Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan
(images via: Chica_Chubb, Gigazine and Kai “Oswald” Seidler)
One of the world’s largest public aquariums, Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan comprises 27 tanks in 16 main exhibits with a total volume of 10,941 tons of water. The largest tank is 9 metres (30 ft) deep and holds 5,400 cubic metres (190,699 cu ft) of water – large enough to comfortably hold several manta rays and a whale shark. The featured habitats highlight marine life native to the “Ring of Fire” running along the edges of the Pacific Ocean.
(image via: Minvusan)
In order to accommodate such large creatures, special acrylic glass was used to form the viewing windows The largest single pane weighs roughly 10 tons and measures six meters by five meters by thirty centimeters thick. Ordinary glass of such a thickness would lose transparency and distort the appearance of the aquarium denizens. The aquarium, located in Minato ward near Osaka Bay, owes its stunning external design to Peter Chermayeff of (at the time) Cambridge Seven Associates.
Waikīkī Aquarium
(images via: Blue Wave Pix, WN.com and Hawaii Vacation Blog)
The Waikiki Aquarium in Honolulu, Hawaii, was founded in 1904 and is the third oldest public aquarium in the United States. It may be old but it sure doesn’t look it – since 1919 the aquarium has been overseen and managed by the University of Hawaii with periodic modification and modernization projects helping to keep the facility biologically relevant.
(image via: Waikiki Aquarium)
The Waikiki Aquarium was constructed on the Waikiki shoreline near a living coral reef, and today houses over 3,055 organisms from almost 500 different marine plant and animal 464 species. Helped by its proximity to the natural coral reef just beyond the seawall, the Waikiki Aquarium has, since the late 1970s, been able to sustain a living coral reef within its core displays. It was also the first aquarium to maintain and breed the rare and unusual Chambered Nautilus, and is home to the beautiful deep-sea Peppermint Angelfish.
Shanghai Ocean Aquarium
(images via: Audley Travel, ChinaTour360 and Timeout Shanghai)
Bruce lives!… at the Shanghai Ocean Aquarium, that is. Named for (of course) Bruce Li, the enormous Oranda goldfish measuring over 17 inches from end to end is just one of the featured attractions at the $55 million aquarium which opened in February of 2002. The aquarium’s 155-metre long underwater viewing tunnel is one of the world’s longest as well as being one of the only such tunnels encompassing an escalator.
(images via: CITY Weekend and Modaxi)
The Shanghai Ocean Aquarium is one of the world’s largest indoor, closed system aquariums. Its tanks have a total capacity of approximately 6.3 million litres of water and the building occupies an area of 20,000 square metres. Visitors move through 9 different thematic zones showcasing more than 10,000 fish and marine creatures from 450 different species. It may act global but the aquarium thinks local: SOA is features a separate exhibition zone dedicated to rare and endangered species native to China’s famous Yangtze River.
(image via: Lovely Malta)
Need more amazing public aquariums? Not to worry, the supply is increasing in response to your demand. Take the huge Malta National Aquarium Project, designed today and opening in the near future. If you think the image above looks good, you ain’t seen nothing yet because the aquarium’s 25+ display tanks will be underground – that starfish-shaped structure in the image above is just the entrance. Book your tickets to this Mediterranean island shortly after construction is finished at the end of this year!

