August 5th, 2011
Who would have guessed that these beautiful whales – originally from Arctic regions – would be so into Mexican music? This Mariachi band were at a zoo in Connecticut for a wedding when they discovered that Juno the Beluga whale dug their dulcet tones!
By Sinéad. Posted in Aquatics, Funny
November 10th, 2010
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It’s been less than a fortnight since his world famous predecessor joined the big tank in the sky, but Oberhausen Sea Life Centre have already introduced the world to Paul II. Named in honour of the original oracle octopus, who rose to fame by predicting the outcome of FIFA World Cup matches, the five-month old was today placed in his new tank after two months in quarantine.
Staff at the aquarium had originally hoped that Paul I would impart his extraordinary abilities to Paul II, but with his sudden death last week, his legacy could not be passed on. Football pundits still have high hopes for the new Paul, however, and are expecting his first predictions in time for the UEFA Euro 2012 tournament.
The news comes amid growing conspiracy theories that Paul I had actually been dead for several months. Some even say he died during the World Cup, and was replaced with a body double. Jiang Xiao, a Chinese filmmaker who is working on a documentary named ‘Who Killed Paul the Octopus?’ says she is 60 – 70% sure that this is the case.
Paul II was hatched in Montpellier, France, and as yet has not predicted anything.
By Edel. Posted in Aquatics, News, Random
July 10th, 2010
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Who would have thought an octopus would have the best success rate of this year’s World Cup? Meet Paul, the German octopus who has correctly predicted the outcome of each of Germany’s matches in the competition, including their defeat to Spain which saw them booted out.
Paul resides in a German aquarium, and ahead of each match two boxes were placed in his enclosure. One would sport the German flag, the other would have the opposing country’s, and a mussel was placed in each. Whichever box Paul chose to eat from first was predicted to be victorious, and he has been 100% accurate throughout.
He has even been the target of death threats by Argentineans following his vision of their defeat – you can watch the offending prediction on CBS News here. However aquarium workers say that Paul is unperturbed by the discussions of paella recipes and will continue to be on display for his awe-struck fans.
By Jess. Posted in Aquatics, News
May 7th, 2010
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No it’s not a sign of the apocalypse or even a bizarre case of raining fish. The guys down in Fintastic Aquatics, Dun Laoghaire, were surprised when a woman arrived with a goldfish in a bucket. She found the fish flopping around in her back garden and couldn’t understand where it had come from.
“She had no pond in her garden or cats that could have left the fish” explained Dimitri, manager at Fintastic. The woman had nursed the goldfish back to health and then brought it down to the lads in Dun Laoghaire to try and find it a new home. They nicknamed the goldfish Lazarus, as it seemed a miracle the fish had survived.
Liam explained to me that more than likely a Heron or Kingfisher had dropped the fish while flying overhead. “One customer of ours had an entire pond of 52 koi fish eaten on him overnight, the fish would have cost thousands of euro” , Herons seem to be becomming a real problem for people keeping fish in ponds. There are a few tricks to deterring Herons but they are clever birds. While keeping a net over your pond is probably the most effective way, other ideas like scarecrows can be effective too.
Falling fish might seem strange to you and me but the guys at Fintastic have plenty of odd pet stories to tell. Dimitri tells me excitedly how, for the first time ever, some of the reptiles in their shop have given birth : “ we are really excited to have some baby reptiles around the shop”, they have been looking after the eggs in a special incubator and expect the eggs to hatch in about 80 days.
From baby lizards to adult monitor lizards, Bosco, the shops resident Bosc monitor, is quite popular with the visitors that come into the shop. Liam showed me how Bosco gets his exercise but also told me how you need to keep a close eye on him: “An old woman was in our shop last week when Bosco was walking around; she got the fright of her life. Even though he is harmless, I think we need a sign to warn people when he is out and about”.
Other pets can be seen roaming the shop too, “When we open shop in the morning the rabbits have often hopped from enclosure to enclosure during the night, they seem to prefer the guinea pig’s food to theirs” Dimitri tells me how they eeven caught the culprits on video, which you can watch here www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcAZMpoFBsk.
The back of Fintastic Aquatics is full of fish tanks. All kinds of tropical and exotic fish, toads and turtles are on display and it feels like being in an aquarium. Liam, who has been looking after all types of fish for 20 years, explains how fish can become great companions “ some fish will get to know you really well and jump out of their bowl when you feed them”.
While Tetra fish, guppies and angel fish are the most popular types they stock, Fintastic Aquatics also have Oscar fish which can grow up to almost 18 inches long, but you have to be careful “once Oscar fish get big enough they will start eating the smaller fish in your tank” Liam warns.
Tthe guys from Fintastic Aquatics are always willing to chat and answer any questions you might have about pets in their shop at 21 Patrick Street, Dun Laoghaire. Fintastic Aquatics will also have a stand at the Irish Tropical Fish Society Open Fish Show in Aengus Community Centre, Tallaght on the 23rd of May.
You can find more information about Fintastic Aquatics on their website www.fintasticaquatics.ie or get in contact with them on Facebook http://tinyurl.com/36bqwv3
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