Public aquariums

[Reef Bass]

Howdy and happy fourth everyone! I came across an interesting link in the photography forum. Many of us have been to the refurbished California Academy of Sciences and I have heard from several people how the reef exhibit there was not stellar. The article gives some insight as to why that may be. Check it out

 

[Steve Ruddy]

IMO human resources should be the only issue holding back any public reef aquarium from developing into best best display it can be. I have a real hard time with the that's all the better it needs to be attitude. That's like any artist or craftsman holding back because 99% of the population will love it without anymore effort. IMO give your display you very best effort and those 99% will be wowed even more.

 

[crispyreef]

They also don't need scientist to clean tanks. Give a kid their dream job and pay him $10/ hr. It's more about using your resources wisely.

 

[Reef Bass]

I think you both have valid points. It makes sense from a financial standpoint for a public aquarium to balance monies spent on a given exhibit with crowd appeal. It also makes sense to hire kids to do some of the more mundane maintenance, thereby allowing the "scientists" more time to observe and direct.

I had salt water tanks and was a certified scuba diver at age 16. I would have loved to clean tanks or whatever for a public aquarium. Getting paid minimum wage would have been dandy.

At that age I volunteered at the Museum of Natural History in New York maintaining some of the live exhibits there (some aquatic, some terrestrial).

 

[crispyreef]

That's what i'm saying Ken.

 

[GreshamH]

Re: Public aquariums

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15302736#post15302736 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Reef Bass
Howdy and happy fourth everyone! I came across an interesting link in the photography forum. Many of us have been to the refurbished California Academy of Sciences and I have heard from several people how the reef exhibit there was not stellar. The article gives some insight as to why that may be. Check it out

All massive tanks have growing pains. In CAS's case they had several issues but all in all it's going at a normal click. They don't cycle like our little tanks. If you want to have Matt or Rich up to talk about the issues, hurdles, success's, etc I'm sure they'd come up, or Charles (Delbeek).

I'd say give it another year before it really kicks in. No ones ever done a reef tank that deep or large yet