At the center of the saltwater tank lives a remarkably realistic replica of a Caribbean coral reef, with 3,000 individual corals and sponges that represent the 35 major species found in that region.
Divers enter the tank five times a day to feed the marine life in the exhibit.
Some of the inhabitants are fed by hand, while others, such as the five sand tiger sharks, get their food from the tip of long poles because their teeth are dangerously sharp. All together, the fish eat about 35 pounds of food each day, including shrimp, herring, squid, mackerel and a gelatinous mixture of vitamins and vegetables. The diet of each fish is carefully charted by the aquarium staff, in part because the predators in the group must be kept sated so they won't eat their smaller neighbors. Although the goal of the aquarium is to provide the sea animals with as natural of an environment as possible, the creatures sometimes interact with the divers at feeding time. The groupers enjoy the massaging bubbles from the divers' scuba gear.