From the UAE to Reda: sharks and rays move into a modernized and secured aquarium

On Friday, August 21, visitors to Aquapark Reda saw the facility’s new residents for the first time. The large aquarium is now home to two zebra sharks, a whitetip reef shark, a blacktip reef shark and three California bat rays. The animals have already been received and acclimatized. Behind the spectacular view through the glass, however, lies a complex process involving specialist transport, acclimatization, water-quality monitoring and the daily work of the aquarium team.

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21 august 2026   |   09:00   |   Source: Gazeta Morska   |   Prepared by: Kamil Kusier   |   Print

fot. Przemek Świderski

More than just the return of sharks

The return of sharks to Aquapark Reda could easily be reduced to a single sentence: the sharks are swimming in the aquarium again.

From an aquarist’s perspective, however, the process is considerably more complex.

Reda has received several different species of cartilaginous fish, each with its own biological requirements and characteristic behavior.

The new residents include two zebra sharks (Stegostoma fasciatum), one whitetip reef shark (Triaenodon obesus), one blacktip reef shark (Carcharhinus melanopterus) and three California bat rays (Myliobatis californica).

This is therefore not simply a recreation of the aquarium’s previous animal collection. The new species also offer visitors an opportunity to observe different aspects of shark and ray biology within the same large-scale marine environment.

From transport to the aquarium

For large marine animals, transportation itself is a specialist operation requiring careful preparation. The animals must be transported safely and, once they reach their destination, gradually introduced to their new environment.

Water parameters are only part of the equation. Temperature, salinity, the transfer procedure and the individual animal’s response all have to be taken into account.

- When receiving new animals, the most important things are calmness and observation. Every individual can react differently to transport and a new environment, says Michał Snochowski, aquarist at Aquapark Reda.

There is another factor when dealing with a large established aquarium: the animal is not entering an empty tank. It is being introduced into an already functioning biological environment.

Zebra shark: a very different kind of shark

Among the most interesting new residents are the two zebra sharks, also known as leopard sharks. The species differs significantly from the stereotypical image of a shark as a fast-moving, constantly swimming predator.

Zebra sharks are primarily bottom-dwelling animals and are adapted to life close to the seabed.

Their appearance is equally distinctive. The species takes its common name from the striped pattern seen in juveniles, while adults develop a characteristic pattern of spots.

For aquarists, this means observing a very different set of behaviors compared with more active reef shark species.

- With every species, we have to pay attention to its natural behavior. This allows us to assess whether the animal is functioning properly in its new environment, explains Michał Snochowski.

White and black fin markings

The new collection also includes two reef shark species.

The whitetip reef shark (Triaenodon obesus) is easily identified by the light-colored tips of its fins. It is closely associated with reef environments and frequently rests near the bottom.

The blacktip reef shark (Carcharhinus melanopterus), meanwhile, is distinguished by the characteristic black markings on its fins.

The latter species is particularly significant in the history of the Reda aquarium, as blacktip reef sharks were previously kept there as well. One of them is now swimming in Reda again.

A ray moves in a completely different way

The three California bat rays illustrate just how diverse cartilaginous fish can be. Although rays and sharks belong to the same broad group, their anatomy and methods of locomotion are fundamentally different.

A ray uses its broad body disc and undulating pectoral fins to move through the water. From the visitor’s perspective, the effect can look almost like underwater flight.

At the same time, their anatomy requires the aquarium team to take specific behaviors and safety considerations into account.

California bat rays have a venomous spine on their tails.

- Every animal has its own characteristic behaviors and requirements. Our job is to understand them and adapt the way we care for the animals accordingly, says Michał Snochowski.

330,000 litres of living environment

The Reda aquarium contains approximately 330,000 litres of water. At this scale, it is more than an exhibition tank. It is a complex technological and biological system designed to maintain stable environmental conditions.

Water has to remain in constant circulation, while its parameters are continuously monitored. For marine animals, factors including temperature, salinity, oxygenation and water chemistry are particularly important.

For an aquarist, however, instrument readings are only part of the picture. The animals themselves provide important information through their behavior.

- Water parameters alone do not tell us everything. The animals also show us through their behavior how they are functioning within the environment, Snochowski notes.

This is why an aquarist’s work does not end once the aquarium has been prepared.

The aquarium has been modernized

The return of the animals follows the modernization of the aquarium. Following the July incident, additional safety measures were introduced and the tank was prepared to receive animals again.

- The aquarium has been modernized, additional safety measures have been implemented, and it has been prepared for the arrival of the new animals, says Snochowski.

This is an important part of the entire process. In a large aquarium, the technical infrastructure is just as important as the exhibition itself.

Filtration, water circulation, environmental control systems and safety solutions form a single integrated system, with its proper operation directly affecting animal welfare.

The animals are now in Reda

The most important stage of the process has now been completed. The new animals are in Reda. They have been received into the aquarium and have gone through the acclimatization period.

The aquarium team can therefore move from the transport and adaptation phase to regular monitoring of the animals in their permanent environment.

Visitors will now be able to see the new residents for the first time.

- Now, above all, we can observe how the animals are functioning in the aquarium and how they behave in their new environment, says Michał Snochowski.

For the team, however, this does not mean the end of the work associated with the arrival of the new animals. On the contrary, it marks the beginning of long-term monitoring.

Animal care comes before the exhibition

In public aquariums, it is easy to focus on the final result. Visitors see a shark swimming overhead or a ray gliding across the bottom of the tank.

What they do not see is the daily monitoring of the environment, behavioral assessment, preparation of food and the many other tasks carried out by the aquarium team.

The arrival of the new animals in Reda is therefore not a one-off event. It marks the beginning of years of care.

- Our work is primarily about ensuring that the animals have the right conditions at all times, not just when they are first received, emphasizes Michał Snochowski.

That distinction captures the difference between the aquarium as seen by a visitor and the aquarium as seen through the eyes of an aquarist.

A loan, not a purchase

The new animals have arrived in Reda on a loan basis. They were provided by an entity from the United Arab Emirates that supports numerous organizations involved in shark and ray conservation.

This does not constitute a donation.

Aquapark Reda does not own the animals. The facility will be responsible for their care and for providing appropriate conditions throughout their stay.

Such arrangements form part of a broader model of cooperation used in the professional aquarium sector when managing demanding marine species.

For large cartilaginous fish, the experience of the staff, appropriate infrastructure and the ability to provide conditions suited to the animals’ biology are particularly important.

A new chapter for Aquapark Reda

For visitors, August 21 marks the return of sharks and rays to one of Aquapark Reda’s most recognizable attractions.

For the aquarium team, however, it represents another stage in an ongoing process.

The new animals have been received, acclimatized and are ready to begin the next chapter of their time in Reda.

Two zebra sharks, a whitetip reef shark, a blacktip reef shark and three California bat rays represent more than simply the return of a popular attraction.

They provide an opportunity to observe different life strategies among cartilaginous fish within a single large-scale exhibition environment — from the bottom-dwelling lifestyle of the zebra shark, through the behavior of reef sharks, to the distinctive locomotion of rays.

- The most important thing for us is that the animals function well in the aquarium. If they are doing well, we can also show visitors their natural behaviors, Michał Snochowski concludes.

And that is what visitors in Reda can now observe.

Not simply the return of the sharks, but the return of a functioning, living environment in which every inhabitant has its own biology, behavior and requirements.

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