A Feast on the Reef: Feeding the Giant Ocean Tank Animals

Every day, the Animal Care team at the New England Aquarium serves up about 30 pounds of food for the hundreds of animals in the four-story Giant Ocean Tank, our largest exhibit.

Meals for most animals are offered through “broadcast feedings,” during which Aquarium staff disperses a variety of nutrient-rich foods at the water’s surface and throughout the exhibit. This ensures species at all levels of the water column can eat where they feel most comfortable. 

“Various animals can come at their leisure, grab some food, and then head back to their day on the reef,” said Lindsay Phenix, a senior aquarist at the Aquarium.

But for other animals, mealtimes are a little more customized!

Cirri, nurse shark 

Aquarists are target training Cirri the nurse shark. A diver presents her with an orange ball at the end of a stick, and when she touches the ball with her head, they give her food.

“We build that association and bond so that she won’t feel the need to hunt on her own, knowing that anytime she sees this orange ball in the exhibit, she can swim up to it and be rewarded with food,” Lindsay explained. Since it’s an easier way to get a meal than chasing around other animals in the exhibit, Cirri doesn’t bother expending her energy on that unwanted behavior.

Proximity to divers during her target feedings and familiarity with a variety of objects also prepares Cirri to participate in her own health care, when she needs to cooperate with veterinary staff for routine exams.

Thomas, green moray eel

Thomas, the green moray eel, is another animal that aquarists go out of their way to feed each day. Aquarists don’t ask him to perform any specific behaviors to earn his food; they bring it to him to ensure he’s full and won’t try to snack on other fishes!

Filefish and boxfish

Some fishes, like filefish and boxfish, are slower swimmers than others. Our Animal Care team also brings food directly to them since they might not be able to compete with other, faster fishes during broadcast feedings. Animal Care team members lower a box with food into the water, which the fishes’ unique style of swimming allows only them to access.

“Most fish primarily swim forward, so they will not go somewhere where they feel like they can’t escape or turn around. But these fish, with how they swim, are more like a helicopter where they can hover and move around,” Lindsay said. “They’re able to have a nice, peaceful meal throughout the day and then navigate out of the box.”

Myrtle, green sea turtle 

The oldest resident at the Aquarium, Myrtle, the green sea turtle, is keenly aware that she is fed at the surface of the exhibit, often when educators are giving a talk. If Aquarium staffers are on the platform next to the surface of the exhibit, she knows to swim over with an appetite.

“As soon as a person is out there with her food bowl, and there’s activity, she’s cruising on over there,” Lindsay said. They feed her lettuce, her favorite food, using a pair of tongs.

Retread and Carolina, loggerhead sea turtles 

The loggerhead turtles in the Giant Ocean Tank, Retread and Carolina, are fed below the surface. They both came to the Giant Ocean Tank through our Animal Care Center’s Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation program, and Retread is almost entirely blind. Instead of a visual target, they are trained to recognize that it’s mealtime with an audio cue. A diver goes to an area of the exhibit known as “Turtle Alley” and shakes a rattle the turtles can hear throughout the area. Retread and Carolina follow the sound and know they’re in the right spot when they feel bubbles from the diver’s gear. At this signal, they float down and get fed from their own personal buckets of food.

Sweet Pea, balloon fish

One surprising item on the exhibit menu is peas, which are healthy and high in fiber! 

Balloon fish like Sweet Pea particularly love peas. Our team provides shrimp and squid tentacles while the balloon fish forage, ensuring a varied diet. But they really love peas.

“It’s pretty stinking cute. Sometimes, if we’re not going fast enough, they’ll actually bite at the pea bottle that we bring in,” Lindsay said. 

Mo, Southern stingray, and the cownose rays 

Bucket feedings for Mo (short for Elasmo), the Southern stingray, and the cownose rays are a favorite among Animal Care staff and interns, Lindsay noted. “The cownose rays, I generally say, give off golden retriever energy. They’re always so excited to see you and come at you with a lot of energy during feedings.”Since stingray’s mouths are on their underside, feeding Mo shrimp facing the exhibit windows provides a great view for those around the exhibit.

Making sure everyone in the Giant Ocean Tank exhibit gets fed is a science. While the Animal Care team tracks larger animals’ food intake individually, there are other species, like the 200 individual small mouth grunts, for which it’s impossible to monitor each fish’s daily diet. Instead, the team tracks how much food goes in and out of the tank. They tabulate this number at the end of each day and make sure it aligns with the estimated total all the animals should be eating. 

There are two mealtimes in the Giant Ocean Tank exhibit each day, at 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. Time your visit to the Aquarium to observe one of these feasts on the reef!