A report on a public aquarium in the Midlands region of the United Kingdom:
There's a Koi in my Bath?
A REPORT ON A VISIT TO THE MATLOCK BATHS PUBLIC AQUARIUM
By David Marshall
From the Ryedale Reporter, November 2001. Ryedale Aquarist Society, North
Yorkshire, England
Aquarticles
The Derbyshire town of Matlock Baths is an unlikely place to find a fascinating Public
Aquarium. As you enter the town look out for the Tourist Information Centre pond as it
contains some lovely Ghost Koi, Tench and Roach.
As for the Aquarium itself it is located in what was formerly the Matlock Bath Hydro
building. The Aquarium is split into two distinct sections. The first of these is situated
in what were the Hydro consultation rooms and consists of around 20 aquaria, of various
lengths and dimensions, which house a variety of freshwater tropical fish both suitable
and unsuitable for the home aquarium. What all these fish have in common is that they all
appeared to be well looked after and were a picture of health.
Cichlids abound here and include a beautiful collection of Zebra Cichlid variants in
the Lake Malawi community, a large Velvet Oscar living a very wary existence in the
company of a huge Silver Arowana and a pair of Jewel Cichlids with such bright red and
blue body colours that they all but dazzled the viewer.
My favourite display was found in a very deep tank that was home to a shoal of large
Tinfoil Barbs, a Clown Characin so old that its colour pattern has long since faded to
grey and a Snow King Plec. (one of several impressive large Loricarins to be found dotted
around the displays) that would have run away with the Large Catfish class at many an open
show.
The second part of the Aquarium is housed in the old thermal pool and here you find a
spectacular collection of extremely large Koi, Common Carp and Mirror Carp. No wonder with
the pool receiving a water change of 600,000 gallons a day (natural spring fed) with water
of a constant 20 C temperature. With old bubblegum dispensing machines housing food, which
the visitor can purchase in order to feed these fish, some of the Carp virtually clear the
water every time a human face comes into view.
As the amusement arcade, which adjoins the Aquarium, subsidises this venture (and as
Sue and I arrived before the Aquarium had actually opened we had great fun putting 2p's in
the antique motorcycle racing game and won our stake money back), the adult entrance fee
for the Aquarium is only £1.80p and makes this a great value place to visit.
We leave the last words on the Matlock Baths Aquarium to Sue - 'All the fish here
appear to be well cared for. Well worth a visit if you are in the Matlock area but anyone
making a special journey may be a little disappointed. A few miles down the road is the
National Tramway Museum and this is also well worth a visit.'
With several well-known aquatic retail outlets within easy driving distance and the
surroundings of spectacular scenery as an added bonus the Matlock area makes a great
holiday destination.
|