A Truly Unique Aquarium | Author: Jack UrquhartUM Aquarium Club external PR Officer 2018-2019 |
Nested right on the edge of the Tennesse river, the Chattanooga Aquarium is a hallmark for the "Scenic City". The riverfront property gives some clue to what differentiates the aquarium from others of its kind. While most public aquariums rely on showy shark tanks or oddball ocean creatures to draw in crowds, the Chattanooga aquarium invests most of its quality into its freshwater systems. This is a real risk, considering that most people are more familiar with freshwater, and so are less likely to go to an aquarium to look at trout. However, in this case, it pays off. Their facilities are the best freshwater display I have personally ever seen. That doesn't mean their saltwater isn't a sight to behold as well though. IN fact, the emphasize both, they split the aquarium into two separate buildings, one fresh, one salty. |
The Salty boys
Diving deeper into the aquarium, the sun disappears and the blue of aquariums fills it with underwater glow. The main attraction is a large artificial reef tank with sea-turtles, sharks, and schools of many types of reef fish. This tank actually comes into view from different perspectives when walking through the levels. At the top it is an open view of the upper coral layer and surface, while later on guests walk down the slope and find the bottom layer, even walking through the coral structure that was seen from above before. This multi-layer experience is very interesting, and provides lots of perspectives on the tank. There are other smaller exhibits on the side, and even a penguin exhibit in the same building, which is very fun. It's almost like a treasure hunt, except you don't need to worry about being lost. |
A Dip Under the Tennessee River
the real star of the show is the freshwater building. It starts at the top with a personal first: an indoor temperate forest. We visited while it was cold, and the trees inside the building were losing leaves. Granted it was slightly chilly, but the effect of indoors seasons was pretty spectacular. They also had river otters on the top level, which make a great welcoming committee. Working down, there is a multistory vertical room, with pathways crisscrossing through it and running around the edge. This is where the largest tanks were, with the large tropical freshwater tank as well as the two story river tank with trout in it. on the adjacent rooms lie a plethora of exhibits, from a freshwater swamp with alligators and turtles to some very species specific exhibits, like a sturgeon touch tank and an entire room dedicated to turtles and tortoises. There was also a strong focus on local species, and conservation in this building. There were a number of endangered turtles, fish, and some amphibians that the aquarium let you know were being bred for conservation. There were even visible breeding tanks for an endangered species of minnow that was being reintroduced to streams as part of the conservation the aquarium does. Considering this is usually a behind the scenes thing that aquariums do, the education and inspiration power at this location was really special. |