Hundreds of Fish Die in Texas Aquarium Accident
All but two fish from three exhibits perish in what is likely a reaction to a medicine commonly used to fight parasites.
While trying to combat a parasite problem, Texas State Aquarium staff added medicine to the water in three exhibits that seems to have caused the death of hundreds of fish.
According to KIII-TV, the aquarium says only two fish survived the treatment, which was administered to the Flower Gardens, Lionfish and Islands of Steel exhibits.
Flower Gardens contained fish such as tarpon, green moray eels, porcupine fish, French angelfish, cownose stingrays, and barracudas.
The 125,000-gallon Islands of Steel is the aquarium's largest indoor exhibit, according to the facility's web site. Themed around offshore oil rigging, the tank contained fish such as nurse sharks, green moray eels, spadefish, amberjack, tarpon, grouper, and a sand tiger shark.
Aquarium officials said the treatment suspected of causing the deaths is common and has been used earlier in other tanks, without adverse reactions in the aquatic life. Water samples from the incident have been submitted for laboratory analysis.
via KIII-TV
Some exhibits at the Texas State Aquarium were left empty following a tragic mass-death likely caused by a parasite treatment added to the water.
Nearly 180 species of fish that glow have been identified in a new study led by scientists from the
American Museum of Natural History
. The study, published in Thursday's
, shows how the fish absorb light and eject it as a different color for varied reasons including communicating and mating. Above, a biofluorescent surgeonfish (
Acanthurus coeruleus
, larval)
A biofluorescent lined seahorse (
Hippocampus erectus
)
A green biofluorescent chain catshark (
Scyliorhinus retifer
)
A biofluorescent ray (
Urobatis jamaicensis
)
A sole (
Soleichthys heterorhinos
)
A stonefish (
Synanceia verrucosa
)
A false moray eel (
Kaupichthys brachychirus
)
A biofluorescent goby (
Eviota sp.)
A lizardfish (
Saurida gracilis
)
A red fluorescing scorpionfish (
Scorpaenopsis papuensis
) perched on red fluorescing algae at night in the Solomon Islands.
A triplefin blennie (
Enneapterygius sp
.) under white light (above) and blue light (below).
Researcher David Gruber searching for new biofluorescent organisms off Hele Island, Solomon Islands, with a 5K EPIC camera system and blue lights.