Pier Aquarium Animals on the Move

When the St. Petersburg Pier closes for good Friday, many of the animals who have called the Pier Aquarium home for many years will be moved to various locations throughout the area as the Secrets of the Sea Aquarium gets built in Madeira Beach. 

"We are sending our animals on a much-deserved vacation before their big move to Secrets of the Sea,” said E. Howard Rutherford, President and CEO of Secrets of the Sea in a news release. “These are the final days for our members, supporters and friends in the community to visit us at The Pier and see our beautiful marine collection in this setting one last time.”

The Secrets of the Sea Aquarium, which is still under construction, will be located at John's Pass. The new aquarium is set to open in November. 

The new $4 million facility will house interactive exhibits, tanks and state of the art technology in the two-story, 13,500-square-foot building. 

All of the approximately 60 fish of different species and more than 200 invertebrate animals including snails, hermit crabs, sea stars and coral will relocate to their new home at Secrets of the Sea, where they will join new animal acquisitions that will triple the number of animals currently on display at the Pier Aquarium, a news release said.

According to Butch Ringelspaugh, Curator of Exhibits at The Pier Aquarium and Secrets of the Sea, most of the animals will be housed at a new 1,100-gallon tank located on the USF St. Petersburg campus.

The remaining animals will be housed at the USF College of Marine Science, Madeira Beach Recreation Center and Suncoast Aquarium Supply. The aquarists will have approximately 45 days to complete the move to the temporary locations after the Pier’s closure.

“The most challenging aspect is moving the tanks,” Ringelspaugh said in a news release. “Transport of the animals is a relatively easy process because many of our fish come from all around the world, so a short trip down the street or across town is nothing to them. Our goal is to make the move as less stressful for them as possible.”

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