I’ll save overall thoughts ‘til the end, and go for a brief walkthrough. No species lists though!
First up were the temporary exhibit areas, which slightly disappointingly turned out to be the same as on Chli’s visit in 2012. My disappointment was short lived, because they were interesting, attractive exhibits, but still, it would have given this write up more of a USP! The three areas are: Rare Fish of the Yangtse River, Martial Arts of the Marine World, and Sex Change Fish (names may not be exact).
The Yangtse River exhibit featured various species from all along the length of this mighty river. Not being much of a fish fan, I was unable to enjoy what I believe are quite a few rarities in captivity, but it was interesting nonetheless. I was also pleased to see a lot of signage explaining the damage being done to the ecosystem by human activities. Less impressive were tank sizes, which were fairly uniform at around 50x50x50 cm. Fine for some of the species, and obviously inadequate for others.
Martial Arts featured various dangerous aquatic beasties and record setters, from Sea Slugs to Mantis Shrimp to Stonefish. Plenty of interesting species on display, but I didn’t really feel like the unifying theme was that successful.
Sex Change Fish featured several different species of clown fish, Anenome Coral and Ribbon Eel, amongst others. I thought this was really rather good actually. Highly educational and altogether fascinating. It was much smaller than the other two.
Moving out of the exhibition area one finds oneself in a large space underneath the roof of the aquarium. Here there are four large tanks with naturalistic backdrops simulating river edges. The first had Chinese Sturgeon and Chinese Suckers, the second contained eight small Chinese Alligators, the third a variety of large fish and a Giant Salamander in a shamefully small isolated section at the front, and the last an interesting selection of commercially farmed species in China.
After this we came to the South America River zone. Highlights were many, I probably enjoyed this area the most of any at the aquarium and definitely regret not being able to linger here. A tunnel tank really showed off the size of some huge Araipaima, some nice long tanks decorated with reeds contained many smaller species, and there were some fascinating single species exhibits as well. Seeing Eartheaters feeding was a highlight for me.
An escalator descends down through a large tank into the Australian Zone. Although it was a unique experience for me, I would have liked longer to enjoy the views, especially of the Black Swans paddling above me.
I will talk about the Australia zone, and the Africa and Asia zones at the same time, to avoid repeating myself. They were all good, with a similar approach to the SA zone: a variety of larger mixed species tanks, and smaller single species ones. The one really low point was a huge Freshwater Sawfish in a tank that was completely undersized. The highlight was a beautifully decorated Archerfish tank. It was also good to see a Chinese Water Dragon with a lot of water, too often not the case I think!
Following these three excellent areas was the worst section: the seals and penguins. The spotted seals I actually didn’t see because they weren’t in the water and unless I’m mistaken there isn’t any viewing except from a tunnel, but the tank was every bit as small as other reviews on this site have complained. I missed out on a new species but I also missed out on a distressing sight so perhaps for the best. The Megallenic penguins have a just about adequate enclosure with a pool that probably needs to be deeper. There is something about indoor penguin exhibits that I just find deeply off-putting; I think they feel too sterile maybe? The ones I have seen seem undersized as well.
The last area on this, the middle floor, was a selection of tanks called Sea and Shore. It opened very well, with what I think may have been the first time I’ve seen horseshoe crabs (Are they common in European collections?). Next up was a gorgeous tank containing Square-spot Anthias and Bangaii Cardinalfish. I was lucky enough to see them being fed and the tank just turned into a swirling maelstrom of colour. Other than that it was mostly a selection of seahorses and then a separate Jellyfish section. I really enjoyed the jellies, which were lit in a variety of ways that really showed off their structure. One moon jellyfish tank had cycling colours that were very psychedelic. Maybe there is a question about welfare though?
Down another escalator (through two floors), one is immediately greeted with a large tank (The Open Ocean) full of large ray species, some of which were Cownosed Ray if memory serves. Despite its huge viewing window, this was a very unsatisfying exhibit. I think it was what seemed to be a lack of horizontal depth to the tank, although with perspective it’s hard to say. Maybe it was just the profusion of rays and very little else. Not bad, just disappointing.
Following this is the piece-de-resistance of the aquarium: A series of connected tunnel tanks that together form over 100m of overhead viewing. A conveyor belt moves through them but you can also walk at your own pace.
The five tanks are: Coastal Reef, Schooling Seas, Grouper Cave, Shark Cove and Coral Reef. Amongst the inhabitants of the first were several Loggerhead turtles, which I thoroughly enjoyed watching, as well as Epaulette Sharks and Banded Houndsharks. The next tank contained only one species, Smallspotted Dart, which were swirling around the exhibit. This tank appropriately has a second name: Fish Tornado. Next is a selection of various grouper species, which were physically impressive but otherwise failed to catch my attention. The big tank was a real treat. It’s presumably the biggest in the aquarium, and contains Tawny Nurse, Black Tip, White Tip, Sandtiger and Zebra Sharks, as well as some other species. There’s a real joy to seeing a big shark I think, and we stayed here for some time. Lastly, the Coral Reef tank was a bit quieter than I was expecting; I would have thought they could add more individuals and make for a livelier exhibit. Perhaps one of the bigger species in it is a bit too peckish! We did get some excellent close up views of a Cleaner Wrasse at work, which was again a highlight of the day.
(I’m just reviewing my photos and the tank actually looks to have plenty of inhabitants. Nonetheless my impression was what it was. Maybe another visitor can compare or contrast their views.)
After this it was just a short escalator ride up to the ground floor and the exit.
