WELCOME TO FUNAQUATICS FOR KIDS!
We've just finished our sixth month on NING and wanted to give you an update on who in the world is stopping by to visit us. According to Google Analytics, we have received visitors from 59 countries, 45 states and the District of Columbia! How cool is that? So, we want to encourage everyone of these new visitors to join FunAquatics and tell us where you are from. And, then take a few minutes to upload a picture of yourself and a few aquatics photos so that we can see what the aquatic environment looks like in your corner of the world.

Here are the Top 10 countries in regard to numbers of visitors:
1. United States
2. United Kingdom
3. Thailand
4. Brazil
5. Canada
6. Portugal
7. Mexico
8. Phillipines
9. South Africa
10. France

Here's the Top 10 States:
1. Colorado
2. Nevada
3. California
4. New York
5. Florida
6. Texas
7. Washington
8. Illinois
9. Minnesota
10. North Carolina

The only states that we have not received any visitors from are as follows:
1. Alabama
2. Alaska
3. Delaware
4. Mississippi
5. North Dakota

Hello Gehring Elementary 3rd graders!!!! Welcome to FunAquatics I'm so glad you are here!! I'd love for you and your families to become members of my site and tell me what you think and what you'd like to see. Check out the Activity Pages tab to find the answers to the handout I gave you at the school presentation.

Hello FishPals!
I want to formally introduce you to one of our resident artists, Wil Cormier, a friend and a very talented artist who creates mermaid masterpieces! If you browse through our pictures, you will find many of his beautiful works of art. These paintings are part of a series called “Mermaids of Atlantis” and are based on a true story of sunken ships and buried treasure!!!!

Wil’s inspiration for these pieces came from two ships that were caught in a fierce hurricane in 1622 and sunk, the Nuestra Senora de Atocha – translated it means Our Lady of Atocha (which is a city in Spain near Madrid) and the Santa Margarita – translated it means Saint Marguerite. These ships were discovered by a famous treasure hunter named, Mel Fisher, who went on an excursion and found much more than anyone could imagine – REAL buried treasure!!!!

If you would like to see some of these amazing art pieces in person, there is a Mermaid Cove Art Gallery right next to the Silverton aquarium and it is free to the public! What’s more, Wil along with his wonderful wife Mitzi (also a Fish Pal!) make appearances at the Silverton right next to the gallery on most Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays and you can have the opportunity to meet them in person!
If you don’t live here in Vegas you can see more of Wil’s works at www.wilcormier.com. And, Wil is a member of FunAquatics, so if you have any questions about his work or would like to buy some of his artwork (posters for $10, printers proofs for $375-$429 and original paintings from $6,000 to $9,500) , feel free to start up a conversation with Wil right here on FunAquatics... Oh and can I mention one more thing about our FishPal, Wil???? He can transform you into one of these beautiful art pieces …. He can turn you into a mermaid! Contact him to find out more of how this can be done!

Hello my FishPals!!!!
Welcome to FunAqautics For Kids! I can't begin to tell you how excited we are to have you visit our social network dedicated exclusively to sharing our passion for aquatics with kids of all ages. To get off on the right foot, we would like to introduce you to one of our favorite aquariums!

The Silverton Hotel and Casino here in Las Vegas, Nevada is located right off Interstate 15 and Blue Diamond Road. The Silverton is very convenient to both the local Las Vegan and the visitor as well. This venue has a 117,000 gallon saltwater exhibit in the front lobby that is not only exquisite to look at, but it is free to the public! This tank has one of the largest pieces of curved acrylic in the world and stands about 16 feet high. It makes you feel like a little child when you stand in front of it!

You can walk around the entire tank and see approximately 4000 fish and 150 different species from around the world. They have five species of stingrays: southern stingrays, cownose rays, bat rays, a honeycomb ray and a yellow ray. They have seven species of shark: leopard sharks, a grey smoothhound shark, white-spotted bamboo sharks, brown banded bamboo sharks, coral cat sharks, an epaulette shark and a horn shark. They have three species of puffers: a stellatus or starry puffer (the largest species of puffer in the world), a porcupine puffer and a striped dogface puffer. This aquarium also has multiple other species of fish including parrotfish, tangs, butterflies, clownfish and angelfish.

Everyday at 1:30pm, 4:30pm and 7:30pm they have an interactive stingray feeding where an aquarist gets into the tank wearing a special diving mask, called an agua mask. This mask has a microphone in it and allows the diver to talk to the audience and educate the public about the different stingrays in the tank. After the show, they answer any questions that the audience has by relaying them into the tank through an outside host’s microphone. This is a great opportunity for kids of all ages to ask questions that they may have about stingrays or any other aquatic life or care of aquatic animals. The aquarists in the tank are the same people who do the day to day operations of caring for the animals, so they are very knowledgeable! It is a fun activity for the entire family and a great photo opportunity! Also, if you come to the 1:30pm show you get an extra perk … the shark feed! Everyday after the 1:30pm stingray feed, the aquarist goes onto the backside of the tank and hand feeds the sharks in the tank. It is the only shark feed of the day so I highly recommend watching that too!

Oh and one other thing … this tank houses live mermaids!!!! Thursday through Saturday from 2:15pm to 10:00pm and Sunday 11:00am to 7:00pm mermaids swim into the tank and interact with the audience. This is a MUST see attraction! I mean how often do you get to see a live mermaid?

If you can't come to visit the aquarium, you can always catch one of our feedings via webcam on their website at http://www.onenetplace.net/silverton.aspx

This link allows you to watch the tank anytime day or night! Oh yeah, and don't forget to bring some more family and friends next time. If they can't make it, send us some of your own aquatic related pics and videos. Thanks again for visiting with us at FunAquatics!
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Meet Ashleigh Reding, Founder & Chief Aquarist...

Hi Kids, My name is Ashleigh Reding, I'm an Aquarist at a really cool Aquarium in sunny Las Vegas, NV. I'm going to be your host here at FunAquatics and I will answer (or try to answer) all the questions you have about aquariums, fish, and how to care for them. Prior to my current position, I worked at the Dolphin Habitat at The Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas and at Nemo and Friends formerly The Living Seas in Disney World. Hope you enjoy the FunAquatics Social Network here at Ning! This site is designed exclusively for Pre-School and Elementary Students as an introduction into the undersea world of Aquatics. You are going to see alot of me and my family, so I've attached a bunch of fun pictures to share with all of you. As we introduce you to FunAquatics, I'll tell you more about myself and my fellow Aquarists and my favorite fishees. This is your site too, so we want to hear from you and see lots of pictures of you, your classrooms, your fish and everything that you want to know about Aquatics. Really, we just want to share our passion for Aquatics with you, your friends, your teachers and your family. I'd love to bring FunAquatics to your school and invite you to come visit me here in Las Vegas for a great underwater show...just for you! Ask me how? Thanks for stopping by...and don't forget to sign up as one of my "FishPals" and tell your friends about FunAquatics. See You Soon!!!