People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has a bone to pick with a new Downtown Austin nightclub.
Qua Bottle Lounge has reef sharks and sting rays in a 19,000 gallon clear acrylic tank beneath the dance floor.
PETA alleges at least three sharks have already died and that a fourth shark is ill and being treated with antibiotics.
Sharks are extremely sensitive to sound, light, and vibration. They also need to swim freely and be able to hunt.
The nightclub says the shark tank has a three-inch acrylic barrier that's soundproof and vibration-proof so the sharks aren't disturbed by the dancers and music above them.
An 8,000 pound chiller unit, four power pumps, two protein skimmers and a UV sterilization unit recycles the tank water every 20 minutes.
PETA wants the sharks replaced with "sexy mermaids." The group is offering to help the club move the sharks to another environment.
