Aquababies Weekend THIS WEEKEND!

Pack a diaper bag and bring your camera...we're showing off our babies! The North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher will host an “Aquababies Weekend” November 21-22, 2009 from 9 am to 5 pm each day.

The Aquarium's tremendous success producing baby animals will be highlighted all weekend. Meet our 'youngsters' including: jellyfish, sea turtles, alligators, sea horses, fishes, snakes and more. “This is a unique opportunity for the community to see babies that were either born here at the Aquarium or came to us as babies,” says Hap Fatzinger, aquarium curator.

Baby animals will be on view, as well as stingray, turtle and snake x-rays from pregnant mothers. The Aquarium’s education department will provide activities to help visitors appreciate the animals on display as well as the challenges to on-site propagation. New this year, tanks will be set up featuring juvenile versions of several adult fish that can be found in the Cape Fear Shoals tank, such as juvenile sandbar sharks, tripletail, spadefish, and a goliath grouper.

Underwater Garden

For Mike Suchy, aquarist at the N.C. Aquarium at Fort Fisher, gardening is a passion. His love for growing things and strong interest in coral reefs spawned a new project: a coral propagation and holding system within the aquarium.

By snipping fragments of existing coral, mounting it on small disks, and submerging it under water with a light source, Suchy has begun to “grow” coral. “It’s much like taking a cutting from a plant and potting it to grow more,” says Suchy. Growth rates vary depending on variety, but tend to be slow, sometimes only a few inches per year. Temperature, pH, and salinity are kept constant. A moving light hangs above the tank. “A moving light source is more natural and light is of paramount importance to corals,” explains Suchy. Reef-building corals contain symbiotic algae within their tissues that convert light energy into a food source, which helps provide sustenance for the coral colony.

Mike Suchy has a degree in biology from University of Nebraska. He has been at the NC Aquarium at Fort Fisher for 15 years.