Behind the scenes
We are passionate about fish
The first traces of the Aquarium in Allex go back to 1986. In fact, in that year, following an exhibition of tropical fish organised 2 years earlier by a group of enthusiasts, the first permanent exhibition was opened by an association in a local hall.
Since then, the Aquarium changed its location in 1997, and its name and business structure (to “SARL”, similar to LLC) in 2004.
The Aquarium is currently managed by Cédric FEROTIN, one of the 2 former employees who took over the business in August 2004. He is also the establishment’s supervisor.
Through this exhibition, it aims to share with you his passion for aquatic environments.
-Benjamin AUGER, who has a diploma in marine engineering.
-Guillaume BOUCHE, who has a professional degree in continental aquaculture and aquariology.
Numerous facilities were set up to make the Aquarium a fun and educational place to visit, whether you’re in a group or with the family, with the aim of raising public awareness of the fragility of these environments and everyone’s role in preserving them.
Feeding the fish
To ensure the fish aren’t disturbed during feeding time, they are usually fed in the morning, outside opening hours.
Most of the fish that we keep are adults, and therefore we feed them generally 3 times per week, whereas our juvenile fish are usually fed up to several times per day.
Not all of the fish share the same dietary habits (although most of them are omnivores, some are herbivores and others carnivores), and therefore the food they are given is tailored to their specific needs.
To cater to this variety, we use frozen food, such as mussels, shelled shrimps, fish fillets, squid, peas, and spinach, or dry food (pellets).
Shrimps
Spinach
Peas
Vers
Mussel
Smelt
Colfish
Squid
Granules
Running the aquariums
All of the installations need upkeep and supervision on a daily basis. We use maintenance passageways to get direct access to all of the aquariums so as to be able to clean them, and also to feed the fish.
To ensure proper care for the fish, it is vital to recreate a balanced ecosystem in each aquarium. This is why all of the tanks throughout the exhibition are fitted out with a water filter system to clean out the waste produced by the fish.
Moreover, a drip system means that roughly 10% of the water inside the aquariums can be replenished per week.
The fish that we look after originally come from the tropics, and therefore we fix the water temperature at around 25 °C, and the tanks are constantly lit throughout the year to recreate the conditions of the fish’s natural habitat.
The Laboratory
Quarantine
Wherever the fish come from, they are systematically put into quarantine as soon as they arrive at the Aquarium. This is a way of gradually acclimatizing them to their new environment, but also a way of screening to detect any diseases or parasites.
Health care
Each aquarium in the laboratory is totally separate and independent, meaning that we can guarantee the utmost care and hygiene to any animals that are sick, infected with parasites, or injured.
Fish hatching
The aquariums in the exhibition see a high level of reproduction, and so the fingerlings (young fish) are fished out and raised in the laboratory.
