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Fish & Aquariums
Amazing Fish Cam! - Something fishy is happening on the Net right now! See a live picture of a saltwater fish tank in Lou's office. Who is Lou? No one knows, but his fish tank is famous. Can you spot a moray eel or maybe a Humuhumunukunukuapua'a (humu-humu-nuku-nuku-apu-a'-a), which is the state fish of Hawaii?
American Zoo and Aquarium Association - The American Zoo and Aquarium Association has a members' directory with hot links to home pages, if the zoo or aquarium has one. Take a virtual visit to zoos all over the U.S. One fascinating section of this site is called the Species Survival Plan, found in the Programs area http://www.aza.org/programs/ssp/ >. Look up the natural history and endangered status of your favorite animals. For example, reading about the African elephant, we find there are 122 cows and 13 bulls in the captive breeding program. One of the problems is the lack of facilities that can manage an adult bull elephant. You'll learn that about 600,000 African elephants remain in the wild. Their major threat is loss of habitat and poaching. Are you interested in pursuing a career as a zookeeper? Learn what sort of education and training you'll need to fulfill your dreams.
Aquaria - Can you raise native fish and minnows in your fish tank? Is your aquarium getting smothered by too many snails? Interested in finding out about African clawed frogs? Wondering about the lighting in your tank, but don't know how to spell "fluorescent"? (This site explains how: u c omes before the o. J ust remember there is no flour in fluorescent lights.) Some of these answers are otherwise hard to find, but here they are collected all in one place.
Cathy's Homepage of Tropical Fishkeeping - A tank of colorful fish can be an educational and fun hobby, but keeping the aquarium looking nice can be a lot of work. How much work? Check out the beginner information and the answers to frequently asked questions, and then send some fishy electronic postcards to your friends. The annotated link of links alone is well worth your visit.
Coelacanth: The Fish Out of Time - In 1938, fishermen off the coast of South Africa found the first living coelacanth in recent history, and there was another reported find in 1952, off the Comoros Islands (to the northeast, in the Mozambique Channel). This isn't just another fish story, either. The coelacanth (pronounced "see-la-kanth") is a 400-million-year-old "living fossil" fish, once thought to have become extinct long ago. This account of its amazing discovery reads like a mystery novel.
Fish FAQ's - NMFS annually answers thousands of questions about the oceans and the life that thrives within them. On the basis of a canvass of experienced marine scientists in the Fisheries Service done in 1973, more than a hundred questions have been chosen as most representative. These are the Most Frequently Asked Questions containing some fascinating facts about fish.
Fish Information Service (FINS) - That little goldfish you bought has outgrown its bowl, so you're going to get it a new tank. Visit this archive of information about aquariums! It covers both freshwater and marine, tropical and temperate fish tank culture. You'll find beginning to advanced information, especially on marine and reef tanks. Click on a picture to identify a fish and get more information, or use the glossary full of aquarium terms. Be sure to see the live video from a camera overlooking a garden pond, and check out the live Fish Cam activity at a saltwater tank in someone's office.
Fish of the Great Lakes by Wisconsin Sea Grant - If you've ever strolled through the aisles of your local sports equipment store, you've seen brightly colored lures, neon artificial worms, and other garish tools for the tacklebox. You may have wondered if all this trendy designer apparatus is lost on the fish: can fish see color? According to this site, most fish can, although, "day feeders like bass, trout, and salmon are more sensitive to color than night feeders like walleyes." Obviously, a fish has got to be able to see the bait in order to strike at it. The problem is that light often doesn't penetrate very far into the water. This is dependent on many factors. In low light conditions, the color red fades first, while blues and greens tend to remain visible as available light dims. This site offers detailed information on fish color theory as well as which colored lures are best for various types of fishing situations. There's also an excellent illustrated field guide to more than 30 common freshwater fish found in the Great Lakes. Check out the anatomy guide, a glossary, and-recipes! Kids can take the interactive fish quiz and visit the Fishing Tips section to find out if they know the right technique for "catch and release."
Fishes - What's the porpoise of this site? Well, if you can't tell a yellowfin tuna from a cookie-cutter shark or a ratfish from a queenfish, then your troubles are over! This Cal Poly marine biology site has descriptions and photos of many common Pacific fish.
Florida Aquarium - Watch out! Whew, didn't you see that stingray? You almost stepped on it. Because stingrays live in shallow offshore water, beachgoers often step on them by accident and get stung. Stingrays will lie partly buried in the sand, with only their eyes, spiracle, and tail exposed. Stingray stings are easy to avoid, though--just shuffle your feet as you wade. Learn more about stingrays and other creatures that inhabit Florida's waterways. Ask the aquarium experts a question, or check out one of many experiments and games available for kids of all ages.
Mapping Fish Habitats at Home - You don't have to go on an expedition to a remote stream or lake to study fish habits. If you have access to an aquarium, you can learn how to map fish habitats right at home. This site explains how. You'll need some adhesive colored dots and some patience!
Monterey Bay Aquarium - Did you ever wonder what it would be like to swim with fish--even sharks? Would you dare feed them? Watch your hand, that shark looks hungry! Look at the sea otter pup--isn't it cute? Visit the Monterey Bay Aquarium page and get a diver's-eye view of the fish in the kelp forest tank. Maybe you'll see sharks, rockfish, and eels that inhabit the underwater seaweed forests.
National Aquarium - The National Aquarium in Baltimore, Maryland, offers this wonderful Web page on some of their more popular species. See animated jellyfish, learn about horseshoe crabs, and bone up on invertebrates such as sea anemones. You'll also find a good deal of information on poison dart frogs and venomous fish, if you dare to read it!
National Marine Fisheries Service-Fish FAQ - Did you know that salmon generally lay from 2,500 to 7,000 eggs, depending on the species and its size, or that some lobsters hardly move more than one mile? What is the most common fish in the sea? Why do scientists classify fish? How long do fish live? How is the age of a fish determined? Visit the profusely illustrated home page, where you'll find the answers to all these questions and more. You'll discover how porcupine fish inflate themselves, too!
New England Aquarium - Perched on the wharf in Boston Harbor is the New England Aquarium. You can join Stefan on a virtual whale watch--maybe you'll see some humpbacks on your day trip out on the water. Inside the building, there's a giant ocean tank containing more than 200,000 gallons of water! The 50-ish sea turtle, Myrtle, can usually be found snoozing on the bottom, so be sure to look for her if you visit Boston.
North American Native Fishes Association - The sailfin shiner, the lyre goby, and the tesselated darter are all native North American fishes. You can read about conservation efforts to protect them and many other native species at this site. Some stream-dwelling species may be successfully kept in a riffle tank , which is a special aquarium with a flowing current. You can learn how to set one up at this site.
Oregon Coast Aquarium - Keiko News Central - Did you ever see the Free Willy movies about the whale that was rescued from a small display aquarium? Did you know that "Willy" is really named Keiko? For the last few years he's been living in a two-million-gallon aquarium in Oregon; but in September, 1998, Keiko was moved to a sea tank in Iceland, near where he was originally captured. His old friends in Oregon provide "Keiko News Central" for updates and video of everyone's favorite orca.
Saltwater Fish Identification - If you don't know your sheepshead porgies from your fantail mullet, cast a line in here. More than 75 saltwater game fish are pictured, with basic facts about each one.
Tetra - Tetra makes fish food as well as lots of other things for aquarists. Even if you don't have a tank of your own, you can experience playing with the Virtual Aquarium at this site. You don't even have to get wet! Just choose what type of tank you want. The site will recommend some friendly fish. Then make your selections, and watch the fun. There are also links to the home pages of major public aquaria around the United States.
The Salmon Page - The Riverdale Elementary School in Oregon loves salmon: catching it, cooking it, and saving it and its environment. They have also illustrated the page with colorful fishy paintings. For a collection of unchecked links about this king of fishes, cast your line here.
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