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The predator has been very quiet on the ground. His red body coloration becomes pale gray - that is the characters. A small, brightly striped Lippfisch approaching. Carefully reviewed the lean animal, the skin of the Great picks here and there something out, and slowly works his way to the head of the tropical grouper before. The spreads now even the gill cover to the inspection. "Sometimes the Putzerlippfische then swim into the mouth and out again," explains Arndt Hadamek the visitor.
Local nothing happens, because the robbers deliberately seek their help to get rid of annoying parasite responsible for the colorful turn carers are an easy prey. To benefit both sides. Meanwhile, circle a few meters higher agile black lace-reef around, swinging elegantly Kuhnasenrochen their wings, and a swarm of horse-mackerel gleams like polished silver. What a magnificent underwater.
But no, this scene will not be around in the azure waters of the Australian Great Barrier Reef, but in a rather unimpressive-looking building at the old port of Speyer, a few hundred meters from the famous Duomo. Perch, Lippfisch & Co. are residents of the large tropical basin in the local Sea Life Aquarium.
The five-meter deep concrete tank has a capacity of 320,000 liters, through the ground attracts a Plexiglas tunnel. From there, visitors can admire the colorful troop carriers shed almost close marvel. Another showcase is one level higher, near the water surface. At this pool can swim movements and behavior of animals extensively observed. Just as the work of Putzerlippfische flat. However, it needs to be patient and an eye for details. Who here just beautiful colors respects missed something.
Hadamek Arndt, chief of the aquarium at Sea Life Speyer, knows the problem. "Many visitors do not look out just march through and then complain because it is supposedly nothing to see." Others were too small sharks. Hadamek however, the enthusiasm for these aquatic animals in the face written. A native of Rhinelander is originally trained chemist and expert on Klärtechnik. "But here I have my hobby into a profession." A truly passionate, almost around the clock. In his spare Hadamek participate in a resettlement project for European marsh turtles.
Multikulti at 16 degrees
Of course, houses the gray building at the port more than the tropical pool. In a series of freshwater aquarium is in outline the course of the Rhine from the source region to the estuary displayed. Local pike, perch and bream to cavort, but also introduced species such as the North American-born brook trout.
Not always are the species correctly assigned to their habitats. North American catfish alongside trout in clear mountain stream? Well, yes. In the coastal basins is also some weird combination. Northern European Aalmuttern and butter fish - not to be confused with the eponymous Smoked products in the fish shop - share with sea bream Junker and tape from the Mediterranean Sea an aquarium.
Such a multicultural society poses potential problem, because the northern and southern different ecological demands. Arndt Hadamek encounter with the one simple trick. "We keep the temperature constant at 16 degrees. I believe both groups." For some, it is always winter, for the other summer.
A few steps further, the visitor suddenly in a shallow pool and eye to eye with a nail adult skate. The animal swims to the surface, drawn by the electric field of the human body. With its highly sensitive sensory organs, the so-called Lorenzin vials, the cartilaginous fish exactly the two-legged varieties.
On the ground cat sharks hang around, hang in the artificial kelp Eikapseln their bizarre shapes. There are plenty of young, small sharks seem to feel comfortable. Conger, however, up to two and a half meters long eels of the eastern Atlantic, there is now no longer Speyer. "The pools are not large enough, and they just grow too fast," says Arndt Hadamek. "You do not show everything."
Witching hour with mangrove jellyfish
Currently, the special exhibition "Jellyfish - Ghost of the seas." The somewhat lurid title is misleading. It is by no means a kind of horror show, even if the animals glibbrigen many contemporaries easily cause shuddering. Four different species are on display, including the bizarre mangrove jellyfish, the most time with their tentacles stretched out on the top floor.
In their tentacles they host unicellular algae, which need light. The animal provides the nettle green mini plant shelter, and these in turn provide their host nutrients - a perfect symbiosis. The attitude or even the breeding of jellyfish in aquariums is a tricky matter. The North and Baltic Sea jellyfish native ears about the easiest way to reproduce asexually by budding.
But Arndt Hadamek know how he convinced them that the correct date for the reproduction has taken place. "We strongly cool the animals down to about four degrees Celsius, then we leave to cool for a day, the temperature rises to about twenty degrees, and then let's start." The jellyfish believe so, unless a sudden spring, and the supply of nutritious zooplankton will soon rise. Of these, the young can benefit.
Wastewater treatment plant breeding and feeding
The Sea Life visitors come Arndt Hadamek rarely in contact. Normally, he works behind the scenes. Much time is spent in the technology space, where it is loud and a slight sea smell in the air. Everywhere there are tubes hanging in a corner Watts trousers and diving suits, on a circuit diagram with green fluorescent yellow points is at the heart of the aquarium Appendix. The house has an elaborate its own treatment with biofilters, protein skimmer, ozone disinfection, and even a special column denitrification, in which specialized bacteria in pure nitrate convert atmospheric nitrogen.
This material cycle requires an enormous effort. "We need every three months, five tons of salt," says the aquarium boss. And annually, about two tons of food delivered. Some produce Hadamek and his team but himself in the feed back room kitchen boiling it in large perspex cylinders. This is the plankton breeding. In other receptacles Artemia eggs are hatched. Salt cancer are the body's food of jellyfish and seahorses ears.
At three is feeding time in the large tropical pool. The water people swim already excited at the surface of the water back and forth. One of them raises Hadameks assistants a few hands full swing shrimp and shellfish meat. Geplätscher loud sounds of water splashing against the ceiling. The Kuhnasenrochen eat the young woman literally out of your hands. "This is a good thing, nothing else would abkriegen."
The black tip reef sharks, however, are shy - who would have thought? The robbers have the nervous squid enriched with a stick, otherwise they do not trust ran. As a small feast receive from the sharks and all thawed rainbow trout prefixed says Arndt Hadamek. "The love it."
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