Just in time for the final weeks of summer, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay has opened its Rising Tide Conservation exhibit, a 270-gallon aquarium housing aquaculture fishes, live coral and snails. This non-profit collaborative effort was initiated by SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment in 2009 and focuses on methods to successfully breed saltwater reef fish to provide alternatives to collecting them from the wild.
Rising Tide Conservation partners with public aquariums, research facilities, pet-industry professionals and saltwater aquarium hobbyists to protect coral reefs by developing sustainable aquaculture methods. The collection of marine tropical fish can cause damage to both the reef and the fish it sustains.
Busch Gardens Tampa Bay has been establishing the tank system for nearly two years. The aquarium will display several marine fish that Rising Tide Conservation has successfully bred, including the first successful aquaculture of Yellow Tangs, which was done in conjunction with the Oceanic Institute of Hawaii Pacific University.
Guests can visit the exhibit by the conservation windows located to the right of Jambo Junction in the Nairobi area of the park. The exhibit is open daily during park operating hours and is included in regular admission.
The SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund has supported the Rising Tide Conservation for the past five years in the form of grants. Guests can help with the initiative by texting #HelpRisingTide #BGT to “21212” and Busch Gardens Tampa Bay will donate $1 to the Fund.
For more about Busch Gardens Tampa, watch our nighttime POV of the park’s new Cobra’s Curse roller coaster, followed by our coverage of their Pokemon GO Lure-A-Thon:
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