My Fantasy Aquarium

My fantasy aquarium (haven't decided on a name yet) that I've been working on for a while. Not all the exhibits are finished yet, so I'll post them as I finish them. If you have suggestions for improvement, feel free to let me know.

 

Deep Sea

Displays of species found at depths of 200 metres or more. For the comfort of the animals, there are two sets of doors leading to the exhibit to minimise light, tank lighting is minimal or red light, and flash photography is strictly forbidden. The exhibit is circular, with tanks ringing a large central cylindrical tank. Most tanks are sparsely decorated with small rocks and a fine, silt-like substrate to mimic the deep sea environment, but some tanks that house species that prefer rocky habitats contain large piles of rocks. Signage at the entry (which doubles as an exit) explains how deep-sea creatures withstand the immense water pressure, and adaptations to living in an environment with immense pressure, no light and little food. Due to the relatively uniform conditions in the deep sea, all 20 tanks in the exhibit are all part of the same system, with large chillers to keep the water at a constant 2 degrees Celsius. Due to the difficulty of collecting deep-sea species, and the naturally brief life of some specimens, it is often not possible to collect the same species reliably, so the list of species displayed within this exhibit is constantly changing.

Tank 1 – Blacktip Snailfish, Sagami Lobster, Spearnose Seabat, Sea Pig

Tank 2 – Flapjack Octopus, Ebinania brephocephala, Botan Shrimp, Salmon Snailfish

Tank 3 – Japanese Sawshark, Spotted Ratfish, Largehead Hairtail

Tank 4 – Japanese Giant Spider Crab, Splendid Alfonsino, Japanese Armorhead, Gnomefish

Tank 5 – Ornate Jobfish, John Dory, Blackfringe Bigeye, Blue Grenadier

Tank 6 – Unicorn Shrimp, Mino Nylon Shrimp, Smooth Nylon Shrimp, Gigantocypris, Venus Flower Basket

Tank 7 – Giant Isopod, Eugonatonotus chacei, Longspine Snipefish, Foetorepus altivelis, Crystallichthys matsushimae

Tank 8 – Deep Sea Sole, Sixgill Stingray, Deepbody Boarfish, Angular Roughshark, Hilgendorf’s Saucord, Ruby Snapper

Tank 9 – Vampire Squid

Tank 10 – Garish Hind, Threetooth Puffer, Banded Bellowsfish

Tank 11 – Okinawa Chromis, Japanese Chromis, Odontanthias rhodopeplus

Tank 12 – Jewel Squid, Harp Comb Jelly

Tank 13 – Bloody Belly Comb Jelly

Tank 14 – Atlantic Footballfish

Tank 15 – juvenile Goblin Shark, juvenile Blacksail Snake Mackerel, Eightbar Grouper

Tank 16 – Splitfin Flashlight Fish, Pinecone Fish, Musical Furry Lobster

Tank 17 – Chambered Nautilus

Tank 18 – Armored Searobin, Platymaia alcocki

Tank 19 – Fathead Sculpin, Natal Angler

Tank 20 - Octopus tenuicirrus

 

This looks good so far.

 

Upcoming exhibits (still working on them):

Freshwaters of the World (A huge exhibit composed of several smaller exhibits, should I post these all at once or in parts? If I do it all at once it'll take a while)
High Seas
Cephalopods
Polar Oceans
Drifters
Weird and Wonderful
Marine Life Down Under
Danger in the Seas
Fish For Dinner

 

Cephalopods

Displays of cephalopods from various habitats, with a wall sign explaining their evolution from early molluscs, and a preserved specimen of the Giant Squid. Each tank is decorated to mimic the natural habitat of the specific cephalopod displayed in it. Due to cephalopods being easily stressed by camera flashes, flash photography is strictly forbidden in this exhibit.

Tank 1 – Bigfin Reef Squid

Tank 2 - Wunderpus

Tank 3 – Pharaoh Cuttlefish

Tank 4 – Greater Blue-Ringed Octopus

Tank 5 – Pyjama Squid

Tank 6 – Giant Cuttlefish

Tank 7 – Giant Pacific Octopus

Tank 8 – Sydney Octopus

Tank 9 – California Two-Spot Octopus

Tank 10 – Greater Argonaut

Tank 11 – Common Cuttlefish

Tank 12 – Coconut Octopus

Tank 13 – Reaper Cuttlefish

Tank 14 – Firefly Squid

Tank 15 – Flamboyant Cuttlefish

 

How did you make the maps?

 

I make them in MS Paint

 

Polar Oceans

Displays of species found at the poles. Tanks are decorated with rocks and polar seaweeds and algae, with a coarse, pebbly substrate, except for the tanks housing Clione and Northern Sea Nettle, which are completely bare for the safety of their inhabitants. The tanks housing semi-aquatic species have land areas and snow machines to shower finely crushed ice on the inhabitants to replicate snow. Signage shows the adaptations of polar animals that allow them to live in freezing water, such as thick layers of blubber and antifreeze blood.

Tank 1 – Bald Notothen, Dusky Rockcod, Emerald Notothen, Humped Rockcod

Tank 2 – Antarctic Giant Isopod, Validus Sea Star, Marbled Rockcod, Banded Gunnel

Tank 3 – Alaskan King Crab, Arctic Cod, Mackerel Icefish, Arctic Skate

Tank 4 – Northern Sea Nettle

Tank 5 – King Penguin, Adelie Penguin

Tank 6 – Clione

Tank 7 – Lumpsucker, Bering Flounder, Sailfin Plunderfish

Tank 8 – Antarctic Krill

Tank 9 – Ringed Seal

Tank 10 – Antarctic Spiny Plunderfish, Arctic Staghorn Sculpin, Shorthorn Sculpin, Pacific Spiny Lumpsucker

Tank 11 – Black Rockcod, Amur Sea Star, Longbeard Plunderfish

Tank 12 – Spotted Wolffish, Capelin

Tank 13 – Antarctic Lanternfish

Tank 14 - Antarctic Toothfish, Spiny Dogfish

 

This is so great! I love reading this, and can't wait for the rest! I didn't even know what a coconut octopus was until now....very interesting.

 

High Seas
Several large tanks exhibiting species that inhabit open water. Replicas of several ocean-going cetaceans such as Bottlenose Dolphin, Pacific White-Sided Dolphin, Risso's Dolphin, Orca, Humpback Whale and Blue Whale are suspended from the ceiling, and displays of the relative sizes of various sharks compared to a person. The tanks are completely bare and without substrate, other than tank 6 which has Sargassum Weed floating on the surface.

Tank 1 – Devil Ray, Mahi Mahi, Spanish Mackerel, Giant Trevally, Snubnose Pompano, Live Sharksucker, Bigeye Trevally, Indian Mackerel, Ocean Sunfish, Pelagic Ray, Crocodile Needlefish, Green Jobfish, Cobia, Humpback Snapper, Striped Bonito, Sawtooth Barracuda, Mackerel Scad, Dogtooth Tuna, Doublespotted Queenfish, Bluefin Trevally, Skipjack Tuna, African Pompano, Smallspotted Dart, Yellowtail Fuselier, Bluefin Tuna, Yellowfin Tuna

Tank 2 – Japanese Anchovy

Tank 3 – Kawakawa, Australian Bonito, Leaping Bonito

Tank 4 – Oceanic Puffer, Tripletail, Unicorn Leatherjacket

Tank 5 – Fanfish, Halfbeak

Tank 6 – Sargassum Weed, Sargassumfish, juvenile Mahi Mahi, Spotted Oceanic Triggerfish

Tank 7 – Chub Mackerel, Flying Fish, Southern Saury

Tank 8 – Portuguese Man-Of-War, juvenile Bluebottle Fish

 

Love the new installment! I'd love to see a Portuguese Man o' War exhibit.

 

No Portugese Man-Of-Wars have been kept successfully in captivity, unfortunately. I do believe they have been attempted but they never last long. There are a couple species in the exhibits I've posted here that have never been kept as far as I know, like the Man-Of-War, Blue Grenadier, Reaper Cuttlefish, Gigantocypris and Antarctic Lanternfish. In the end it is fantasy, after all, so I don't feel the need to be completely 100% realistic on everything.

 

Absolutely! I like when people include some fantastical species in their zoos in this forum (with the notable exceptions of the javan rhino and saola, which in my opinion are overdone selections, but that's a personal choice thing). They help me learn so much more about the species that live in our universe!

 

Freshwaters of Australia
Displays of freshwater species found in Australia. Tanks are decorated with native aquatic plants, rocks and pieces of bogwood, and have a natural gravel substrate.

Tank 1 – Gulf Saratoga, Sooty Grunter, Silver Grunter

Tank 2 – Australian Freshwater Moray, Jungle Perch, Tully River Grunter, Jade Perch

Tank 3 - Freshwater Crocodile, Saw-Shelled Turtle, Krefft's Turtle, Fly River Turtle

Tank 4 – Lake Eacham Rainbowfish, Macquarie Rainbowfish, Blue-Eyed Rainbowfish, Eastern Snake-Necked Turtle, Jardine River Turtle, Tandanus Catfish, Empire Gudgeon, Eastern Water Dragon

Tank 5 - Triops australiensis

Tank 6 – Snakehead Gudgeon, Mouth Almighty, Bullrout, Coal Grunter

Tank 7 – Barramundi, juvenile Speartooth Shark, Freshwater Whipray, Australian Long-Finned Eel, Forktail Catfish, Mangrove Jack, Largetooth Sawfish

Tank 8 – Golden Perch, Murray Cod, Australian Bass

Tank 9 – Platypus, Yabby, Macquarie Rainbowfish

Tank 10 – Giant Jungle Prawn, Nurseryfish, Archerfish

Tank 11 – Sleepy Cod normal morph, Sleepy Cod golden morph

Tank 12 – Spotted Galaxias, Black Galaxias, Western Galaxias, Barred Galaxias, Climbing Galaxias, Australian Glass Shrimp

Tank 13 – Redclaw Crayfish

Tank 14 – Australian Lungfish

Tank 15 - Tasmanian Giant Freshwater Crayfish

 

Southern Seas
Displays of Australian sealife from cooler waters. Tanks are decorated with rocks, algaes and artificial kelp. As a safety precaution, tanks 8 and 12 constantly run activated carbon in case of pahutoxin release of their resident boxfish. As a conservation effort, the aquarium's resident Spotted Handfish are part of a breeding program to help curb the decline of this critically endangered species.

Tank 1 - Port Jackson Shark, Mado, Moonlighter, Fiddler Ray, Gummy Shark, Crested Bullhead Shark, Toothbrush Leatherjacket, Smooth Toadfish

Tank 2 - Old Wife, Barber Perch, Victorian Scalyfin, Globefish, Black-Banded Seaperch

Tank 3 - Red Velvetfish, Red Indianfish, Warty Prowfish

Tank 4 - Big-Bellied Seahorse, Leafy Seadragon, Weedy Seadragon, Eleven-Armed Sea Star, Patiriella calcar

Tank 5 - Spotted Handfish

Tank 6 - Gloomy Octopus, Waratah Anemone, Eleven-Armed Sea Star, Eastern Hulafish

Tank 7 - Draughtboard Shark, Black Bream, Sea Sweep, Skipjack Trevally

Tank 8 - Shaw's Cowfish, Girella zebra, Crimson Banded Wrasse, Crested Weedfish, Common Stinkfish

Tank 9 - Black-Headed Puller, Southern Blue Devil, Blue-Throated Wrasse, Bicolour Scalyfin, Goblinfish

Tank 10 - Pencil Weed Whiting, Eastern Blue Devil, Pygmy Leatherjacket

Tank 11 - Tasmanian Giant Crab

Tank 12 - White-Barred Boxfish, Longsnout Boarfish, Largetooth Beardie, Ornate Cowfish

Tank 13 - Eastern Rock Lobster, Southern Rock Lobster, Ranbow Cale, Herring Cale, Magpie Perch, Rough Bullseye

Tank 14 - Eastern Blue Groper, Collared Carpetshark, Gulf Catshark, Red Pigfish, Chinaman Leatherjacket, Sand Flathead, King George Whiting, Australian Angelshark, Whiskery Shark, Eastern Nannygai, Southern Eagle Ray, Cockatoo Morwong

Tank 15 - Australian Ghostshark, Orange Roughy, juvenile Pink Cusk-Eel, Melbourne Skate, Longsnouted Sawshark, Banded Bellowsfish

Tank 16 - Blue Swimmer Crab

Tank 17 - Tasselled Anglerfish

Tank 18 - Southern Sand Octopus