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Ashley Sharpe - Senior Aquarist

Briefly describe your involvement and work at ZSL London Zoo

I’ve been here for five years working at the aquarium, since 2002, I primarily look after the coral but also completed a Phd in Fish behavior

Which is your favorite animal to work with within the aquarium?

The Sea horses. They have great characters, and really individual eating habitats.

How much water is currently here in the aquarium to look after?

We have 23,000 litres in the Pacu tank alone. The Pacu fish were all confiscated pets, as are a lot of our other spices of animals here in the aquarium. In total we have four types of filtration and we change 5% of the water everyday. The water is pretreated fresh water. Underneath the aquarium floor there is a 150,000 litre reservoir.

Is it hard to look after so much water?

Well, if too much water is changed at once the fish don’t settle. The Coral is very difficult to maintain; we monitor the water quality weekly.

Where do all the fish here come from? What are your sources?

The Pacu fish were once pets. The coral comes from customs confiscation at air ports. £30,000 worth of coral has been seized in the last couple of years.

Is there a threat to Coral in the wild?

Yes. Temperature change and global warming are the biggest threats, Coral Farms now exist for the aquarium trade, to help supply the coral without us taking any from the wild.

ZSL London Zoo is involved in creating the new aquarium Biota. What type of enclosure and habitat will this be?

Biota is going to be built in the east end of London, with 1.5 million litres of Sea water per tank. I am the design consultant on this project; there are different biome sections including the British Isles Biome and Amazon biome and coral reef tanks.

What is the importance of international Zoo links?

ZSL London Zoo are part of the Marine Aquarium Council (MAC). We work with them to ensure the fish have the correct habitats. We monitor the movement of fish to and from aquariums. ZSL London Zoo are trying to Breed as many fish as possible, such as sea horses. We also have international links with the Coral Zoo, coordinated research between seven zoos and the Nation Aquarium Workshop (NAW)