Something’s Fishy At La Palmera

Details

Published on Wednesday, 18 November 2009 13:50

For more information, contact:
Amanda Sanchez (361) 991-3755

SOMETHING'S FISHY AT LA PALMERA
New 4,500-gallon aquarium one of Coastal Bend's largest; installation now underway.

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (Nov. 18, 2009) - The new 600-seat La Palmera Cafes food court will truly be a room with a view with the installation this week of a 4,500-gallon aquarium.

With more than 25 years experience in providing large, custom aquariums across the U.S., Houston-based Fish Gallery, is installing the 8-foot-wide by 12-foot tall round aquarium, which is designed to represent the biological diversity of a coral reef/estuarine habitat with African and South American cichlid fish. The installation, now underway in the new main entry area of the food court, is scheduled to wrap up by the weekend; the new food court entrance should be completed by Thanksgiving.

The aquarium will feature a handmade decorative insert representing a coral reef bordered with mangrove roots as well as approximately 150 colorful tropical fish representing various parts of the world. The fish are all farm-raised, negating the need to harvest from the wild.

"This will truly be a centerpiece of the food court area and a fabulous addition to the mall," said La Palmera General Manager Fred Walters. "We have been anxiously awaiting the aquarium's installation and know our customers will be pleased with this beautiful addition to the new La Palmera Cafes dining area."
The Fish Gallery is also installing a 10-foot long, 375-gallon freshwater aquarium with more than 75 colorful fish for the new children's play area, sure to provide a fascinating diversion for La Palmera's youngest shoppers. Located on the upper level, the play area is scheduled to open by Thanksgiving.

Once the aquariums are completed, Aquaria Services Inc. will immediately begin the time intensive job of maintaining the aquatic ecosystems. Located in Corpus Christi for more than 20 years, the company has installed and maintained hundreds of commercial and residential aquariums. However, company owner and marine biologist, Teri Nelson, says the size of the food court aquarium requires a unique maintenance protocol.

"We are anxious to begin our work on the La Palmera aquariums, particularly the tank located in the food court," said Nelson. "At 4,500 gallons, you would have to go to the Texas State Aquarium to find anything larger in the Coastal Bend region. We will likely be on site several times a week and will periodically be sending one of our certified divers into the tank as part of the regular maintenance. That's obviously something above and beyond the what is required for most commercial installations."

For more information on La Palmera, go to lapalmera.com, visit Concierge or call (361) 991-5718.
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EDITOR'S NOTE: The 4,500-gallon tank will be filled with water on Thursday, 11/19 (all day); the first fish are tentatively scheduled to be added to the tank early next week (TBD). Call the La Palmera Management Office at (361) 991-3755 for details.