Credit: Newsday/ Thomas A. Ferrara

Joe Yaiullo and his world-renowned aquarium and staff got to play host to Newsday’s Jimin Kim this week, and provided the reporter and his photographer, Thomas A. Ferrara, with a myriad of fascinating, behind-the-scenes views of the daily workings.  The media team turned their tour into a photo essay, which you can see here.

Jimin asked Joe for insight on running such a huge, successful enterprise:  ” ‘Being humble and flexible is key’, he said.

‘I mop, you mop’ said Yaiullo, recalling what he told an intern about how everyone must chip in.

Of the nearly 40 exhibits, he takes special pride in the 20,000-gallon coral reef tank, which houses a plethora of corals and fish — mostly from the tropical waters of the Indian and Pacific oceans — and which Yaiullo said is responsible for all his gray hairs.”

Credit: Newsday/ Thomas A. Ferrara

The team also took some time to admire ReefGen‘s captive-grown coral, and snapped this shot of their Burger’s Portal Zoanthid.