The Okinawa Churaumi is the world’s second largest aquarium and part of the Ocean Aquarium Expo Park located in Motobu, Okinawa, Japan.The main tank holds 7,500-cubic meters (1,981,290 gallons) of water. The aquarium has three theme zones:
1) The giant, warm Black Current (“Kuroshio”)
2) Living coral reefs
3) The two deep sea areas located on each side of the Ryukyu
Islands.
Entering from the 4rth floor entrance, visitors discover the
sea of corals. The Kuroshio (the Japan Current) zone has the world’s largest
acrylic panoramic window (60cm or 23.62in. thick/8.2m or 26.9ft. high/22.5m or
73.81ft. long) of the sea tank, enclosing 7,500 tons of water.
This magnificent aquarium is not only awesome in size. There
is also the deep-sea world zone with its luminescent living creatures. A total
underwater experience while staying on the ground!
The aquarium is a part of the Ocean Expo Commemorative
National Government Park located in Motobu, Okinawa. The aquarium is made up of
four floors, with tanks containing deep sea creatures, sharks, coral and
tropical fish. The aquarium is set on 19,000 m² of land, with a total of 77
tanks containing 10,000 m³ of water. Water for the saltwater exhibits is pumped
into the aquarium from a source 350m offshore, 24 hours a day.
The main tank, called the Kuroshio Sea, holds 7,500 cubic
metres (1,981,000 US gal) of water and features an acrylic glass panel
measuring 8.2 by 22.5 metres (27 by 74 ft) with a thickness of 60 centimetres
(24 in),the largest such panel in the world when the aquarium was opened. Whale
sharks and manta rays are kept alongside many other fish species in the main
tank. The first manta ray birth at the aquarium was in 2007.As of July 2010,
there have been a total of four manta rays born in the aquarium.
The aquarium holds 80 species of coral. It is one of only a
few aquariums that keeps whale sharks in captivity, and is currently trying to
breed them.
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