Lee Read Public Aquarium
The Lee Read Aquarium is a dream of mine, Larry Read, and my wife's, Nelda. For over 20 years, we have kept saltwater fish and live coral in our home. In 2000, we helped bring a 1,200-gallon tropical tank to the Lee Read Dream Store. Now, a small piece of the ocean is just minutes from your home.
The Lee Read Aquarium is housed in a huge tank that measures 12 feet long, four feet wide and three feet high. It is made of 3/4 inch Starfire Glass, which is almost invisible and allows the vibrant colors of the fish and coral to shine right into the room. Every hour, over 6,000 gallons of salt water are pumped into the aquarium. Just one gallon of water weighs 8.5 pounds, so the total weight of the Lee Read Aquarium is approximately 10,000 pounds - over five tons!
Life in the Aquarium
The oceans of the world are filled with many different life forms. At Lee Read, we attempt to create an ocean-like environment and relationships among the different life forms - all within our aquarium.
There are about three dozen fish that live among the Lee Read Reef. Some of the fish in our aquarium may not be found in larger national aquariums, such as the Vlamingi and Unicorn Tang fish. All of the fish in the aquarium are herbivores that subsist on, and primarily eat, algae. Our largest group of fish is the Tangs. Some Tangs can grow up to two-feet long! There are also numerous small fish that give color to the aquarium, as well as help the ecosystem.
The Corals
The Lee Read Aquarium is a living ecosystem, complete with live coral and invertebrates such as starfish and brittle stars. Almost everything you see in the aquarium is alive.
Coral is actually an animal, not a plant. Coral gives the algae in the tank a place to live in the coral tissue, and the algae share their food and feed the coral. There are two basic types of coral in the aquarium: hard coral and soft coral. Hard coral forms skeletons of coral, which forms the physical coral reef. Soft coral does not form a skeleton, but rather waves in the current of the water.
The coral in the Lee Read Aquarium has been grown by propagation. Propagation is the reproduction of coral so as to conserve and not damage the mother colonies from other aquariums. Propagation dramatically reduces harvesting live coral from the ocean.
We'd like to invite you to come to the Lee Read Dream Store to see our aquarium for yourself. With dozens of colorful, tropical fish and over thirty species of coral, you'll be amazed by our small piece of the ocean - right here in Idaho.
Ask the Lee Read Team
Q: Who takes care of the Lee Read Aquarium?
A: We do! We have never had an aquarium service company take care of the reef.
Q: Is it a lot of work to up-keep the aquarium?
A: Yes! Our staff spends at least an hour a day working on the aquarium and keeping the water at the correct pH levels.
Q: How often is the aquarium cleaned?
A: The aquarium has a very extensive filtration system that helps keep the water clean. The glass is cleaned three times per week with two large magnets.
Q: What do the fish eat?
A: The fish are fed a combination of brine shrimp, krill, natural algae and dried seaweed at least once per day.
Q: Where do you get saltwater in Idaho?
A: It comes in a box. We buy salt in dry form and mix it with filtered water. We add enough salt to make about 50 gallons of saltwater every week.
