'We know more about the surface of the Moon than we do about the underwater world covering two thirds of our Planet...... join the London Aquarium on a journey into this great unknown'
I have always been fascinated by the underwater world and all it's weird and wonderful creatures, hence why I'm studying Marine Biology at Uni. Over the years I have been to a number of aquariums including a couple from the well known Sea-Life chain. I first visited the London aquarium aged 14 and went more recently when applying for voluntary work, but now I will be helping out every other Sunday. It is quite a bit bigger than most aquariums, in fact one of the biggest in Europe.
Situated in County Hall, it can be found along the South Bank of the River Thames, behind the London Eye. It is easy to get to by a variety of different methods of transport including, the train, the tube, by bus, by bicycle or by car. If going by tube you can take the Jubilee, Circle or District line to Westminster or the Northern, Bakerloo, Waterloo & City lines to Waterloo
The London Aquarium County
Hall Westminster Bridge Road London SE1 7PB
Opening hours: the aquarium is open from 10am 'til 6pm everyday (last admissions at 5pm) and over the summer they have a late opening until 7pm - with last admissions at 6pm). Prices:
*off-peak runs from 9th Jan -10thof Feb, 27 Feb - 31 March , 04 Sept - 13 Oct and 30 Oct - 15 Dec. There are also a variety of group discounts or tours available for the extra copst of £1.50 -£3 (depending on the length of the tour and the age of the people taking part.)
Once you have left the aquarium there is no re-admittance.
The London Aquarium is one of Europe's largest displays of aquatic life. It houses 50 displays, containing 350 different aquatic species form various habitats around the World, all contained in over 2 million litres of water. It is set up over 2 floors and divided into 14 different zones.
Zone 1: Freshwater Stream - Perch and Minnows Zone 2: Atlantic Upper - Mackerel and Bream Zone 3: Rivers and Ponds - Koi Carp and Sticklebacks Zone 4: Pacific Upper - Jacks/Trevally and Lookdowns Zone 5: Indian Ocean - Garden Eels, Stonefish and Cardinals Zone 6: Atlantic Lower - Dogfish, Flat Fish, Wrasse and Rays Zone 7: Ray Touch Pool - Rays Zone 8: Temperate Waters - Lobster, Crawfish, Pipefish Zone 9: Pacific Lower - Brown Sharks, SandTiger Sharks, Nurse Sharks and Grouper Zone 10: Coral Reef - Corals, Lionfish, Moray Eels and Seahorses Zone 11: Invertebrates - Clownfish and Anemones Zone 12: Tropical Freshwater - Cichlids and Piranhas Zone 13: Mangrove - Archerfish and Pufferfish Zone 14: Rainforest - Catfish, Giant Gouramii and Barbs
As you make your way around the aquarium there are a number of lit up boards containing information of what can be found in the various tanks as well as a picture of the animal so you have a vague idea what you might be looking for, although sometimes they are still difficult to spot. In the case of the seahorses, it would seem that a sign that you are keeping them well, is that you are unable to see them, so if you really want to see them then it's probably a good idea to wait for the coral reef talk and feed, and the staff will attempt to lure them out for you with some rather tasty brine shrimp and essential nutrients and vitamins.
Other notice boards contain information on various other sea creatures that for one reason or another cannot be found in the aquarium.
The two main tanks are the Atlantic tank and the Pacific tank. The idea of the Atlantic tank is to give a cross section through the water column in the Atlantic Ocean, so in here you will find fish such as mackerel and Bream near the top of the tank (Atlantic Upper) and other fish such as Dogfish, Wrasse and Rays nearer the bottom (Atlantic Lower). The Pacific tank has the same kind of theory, except this is the tank that contains the big sharks so it is therefore one of the most popular exhibits. It contains 1 million litres of water and the glass is actually made of 10cm thick acrylic, which means that the animals are seen at their actual size and not magnified. There are 4 species of shark in this tank the Brown Shark, Sand Tiger Shark, Nurse Shark and the Zebra shark, along with a couple of species of Jacks and some rays. Now I could ramble on about this tank and its contents all day, so if you did want any more information on sharks in general you can read my other review! The water in this tank is taken from the Thames and has a special compound added to make it suitable for the conditions the animals need.
As well as the displays there are a number of talks and feeds available, and these are advertised five minutes before they take place, although they usually follow this pattern:
11.30am - Ray talk and feed 12.00pm - Atlantic talk, feed and dive (Mon, Wed, Fri) 1.00pm - Rainforest talk and feed 2.00 and 4.00pm - Shark talk 2.30pm - Shark feed (Tues, Thurs, Sat) 3.30pm - Coral Reef talk and feed.
If you are interested to find out more I would recommend going to these talks as they contain lots of useful information as well as some useless facts, and if you are having trouble identifying the different species they will be pointed out to you. For a bit of entertainment why not try the |Rainforest talk and feed, when they get to the archer fish, you are shown the special adaptations for feeding that these fish have (spitting and jumping). I wasn't told until we reached the tank that I was going to be dangling my hand above the tank and waiting for the fish to jump and take it from my fingers. I still have all my fingers but it is a bit weird being eyed up by a fish. So it is an interesting and entertaining talk, which might be enjoyed by the children. The other interactive part of the aquarium is the ray touch pool, where you get to touch the various different species of ray. Although it is probably best to visit this in the morning when it is nowhere near as busy.
For the young, or young at heart there is a craft table (situated opposite the Atlantic Lower tank), where for the small price of 50p you can make either a badge, a jellyfish or colour in a stained glass window design. This area has kept me entertained for a fair period of time, admittedly I was in charge of it at the time, but I was still very proud of the badges I managed to create!!
As well as the displays and the craft table there is the opportunity to have your photo taken against a fishy background with a big soft toy of some sort, sometimes it's Nemo and other times it is a shark or an octopus. Not something that personally appeals to me… There is also a gift shop where you can buy the usual sort of stuff, soft toys, key rings, postcards, it does also contain some good books.
I could spend hours in this place, which is probably just as well as I'm going to have to, it is an interesting and relaxing environment in which you can pass a few hours and learn a lot. As it is a London attraction it will get very busy and I found that the relaxing/chill out music did start to grate on me after a while but it could have been a lot worse. They also provide easy access for the disabled or people travelling round with pushchairs, there are a number of ramps and/or lifts.
For any further information, or the chance to adopt one of the many fish visit: www.londonaquarium.co.uk
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
We have been to our Sea Life Centre in Brighton three times over the last two years - there comes something quite addictive about sea creatures and under-water activity. Richard.
stepho222 31.07.2006 15:23
sounds a bit like deep sea world in scotland which i loved so i know that i would love this well done on the review stephaniexx
NH Hotels, the hotel chain leader in Europe, with more than 300 hotels in 20 countries in Europe, Latin America and Africa. Enter into our web site and find the best available tariff at all times
Advantages: family discounts, variety of activities and fish, very calming atmosphere Disadvantages: very dark inside aquarium and very warm due to heating and tanks
mumno1 02.03.2007 (02.03.2007)
·
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of London Aquarium, London
Advantages: family discounts, variety of activities and fish, very calming atmosphere Disadvantages: very dark inside aquarium and very warm due to heating and tanks
mumno1 02.03.2007 (02.03.2007)
·
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of London Aquarium, London
Advantages: can't think of any this time around Disadvantages: Can get busy, sometimes full of screaming kids over the holiday periods, dumbed down feel
Jul 18th, 2006
very helpful by (94%):
helpful by (6%):
