It used to be pretty bad to be told you’re gonna swim with the fishes, but not at Miami’s Frost Museum of Science. At their 500,000-gallon aquarium, swimming with the fishes is a full-time job.
We’re used to great water views in South Florida, but now there’s a place where we can see the top of the water — and what’s under the surface, too.
The Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science has over a dozen underwater exhibits, aka habitats, and thousands of species of aquatic life.
It’s an ocean next to the Atlantic Ocean.
Zach Ransom, aquarist: “The Frost Museum focuses on the environment of South Florida, so a lot of people who live here actually don’t know what’s right in their backyard, and we are focusing on showing them that.”
They’ve got everything from stingrays to sea horses, and someone has to make sure it’s all in tip-top shape.
Zach Ransom: “As aquarists, we are responsible for maintaining all the health and well-being of all the animals in the aquarium.”
Zach Ransom is an aquarist. Some folks carry a laptop to work. Zach carries an oxygen tank.
Zach Ransom: “We do everything these animals require to survive and thrive in this environment.”
Sure, he spends some of his workday in water — but this can be a dirty job.
Zach Ransom: “We are responsible for cleaning algae, but we also feed several times a day. There’s a lot of different animals in this tank that feed on different food items.”
And, while he’s working on the exhibits, he sometimes becomes part of them, too.
Zach Ransom: “I think the best part of my job is educating people about animals they may or may not have seen before.”
From lionfish to tiger sharks, the aquarists make sure you can see it all.
Zach Ransom: “There are several smaller tanks that focus on other environments in South Florida. For example, you can see some sargassum fish. There are also different jelly exhibits.”
The pièce de résistance at Frost Science is a giant habitat made to replicate Florida’s Gulf Stream.
Zach Ransom: “It’s 100 feet across, 500,000 gallons, 21-feet deep. It’s unique. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Andre Delisser, patron: “I think it’s a scary job. I could never imagine jumping in there with all those big sharks, but also I think it would be cool to try it out and see what they do and go through.”
This job is a little different than most, but when your co-workers are Dory and Nemo, it’s going to be!
Zach Ransom: “You can find Dory and Nemo, but you can’t call them Dory and Nemo. You have to call them clown fish and hepatus tangs.
You can’t feed the animals at Frost Science, but you can wave hi to the guys who make sure it all goes swimmingly.
FOR MORE INFO:
Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science
1101 Biscayne Blvd.
Miami, FL 33132
(305) 434-9600
www.frostscience.org
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