Downtown Aquarium (formerly Colorado's Ocean Journey ) is a for profit aquarium and restaurant located in Denver , Colorado , at the intersection of I-25 and 23rd Ave . The 107,000 square feet (9,900 m ) main building sits on a 17-acre (6.9 ha) site adjacent to the South Platte River . Its freshwater and marine aquaria total approximately 1,000,000 US gallons (3,785,000 L), and exhibit a variety of fish and other animals.
16-426: Downtown Aquarium may refer to either of two public aquariums owned and operated by Landry's Restaurants, Inc. Downtown Aquarium, Denver Downtown Aquarium, Houston Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Downtown Aquarium . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change
32-514: A large exhibit depicting the Sea of Cortez , into which the Colorado River empties. The Indonesia River Journey included exhibits of animals such as Asian arowanas , rainbowfish , and endangered Sumatran tigers . It ended with a large exhibit depicting the southern Pacific Ocean . In addition to these two journeys, the aquarium housed a large sea otter exhibit. After the 2005 renovations,
48-801: A person was shot and killed outside the aquarium. A major theme for this landlocked aquarium is the relationship between inland freshwater ecosystems and the ocean . The original design of the aquarium was zoogeographic . It focused on the path to the ocean taken by two rivers , the Colorado River in North America and the Kampar River in Indonesia. The Colorado River Journey included exhibits of endangered fish, including desert pupfish ; gamefish such as bass ; and North American river otters , among other species. It ended with
64-410: A reference to the often striking lateral black bands that run along the bodies of those in the genus Melanotaenia . The Melanotaeniidae is characterised by having their distal premaxillary teeth enlarged. They have a compressed body with the two dorsal fins separated by a small gap between them. There are 3–7 spines in the first dorsal fin while the second has 6–22 rays, with the first ray being
80-1440: A single family as they form a monophyletic group or clade . They are therefore classified as follows: Phylogeny based off Unmack et. al. 2013, with additional species from Nugraha et. al. 2015; Hypoatherina Marosatherina ladigesi Pseudomugil gertrudae Rheocles alaotrensis Rheocles wrightae Rheocles vatosoa Bedotia spp. Cairnsichthys rhombosomoides Rheocles ornatus Iriatherina werneri Waigeo clade ( M. catherinae , M. synergos ) Northern Bird's Head clade (incl. M. ajamaruensis , M. arfakensis , M. boesemani , M. longispina , M. manibuii , M. misoolensis , M. multiradiata , M. susii ) Southern Bird's Head clade (incl. M. angfa , M. irianjaya , M. naramasae , M. parva , M. sikuensis ) Northern clade (incl. Chilatherina , Glossolepis , M. affinis , M. iris , M. praecox , M. vanheurni ) Southern clade (incl. M. australis , M. fluviatilis , M. goldiei , M. gracilis , M. lacustris , M. macculochi , M. monticola , M. nigrans , M. papuae , M. pygmaea , M. sexlineata , M. trifasciata ) Rainbowfish usually do best with tropical community fish, such as tetras , guppies , and other rainbowfish. However, two males may sometimes fight at breeding season if there are not enough females. Rainbowfish usually eat floating flakes in captivity, because in
96-486: A stout spine in some species, the anal fin has 10–30 rays and, again, the first may be a stout spine in some species. The lateral line is either weakly developed or absent. They have comparatively large scales and these number 28–60 in the lateral series. The pelvic fins are attached to the fish's abdomen by a membrane which runs along the length of the innermost ray and this is a feature which can be used to separate rainbowfishes from silversides ( Atherinidae ), although
112-499: A wide range of freshwater habitats , including rivers , lakes , and swamps . Although they spawn all year round, they lay a particularly large number of eggs at the start of the local rainy season . The eggs are attached to aquatic vegetation , and hatch seven to 18 days later. Rainbowfish are generalized omnivores, feeding on small crustaceans, insect larvae , and algae. Melanotaenia , Pseudomugil , and several other genera of rainbowfish include species that regularly appear in
128-512: Is owned and operated by Landry's Restaurants, Inc. It is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). Colorado's Ocean Journey was founded by Bill Fleming and Judy Petersen Fleming as a nonprofit entity. It was partially funded by a $ 57 million bond loan as well as loans by the department of Housing and Urban Development , and its total cost was $ 93 million. The facility opened June 21, 1999 and soon earned accreditation by
144-522: The Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). The Downtown Aquarium was originally called Ocean Journey. It had two guest experiences: one about the Colorado River and another about the Kampar River in Indonesia . The Ocean Journey aquarium was not able to make payments on its high construction debt, and filed for bankruptcy in April 2002 with a $ 62.5 million debt. Landry's Restaurants, Inc. purchased
160-477: The aquarium trade . In the wild, some rainbowfish populations have been severely affected by the aggressive introduced eastern mosquitofish ( Gambusia holbrooki ), tilapia cichlids, and pollution . Melanotaeniidae is divided into a number of subfamilies; these families have been considered by some authorities to separate families, but the 5th Edition of Fishes of the World classifies these as subfamilies of
176-522: The family Melanotaeniidae , found in northern and eastern Australia , New Guinea (including islands in Cenderawasih Bay and Raja Ampat Islands in Indonesia), Sulawesi and Madagascar . The largest rainbowfish genus and the type of the family , Melanotaenia , derives from the ancient Greek melano (black) and taenia (banded). Translated, it means "black-banded", and is
SECTION 10
#1732794099418192-621: The AZA's Species Survival Plan for Sumatran tigers. A volunteer program administered by the Deep Blue Sea Foundation , a nonprofit group, is in place. The Deep Blue Sea Foundation was formed after Landry's purchased the aquarium to ensure the educational goals of the original founders would continue to be met. The aquarium also periodically hosts for-cost educational seminars. Rainbowfish See text Rainbowfishes are small, colourful freshwater fishes belonging to
208-494: The facility in March 2003 for $ 13.6 million. After the purchase, the facility remained open to the public until the summer of 2005, when it closed briefly for renovations. These included the addition of a full-service restaurant, bar, and ballroom. A 150,000-US-gallon (568,000 L) marine aquarium was added to the restaurant area. Upon its reopening July 14, 2005, the facility was renamed Downtown Aquarium. On February 14, 2024,
224-468: The link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Downtown_Aquarium&oldid=932801244 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Downtown Aquarium, Denver The Downtown Aquarium in Denver
240-468: The membrane is easily torn. The majority of the species in this family demonstrate conspicuous sexual dimorphism , with the males usually being the more colorful sex and also showing an elongated median fin ray. Most species of rainbowfish are less than 12 cm (4.7 in) in length, with some species measuring less than 6 cm (2.4 in), while one species, Melanotaenia vanheurni , reaches lengths of up to 20 cm (7.9 in). They live in
256-583: The two journey paths remain, but are no longer arranged in a strictly zoogeographic pattern. Tanks have been added that house species from African and South American freshwater ecosystems. Other tanks are mixed community aquariums. The facility features several interactive exhibits, including a horseshoe crab touch tank and a stingray touch-and-feed tank. The aquarium continues to focus on conservation . To that end, it houses numerous endangered or threatened species: twelve species of fish, six of reptiles, two of mammals, and two of birds. It participates in
#417582