River Giant Tank

Arapaima can breathe air from the surface. After taking a breath, the arapaima can survive up to 24 hours out of water.

In Brazil, arapaima are known as “pirarucu.” Locally, you can often find cowboy boots made from “pirarucu,” which is the skin of this fish.

Arapaima have teeth on the roof of their mouth to help shred their prey.  As they open their mouth, a vacuum is created and the nearby food is pulled in and eaten.

Females make nests in the sand and will lay thousands of eggs between February and March. The eggs hatch between October and November. The male protects the eggs, and will even suck them into his mouth and move them to another location should a predator get too close.

The Clown Knifefish is also known as the Clown Featherback or the Spotted Knifefish.  It is a nocturnal tropical fish that has a long knife-like body.  The long anal fin helps give it its name as the knifefish.  The Clown Knifefish has two nasal tentacle above its large, toothed mouth.  Nasal Tentacles are flexible, mobile and elongated organs that are situated in the nasal as a sensory organ.

Clown Knifefish can breathe air in order to survive stagnant waters that has little oxygen.

Suckermouth Catfish are also known as the Common Pleco.  They are part of the armored carfish family because of their rows of armor-like scutes, or scales, that cover the upper parts of the head and body.  The lower surface of the head and stomach is a naked soft skin.  It also has a sucker-like mouth that allows it to adhere to surfaces.  Sometimes they will even swim upsidedown with their mouths grazing off the surface of the water.

Suckermouth Catfish are also known as the Common Pleco.  They are part of the armored carfish family because of their rows of armor-like scutes, or scales, that cover the upper parts of the head and body.  The lower surface of the head and stomach is a naked soft skin.  It also has a sucker-like mouth that allows it to adhere to surfaces.  Sometimes they will even swim upsidedown with their mouths grazing off the surface of the water.

Oscars are part of the cichlid family and have a variety of names including the Tiger Oscar, Velvet Cichlid and the Marble Cichlid.

They are able to rapidly alter its coloration that allows them to facilitate ritualistic territorial and combat behaviors among themselves.  Sometimes they will lay on their side mimicking death.  Oscars are very territorial and the size of their territory depends on the size and aggressiveness of the fish and its surroundings.  Once that territory is established, it will defend it by chasing away other fish.

In this tank we have the normal Oscar coloration as well as an albino coloration.

Red Bellied Pacus are related to the piranha.  The biggest difference between them is their jaw alignment.  Piranhas have pointed, razor-sharp teeth in a pronounced underbit and the pacu have squarer, straighter teeth in a possible overbite.  Their teeth look like human molar teeth.  Pacus also prefer plant material and can reach to much larger sizes than the piranha

As juveniles the Red Bellied Pacu has the red belly whereas as they grow older and bigger they lose that red belly coloration.  However, that is how they are confused with the Red Bellied

They are able to rapidly alter its coloration that allows them to facilitate ritualistic territorial and combat behaviors among themselves.  Sometimes they will lay on their side mimicking death.  Oscars are very territorial and the size of their territory depends on the size and aggressiveness of the fish and its surroundings.  Once that territory is established, it will defend it by chasing away other fish.

In this tank we have the normal Oscar coloration as well as an albino coloration.

Red Devil Cichlids are also known in the aquarium trade as the Midas Cichlid.  They are heavily built and can stand up to any other aquarium sized cichlid fighting over territory.  Along with their powerful jaws, sharp teeth, they have the physical size to defend themselves

The Red Tailed Catfish have the characteristic orange-red dorsal fin and caudal fin.  They have a pair of barbels, or whiskers, on the upper and lower jaw that are sensitive and have the chemical reception cells that are used as a sense of smell.  They also make a clicking sound to warn off potential dangers. These catfish are also strong enough to break through ½ inch glass.

They eat during the evenings and night and will stay motionless during the day.  Even then they will move quite slowly but are very territorial fish.

The Bristlenose Pleco is also known as the Bushymouth catfish.  It is a species of armored catfish which means that it has the armour-like scutes, or scales, that cover the upper part of the head and body.  It is one of the smallest catfish.  They are good algae eaters and are used in aquariums to help sift through the sand and keep the algae growth down.

The Motoro Stingray is a freshwater stingray that is also known as the Peacock-Eye Stingray or the Black River Stingray, and the Ocellate River Stingray.  The exact color and arrangement and size of the spots can vary depending on location and from individual to individual.

They do have a venomous stinger, a modified scale, on the tail just like any other stingray.  These stingers are periodically shed and replaced.  They are closely related to sharks, sawfish, skates and guitarfish by having the cartilaginous skeletons rather than true bones.  Stingrays also have a lorenzian ampullae that is located on their heads that allow them to sense electrical impulses in the water.

They are known as a living fossil because of their retained morphological characteristics of their early ancestors from over 100 million years ago.  This includes their spiral valve intestine that allows for an increased surface area of the intestine which allows for an increase nutrient absorption.  It also includes their ability to breath both water and air.  They have a double row of teeth on their upper jaw.

Their scales are ganoid scales which means that they are rhomboidal shaped with serrated edges and covered in an enamel-like substance.  They are excellent protection against predation because of their impenetrableness.

We have one regular colored alligator and two Platinum Alligator Gars.  These two Platinum Alligator Gars were donated to us by Tracy Morgan commonly known for his voice acting of Luiz the Bulldog in the movie Rio

Despite the name, the Irredescent Shark is not a shark.  Instead it is a shark catfish because of its shark-like appearance.  As juvenlies they have a glow or an iridescence look to them.

They migrate moving upstream to spawn during the flood season and downstream to seek rearing habitats while the water levels recede.  Flood season depends on the river system.

Females are distinguished from the males because they are larger.  They have a variation of a yellow body and transparent fins with only 8-12 vertical bands on their body.

They have been found in Florida and Hawaii because of an accidental aquarium release.

Kissing Gourami are also known as Kissing Fish or Kissers. They received their name because of the way their lips are shaped and they are lined with horny teeth.  Kissers may also spar by meeting mouths and pushing each other through the water.  They also have an additional joint between its jaw and the rest of the jaws.  It allows an increase of the angle of the jaw that allows the Kissing Gourami more access to food in various places.

There are two color morphs: greenish-silvery and pink.  Ours is the pink morph.  The pink is a man-made form and is a condition that result in the partial loss of the pigmentation in the animal.

The Amazon Vampire Fish is also named the Payara, the Saber-Toothed Tigerfish and the Water Wolf.  It has two long fangs that jut upwards from the lower jaw.  They can reach upwards 4-6 inches!  There are two holes in the upper jaws to accommodate those fangs.  When these vampire fish go hunting, they like to dart into the school of fish and catch their victim in the midst of the panic.  Their fangs are then used like spears to stab, grab and hold.

Amazon Vampire Fish like fast moving water with strong currents.  The bottom of dams, waterfalls and rapids are popular areas for them to hang out.

This is also known as the Common Pleco and the Leopard Pleco.  Normally they are a bottom dwelling fish but they also have the ability to breathe air from the surface during the dry periods or when dissolved oxygen is too low.   They are a type of armored catfish which means that it has the armour-like scutes, or scales, that cover the upper part of the head and body.

The Amazon Sailfin Plecos are invasive in the United States.  They are ecologically detrimental by disrupting the aquatic food chains, decreasing the abundance of native aquatic species and degrading the aquatic plants or banks through burrowing and tunneling.

They are also known as the bony tongues because of the toothed bone on the floor of the mouth where the tongue would be. This tongue has teeth that bite against teeth on the roof of the mouth.  Arowanas are also facultative air breathers that can obtain oxygen from the air by sucking it into its swim bladder that is lined with capillaries like lung tissue.

They are specialized surface feeders and are excellent jumpers, leaping more than 6 feet into the air to pick off insects and birds from the overhanging branches.  They received the nickname water monkeys because of this trait.

There are 10 types of arowana that are kept as pets.  The Asian arowanas are endangered and banned in the United States however it is a status symbol of wealth and luck in Asia.  In 2009 an albino awowana was sold for a record price of $300,000!

The large silvery scales look like tinfoil due to their color and metallic sheen which is how they got their name Tinfoil Barb.  It will also reflect light as they swim around.  They are active swimmers that enjoy swimming in schools.  Tinfoil Barb are peaceful and get along well other species of fish.

There are 10 types of arowana that are kept as pets.  The Asian arowanas are endangered and banned in the United States however it is a status symbol of wealth and luck in Asia.  In 2009 an albino awowana was sold for a record price of $300,000!

The Parrot Cichlid is a hybrid species that was first bred in Taiwan in 1986.  The species that were used to create the Parrot Cichlid is not known.  Natural colors are red, yellow, and grey whereas other colors are injected by breeders.  However, because of this breeding there are several anatomical deformities that include a beak-shaped mouth that does not fully close so they have to use throat muscles to crush food.  They have also a compressed vertebrae, a deformed swim bladder which causes awkward swimming patterns, and large deformed irises.

The Parrot Cichlid is a hybrid species that was first bred in Taiwan in 1986.  The species that were used to create the Parrot Cichlid is not known.  Natural colors are red, yellow, and grey whereas other colors are injected by breeders.  However, because of this breeding there are several anatomical deformities that include a beak-shaped mouth that does not fully close so they have to use throat muscles to crush food.  They have also a compressed vertebrae, a deformed swim bladder which causes awkward swimming patterns, and large deformed irises.

Jaguar Cichlids are made for hunting.  With an elongated body and spiny rays to support their longer fins, they are able to move easier and faster through the water than the typical cichlid.  The dorsal and tail fins are large and thanks to the spines they look menacing.  Then their mouths have specific feature to protrude their jaw as much as 90% of their mouths length!

Black Sharkminnows tend to be more aggressive as they get older. This and their large size makes them tricky to keep in the normal home aquarium.

They breed during the wet season of Asia and will migrate upstream to spawn.

They are the national bird of Belize and are known as the Rainbow Billed Toucan.  Toucans bills are spongy hollow bone that is covered in keratin, the same stuff as our fingernails.  They use their bills to pluck and peel fruit then tosses their head back to swallow the fruit whole.   They also may “play ball” by one throwing fruit into the air and the other will catch it.

Keel Billed Toucans also have zygodactyl feet, two toes facing forward and two toes facing back.  They spend a lot of their time in trees so having this style of feet allows them to stay on the branches and jump from branch to branch.  They are more likely to jump rather than fly.  Their feet are also blue.

Keel Billed Toucans also roost up to altitudes of 6,200 feet in holes in trees with several other toucans.  This makes it very cramped and to regulate their body temperature, they will tuck their tails and beaks under their bodies while sleeping.

Out Keel Billed Toucans name is Taco.  He enjoys catching fruit and soft balls from trainers, terrorizing caretakers, playing with his toys and jumping from branch to branch.  Sometimes when he’s a little agitated you can hear him make an angry croaking noise.

Double Yellow Headed Amazon gets their name because they possess the yellow nape on the back of their neck and the yellow crown on their heads.  They are talkative and boisterous, learning vocal patterns and be clicker trained.  These Amazons do have screaming sessions usually in the morning and at night.

This population is driven nearly to extinction in the wild because of the popularity of them as pets.  The wild population has declined from 70,000 to 7,000 just in the past two decades.  There are introduced populations in Germany and Puerto Rico.

Out two Double Yellow Headed Amazons names are Marco and Coco.  Marco is the male and is the bigger, cleaner looking bird while Coco, the female, is the smaller and little more ruffled looking bird. Both of these birds were given to us by a local exotic bird rescue.  Marco came in knowing how to say “Hi Baby” and “Hi” and Coco came in knowing how to sing her name and “Hello.” The trainers are working with them to help them be more comfortable with human contact.

These Macaws are the larger members of the macaw family.  They are able to use their large and powerful beak to break nutshells and climbing up and hanging from trees. Macaws are known to scream for attention and making other loud noises even if they do receive sufficient attention from their owners.

We have two Blue and Gold Macaws.  Their names are Elvis and Atlas.  Elvis has the bolder gold color and cleaner looking bird whereas Atlas looks a little more ruffled and a more dull gold color on his chest.  Both of them were given to us by the local exotic bird rescue.  Elvis loves attention and will do what he can to receive it.  He loves coming down from his enclosure so anytime his trainers come for him he is always willing to climb down to them.  He came in knowing the words “Hi” which he says very loudly and “peek-a-boo” that he says very quietly.  He also has learned to show off his big wings.  The trainers are working with Atlas to become more comfortable with humans.  He’s a little more shy but very sweet.

These Macaws are the larger members of the macaw family.  They are able to use their large and powerful beak to break nutshells and climbing up and hanging from trees. Macaws are known to scream for attention and making other loud noises even if they do receive sufficient attention from their owners.

We have two Blue and Gold Macaws.  Their names are Elvis and Atlas.  Elvis has the bolder gold color and cleaner looking bird whereas Atlas looks a little more ruffled and a more dull gold color on his chest.  Both of them were given to us by the local exotic bird rescue.  Elvis loves attention and will do what he can to receive it.  He loves coming down from his enclosure so anytime his trainers come for him he is always willing to climb down to them.  He came in knowing the words “Hi” which he says very loudly and “peek-a-boo” that he says very quietly.  He also has learned to show off his big wings.  The trainers are working with Atlas to become more comfortable with humans.  He’s a little more shy but very sweet.