It's a challenge to display live midwater animals; most are simply too fragile to collect. Eelpouts are an exception. These midwater fish are tougher than most and can survive being caught in a net. And they don't have gas-filled spaces in their bodies, so there's nothing to expand and injure them during their journey up from the deep.
For our aquarists, the hardest part about displaying eelpouts was creating an exhibit that would give visitors the illusion of viewing these animals in their natural habitat: a vast, dimly lit world with no visible surfaces or boundaries.
We knew that a rectangular aquarium tank would never do, since we wouldn't be able to conceal the corners; worse yet, the eelpouts would bump into the sides of the tank. We finally settled on a round tank that we'd successfully used to display our jellies. The tank's circular shape and water currents prevent the eelpouts from swimming into the sides, while its narrow profile (only a foot from front to back) keeps the fish in view at all times. A dark backdrop, combined with special lighting overhead, creates a sense of depth and makes the tank seem endless. « Back
For our aquarists, the hardest part about displaying eelpouts was creating an exhibit that would give visitors the illusion of viewing these animals in their natural habitat: a vast, dimly lit world with no visible surfaces or boundaries.
