Jun
18

The fish tank that’s so big it can hold FOUR whale sharks

It certainly beats watching a lonely goldfish swimming round its tiny bowl.

This is one of the world’s biggest fish tanks  -  so big that it’s even been named the Kuroshio Sea.

Located in the Churaumi Aquarium in Okinawa, Japan, the enormous tank is some ten metres deep, 35 metres wide and 27 metres long.

Enlarge   churaumi

A giant whale shark behind the world’s largest acrylic panel at Churaumi Aquarium in Okinawa

It holds a staggering 7,500 tonnes of water  -  roughly equal to three Olympic-sized swimming pools.

Eighty species live in the Kuroshio Sea tank, including yellow-fin tuna, bonito (a type of large mackerel) and manta rays.

But the daddy of them all is the world’s biggest fish, the whale shark  -  which can grow to be 12 metres long and needs a quarter of a tonne of food every week.

Only three aquariums in the world have tanks large enough to house these giant creatures.
Enlarge   giant manta

Viewers observe a giant manta ray

The four whale sharks at Churaumi move around comfortably  -  swimming diagonally past each other and feeding with their long tails touching the plethora of colourful corals at the bottom of the tank.

Rather than hand-pick fish from around the world and force them to mix in unfamiliar waters, the emphasis in the Kuroshio Sea tank is placed on local sea life.

All the species housed here can be found thriving around Okinawa  -  and even the water itself is pumped in from 300 metres offshore.

It is no surprise, then, that this titanic space requires an equally large observation panel.

Enlarge   The Kuroshio Sea: The size of three Olympic swimming pools, the world's largest fish tank is home to four whale sharks

The Kuroshio Sea: The world’s largest fish tank in Okinawa, Japan has a focus on local sea life

The world’s largest aquarium window, it measures a staggering 8.2 metres by 22.5 metres and is more than 60cm thick  -  this is necessary to stop the tank from collapsing under the huge water pressure placed on the glass.

It was constructed from seven acrylic-resin sheets, which were stuck together using a strong glue with a secret formula.

The appearance is dazzling and the window is so clear that each year millions of visitors can believe, for a moment, that they have stepped into a magical underwater world.

Source : http://www.dailymail.co.uk

7 Responses to “The fish tank that’s so big it can hold FOUR whale sharks”

212eric said:

People hear the words whale and shark and assume the worst, however, although these fish are the largest on the planet, they are quite docile. Recently, the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta started offering a swim with whale shark program. However I highly recommend the whale shark tours offered near Cancun instead, because you get to swim with them in their natural environment, instead of a tank. There’s a lot of good info at the official swim with whale sharks site:

http://www.swimwithwhalesharks.com

Whichever tour company you go with, just make sure that they display their license number on their website. There are lots of companies that do the tour, but not all are licensed since there is a limited amount made available by the Mexican goverment. What I liked about these people is that they offer something that is unheard of, a cancelation and rescheduling, money back guarantee.

Happy Travels,
212eric

Posted on June 19th, 2008.

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Posted on June 19th, 2008.

[…] The fish tank thats so big it can hold FOUR whale sharksLocated in the Churaumi Aquarium in Okinawa, Japan, the enormous tank is some ten metres deep, 35 metres wide and 27 metres long. Enlarge churaumi. A giant whale shark behind the worlds largest acrylic panel at Churaumi Aquarium in … […]

Posted on June 19th, 2008.

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Posted on June 24th, 2008.

hemamali said:

singhalaya

Posted on July 25th, 2008.

gayashani said:

The pictures seems very beautiful,the explanation seems to be very beautiful.The content seems very interesting.

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gayashani
The pictures seems very beautiful,the explanation seems to be very beautiful.The content seems very interesting.

Posted on July 25th, 2008.

gayashani said:

The pictures seems very beautiful,the explanation seems to be very beautiful.The content seems very interesting.

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gayashani
Aquarium supplies

Posted on July 25th, 2008.

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