Toddy
Well-Known Member
Thought it was about time that we got some information about what in the not-too-distant future will be the biggest aquarium in Northern Europe.
This new mega-structure will the called The Blue Planet and located by the beach just outside central Copenhagen. The Blue Planet aquarium is actually the reconstruction of the old Denmark's Aquarium. Denmark's Aquarium still exists but has not changed much since its opening in 1939 (except for an extension in 1974) and is completely out of date.
The brand new aquarium The Blue Planet will be very interesting architecturally and shaped like a giant vortex. The plans of The Blue Planet have already been published and are at display in the foyer of Denmark’s Aquarium. I went there this week and have taken some photos as you can see below.
The new thematic exhibitions in The Blue Planet will be as follows:
The Ocean
The largest tank in The Blue Planet will feature life from the tropical oceans. Large sharks and rays, sea turtles, barracudas, moray eels and groupers will be among the highlights. The tank will be 7 meters tall (23 ft.) and contain 3.6 million liters of water and feature a glass tunnel going through.
The Coral Reefs
The Coral Reefs section will feature many species of tropical fish as well as small sharks, moray eels, octopuses and sea horses.
Mediterranean
Single tank with smaller fish from the Mediterranean Sea.
Shape, colour and function
This section displays different species of fish with special adaptations or living in unusual environments. There will also be a section about evolution and how the first fish went on land and some live fish similar to those.
Amazon
The Amazon section consists of a large tropical rainforest house featuring “The flooded forest”. There will be several aquaria with highlights such as arapaimas, arowanas, pacus, red piranhas and several hundreds more. You will also be able to see green anacondas, several free-flying birds (such as toucans) and butterflies.
The African Lakes
A section telling the story of the three oldest lakes in Africa; Tanganyika, Malawi and Victoria. The theme here will be parallel evolution and how the fish in the different lakes have developed differently after being separated. The highlights in this section will be crocodiles, nile perches, many species of cichlids, various lizards and rock hyraxes.
The Danish Lakes, Rivers and Oceans
A series of thematic aquaria showing some of the aquatic life in Denmark. The main theme here will be the food chain featured in many different habitats. The many aquaria will be biotope-aquaria with both large and small fishes.
The Faroe Islands
The Faroe Islands are located out in the Atlantic Ocean and is a part of Denmark. This open exhibit will feature a cliff side on which Atlantic puffins and guillemots will have their nest. They will have access to the large pool in which also large fish from the Atlantic, such as cods, will live. The ceiling will be open with only a net across so it will have changing seasons.
The Lake
In the outdoor lake visitors will be able to see various Danish native freshwater fish as well as koi carps and goldfish. The idea is also to encourage wild waterfowl to use the lake.
The Sea Otters
One of the absolute highlights will be the new outdoor pool featuring sea otters. The sea otters will be viewable from both inside and outside.
One of the great things about this project is that they have already planned the next couple of extensions to The Blue Planet. Phase two will feature penguins and a new Baltic Sea aquarium while phase three will feature themes housing animals from the mangroves and tropical lagoons.
The Blue Planet will open in year 2013
This new mega-structure will the called The Blue Planet and located by the beach just outside central Copenhagen. The Blue Planet aquarium is actually the reconstruction of the old Denmark's Aquarium. Denmark's Aquarium still exists but has not changed much since its opening in 1939 (except for an extension in 1974) and is completely out of date.
The brand new aquarium The Blue Planet will be very interesting architecturally and shaped like a giant vortex. The plans of The Blue Planet have already been published and are at display in the foyer of Denmark’s Aquarium. I went there this week and have taken some photos as you can see below.
The new thematic exhibitions in The Blue Planet will be as follows:
The Ocean
The largest tank in The Blue Planet will feature life from the tropical oceans. Large sharks and rays, sea turtles, barracudas, moray eels and groupers will be among the highlights. The tank will be 7 meters tall (23 ft.) and contain 3.6 million liters of water and feature a glass tunnel going through.
The Coral Reefs
The Coral Reefs section will feature many species of tropical fish as well as small sharks, moray eels, octopuses and sea horses.
Mediterranean
Single tank with smaller fish from the Mediterranean Sea.
Shape, colour and function
This section displays different species of fish with special adaptations or living in unusual environments. There will also be a section about evolution and how the first fish went on land and some live fish similar to those.
Amazon
The Amazon section consists of a large tropical rainforest house featuring “The flooded forest”. There will be several aquaria with highlights such as arapaimas, arowanas, pacus, red piranhas and several hundreds more. You will also be able to see green anacondas, several free-flying birds (such as toucans) and butterflies.
The African Lakes
A section telling the story of the three oldest lakes in Africa; Tanganyika, Malawi and Victoria. The theme here will be parallel evolution and how the fish in the different lakes have developed differently after being separated. The highlights in this section will be crocodiles, nile perches, many species of cichlids, various lizards and rock hyraxes.
The Danish Lakes, Rivers and Oceans
A series of thematic aquaria showing some of the aquatic life in Denmark. The main theme here will be the food chain featured in many different habitats. The many aquaria will be biotope-aquaria with both large and small fishes.
The Faroe Islands
The Faroe Islands are located out in the Atlantic Ocean and is a part of Denmark. This open exhibit will feature a cliff side on which Atlantic puffins and guillemots will have their nest. They will have access to the large pool in which also large fish from the Atlantic, such as cods, will live. The ceiling will be open with only a net across so it will have changing seasons.
The Lake
In the outdoor lake visitors will be able to see various Danish native freshwater fish as well as koi carps and goldfish. The idea is also to encourage wild waterfowl to use the lake.
The Sea Otters
One of the absolute highlights will be the new outdoor pool featuring sea otters. The sea otters will be viewable from both inside and outside.
One of the great things about this project is that they have already planned the next couple of extensions to The Blue Planet. Phase two will feature penguins and a new Baltic Sea aquarium while phase three will feature themes housing animals from the mangroves and tropical lagoons.
The Blue Planet will open in year 2013
