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AQUATIC EXHIBITS AT BRISTOL ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS
Text by David Marshall, Editor, The Aquarium Gazette
Photographs by Sue and David Marshall
The Bristol Zoological Gardens are situated in the Clifton area of the city
(close to the famous Suspension Bridge) and cover a 12-acre expanse. The grounds
are home to a wide variety of animals from throughout the World, and such is the
care and dedication shown by the staff towards their charges that the Good
Britain Guide voted Bristol Zoo as 'Zoo of the Year 2004'. The secret of success
here is that every inch of ground is utilised to full effect be it an amazing
animal enclosure, a beautiful landscaped garden or simply a place to rest.
 This mix of animal enclosure and beautiful garden is found all
around Bristol Zoo.
I know this report is about the aquatic side of the Zoo but lets take a little
sidetrack and look, in pictures, at just one or two of the amazing creatures you
can find here.
 Lemurs feeding time is as much a treat for the visitor as it is for
these amazing mammals.
 Fur Seals playing territorial games.
 Penguins from juveniles to fully-grown adults.
 The amazing Butterfly house should not be missed.
If you enter the Zoo at the main entrance the first aquatic exhibits you will
find are at 'Twilight World' (at the entrance look out for the New Zealand
Mountain Parrots, who look as mean as their reputation for destruction
suggests). Once your eyes have adjusted to the dark you are surrounded by a host
of ground living and flying mammals that literally live for the night. Fish
exhibits are limited to a large aquarium that accommodates an equally large
Marbled Clarias and a smaller aquarium- home to a community of Butterfly
Goodeids.
The main aquatic exhibits are housed in the aquarium building, and here you find
18 aquaria that range greatly in size and dimensions. I enjoyed the new 'loop
film' that tells you about the conservation work and day-to-day duties carried
out by the Zoo's Aquarist.
 The Zoo Aquarium
The first four aquariums are used to highlight the plight of freshwater habitats
and the need for greater conservation efforts to be made in order to protect the
White Clawed Crayfish, Potosi Pupfish, African Crater Lake Cichlids and Central
American livebearers that they house.
 The opening gallery
Now we are onto the first of several spectacular biotope aquaria and here we
find a community of 'fossil fish', from several countries, that include Sterlets,
American Paddlefish, Barbel and various Gars.
 So that they get their dinner the Paddlefish are hand fed.
Now we stand in front of, what for me is always the highlight of the aquarium,
in the form of an East-Asian biotope. What a fantastic array of fish we find
here including a large shoal of Clown Loaches, two huge Giant Gouramis, Silver
Sharks, Pangassius catfish, Dragon Fish (bred at the Zoo) and the largest
Myxcioprinus asciaticus on display in the U.K. I stood for ages just watching
this community in awe.
 Dragon Fish and Giant Gourami
 Myxcioprinus asciaticus
The next large aquarium is a nicely set-out brackish display, whose occupants
include Scats and Fingerfish. A Piranha community follows and leads us nicely
into the Amazon flooded forest exhibit that takes you between 'mock trees',
where you find Black Pacu, various loricarins, Silver Dollars and a large number
of Flier Cichlids swimming on both sides of you and above your head.
 Scats
 The entrance to the Amazon flooded forest exhibit
 A male Flier Cichlid
We're not finished yet, as two more excellent biotopes follow! The first of
these is an Amazon black water habitat whose occupants include some of the
largest Motoro Stingrays I have seen. The final biotope takes us to Lake Malawi
and here we find a huge range of mbuna who have a Giraffe catfish and a huge
Lungfish for company. On our second look around of the day Sue and I were
fortunate enough to see feeding time here and this was a sight to remember.
As you will see from the photograph that follows the final exhibits are
beautifully arranged tropical marine aquariums.
 One of the tropical marine displays
Very close to the Aquarium is the equally spectacular Reptile House. The
photograph that follows shows a waterfall running down into a large pool that is
split into three sections. The first section had me spellbound as it houses some
of the largest Thai Carp I have seen for many years. Watch for the large Clown
Knifefish as it is so well camouflaged that it is easy to miss. The other two
sections are home to various colour forms of African Zebra Cichlids. Some
wonderful Crocodilians and other water living reptiles and amphibians are also
on display.
In 'Bug World', a new section of aquaria dedicated to tropical and native marine
coral habitats have been created. Highlight for me was an amazing Blue Lobster
and the
condensation on the glass showed the cold conditions in which this creature has
to be maintained. A 'loop film' highlights the peril many of our marine habitats
are under as climate change etc. tightens its grip.
 A tropical coral display
 Blue Lobster
Each visit sees the Zoo's shoal of huge Carp in a different animal enclosure
moat so suspect that they are moved around to munch away at excess Elodea etc.?
As you read this report you will find them in the moat that surrounds the Gibbon
enclosure. Their moving around is probably the reason why, of all of the fish on
display, these are the only ones without excellent information boards?
Finally, what you need to enjoy Bristol Zoological Gardens is plenty of time and
good walking shoes. So many visitors' rush around and miss the little touches,
such as the Iris pond, that make these gardens so special. When each visit ends,
Sue and I long to return.
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