiple unspecified species) JELLIES: (3 Exhibits) Small-sized wall tank: Moon Jelly Small-sized wall tank: Chambered Nautilus Large-sized column tank: Moon Jelly INSIDE THE WRECK: (1 Exhibit) Large-sized floor-to-ceiling wall tank with back windows looking into the 'Atlantic Coral Reef' and 'Shark Tank' exhibits: Unsigned exhibit, but a few species observed: Spiny Lobster? (unidentified) Squirrelfish? (unidentified) Lookdown SHARK TANK: (1 Exhibit) Extra large-sized floor-to-ceiling wall tank: Balloonfish Black Durgon Black Margate Blue Angelfish Bluestriped Grunt Cobia Cottonwick Crevalle Jack French Angelfish French Grunt Great Barracuda Hogfish Horse Eye Jack Lookdown Nurse Shark Porkfish Queen Triggerfish Red Drum Sandbar Shark Sandtiger Shark Sargeant Major Spadefish Stingray (unsigned, unidentified) Tarpon Tomtate Yellowtail Snapper SHARK REEF CAFE: (3 Exhibits) After the aquarium exit, the cafe has another view of the 'Shark Tank' Exhibit, and: Medium-sized wall tank: Red-bellied Piranha Medium-sized pedestal tank: Multiple tropical fish, about 6 species (unsigned, unidentified) Medium-sized pedestal tank: Multiple freshwater fish, about 6 species (unsigned, unidentified) SUMMARY: By my count, the total number of exhibits currently at the Albuquerque Aquarium is: 30 By my count, the total number of species in permanent exhibits with identification signs is: 201 The number of species I counted can be broken down into the following categories: Mammals: 0 Birds: 1 Reptiles: 2 Amphibians: 0 Fish: 188 Invertebrates: 10
I can recall enjoying this aquarium as the exhibit quality is fairly high but with only 30 tanks it doesn't take much longer than an hour to see it all. Of course if an individual is tracking every single species in every body of water then an hour might not be enough. You didn't mention the North American River Otters but I think that the brand-new exhibit is not quite finished yet. I found a news article that stated "spring 2018" and so it must be close to completion. Did you see any signs advertising an opening date?
The new otter exhibit is basically finished and easily visible from the first large room of the visitor path, I took a few pictures and will post them once I get organized and edited. It looks like a standard good exhibit for the species and is an outdoor one thankfully. I spent about an hour and 45 minutes in the aquarium including taking pictures of all those species identification signs! I spent about an hour and 15 minutes in the Bugarium at the botanic garden doing the same, which shows how engaging that new arthropod facility is. I spent about 5 hours at the zoo the previous day; however I did not note all the species for a list and only photographed the exhibits that were attractive, as about half the zoo is lackluster in that regard. Speaking of the zoo, I'm sorry to report that the new indoor penguin exhibit in a new building looks to be behind schedule and looks to be a poorly-sited clumsy design that doesn't relate well to its surroundings and can't decide if it wants to be a modern style or a southwestern style! On the brighter side, I was impressed with the reptile house; it is a larger and well-displayed collection than I anticipated!
Here are a few images of the nearly-finished otter exhibit: Future River Otter Exhibit by geomorph posted 19 Mar 2018 at 9:08 PM Future River Otter Exhibit by geomorph posted 19 Mar 2018 at 9:11 PM
To illustrate this list I will quote selections from it with some images I had posted later in the gallery: Building Exterior by geomorph posted 19 Mar 2018 at 9:03 PM Aquarium Entrance by geomorph posted 19 Mar 2018 at 9:04 PM RIO GRANDE: (2 Exhibits) Rio Grande Exhibits by geomorph posted 19 Mar 2018 at 9:04 PM TROUT STREAM: (1 Exhibit) Trout Stream Exhibit by geomorph posted 19 Mar 2018 at 9:08 PM SALT MARSH: (1 Exhibit) Salt Marsh Exhibit by geomorph posted 19 Mar 2018 at 9:08 PM GULF COAST: (4 Exhibits) Medium-sized pedestal tank: Gulf Coast - Loggerhead and Others Exhibit by geomorph posted 19 Mar 2018 at 9:11 PM SHALLOWS & SHORES: (1 Exhibit) Shallows and Shores Exhibit by geomorph posted 19 Mar 2018 at 9:18 PM Shallows and Shores Exhibit by geomorph posted 19 Mar 2018 at 9:16 PM
ATLANTIC CORAL REEF: (1 Exhibit) Atlantic Coral Reef Exhibit by geomorph posted 19 Mar 2018 at 9:18 PM PACIFIC CORAL REEF: (1 Exhibit) Pacific Coral Reef Exhibit by geomorph posted 19 Mar 2018 at 9:20 PM SOUTH PACIFIC GALLERY: (8 Exhibits) South Pacific Gallery by geomorph posted 19 Mar 2018 at 9:23 PM JELLIES: (3 Exhibits) Jellies - Moon Jelly Exhibit by geomorph posted 19 Mar 2018 at 9:25 PM INSIDE THE WRECK: (1 Exhibit) Inside the Wreck Exhibit by geomorph posted 19 Mar 2018 at 9:25 PM SHARK TANK: (1 Exhibit) Shark Tank Exhibit by geomorph posted 19 Mar 2018 at 9:28 PM Shark Tank Exhibit by geomorph posted 19 Mar 2018 at 9:28 PM
I know nothing about fish, but they appear to have such descriptive and expressive names compared to other animals.
I’ve noticed that very few fish kept in captivity are named after the scientist or explorer who first described them.
I think I should mention that the photos embedded from the gallery in this thread are not the only ones I took; there are many more I added to the aquarium's gallery.
Also, two more. First, do you remember was the particular species of short-spined sea urchin signed? There are quite a few species under that common name. Second, what about the porcupinefish? I assume spotfin, but I cannot find confirmation.
