Wattson, like all electric eels, emits electricity into the water as he goes about his day. While this is normally only about 10 volts, he can crank it all the way up to 800 volts if he wanted (thankfully, he usually doesn’t want to). The aquarium’s audio visual production specialist, Joey Turnipseed, decided to harness this power for some festive fun. He attached sensors around the tank that gather up Wattson’s electrical discharge and redistribute it to a set of speakers and a lighted Christmas tree.
“The rapid, dim blinking of the lights is caused by the constant, low-voltage blips of electricity he releases when he's trying to find food. The bigger flashes are caused by the higher voltage shocks he emits when he's eating or excited,” said Aquarist Kimberly Hurt.
