Waikiki Aquarium Visit

[Darkxerox]

So for those that don't know, you pretty much can only keep fish here as it's illegal to even own invertebrates like corals etc. Your only chance to really see true reefs are to dive or visit the aquarium.

I really like the intro exhibits where they explain to visitors what corals are and how different they are from dead skeletons:

Mangrove tank has a few Christmas ornaments up:

Lagoon tank has a big emperor angel:

The main reef tank lost its 35+ year old clams but still is pretty diverse:

Largest purple stripe dottyback I've ever seen:

Hawaiian endemic tank:

Beautiful goldflake in the mixed sunlight:

Healthy looking sea dragon:

Lots of plating coralline:

Urchin with a snowflake in the outdoor coral ponds:

 

[Darkxerox]

And the outdoor coral grow out tank:

Overall still a bargain to visit and hopefully they get more funding to bring back the clam displays and monk seal habitat!

 

[JVU]

Thanks for sharing the pics! I was just there in October. We are pretty spoiled with the world class public aquariums we have locally.

 

[biophilia]

So for those that don't know, you pretty much can only keep fish here as it's illegal to even own invertebrates like corals etc. Your only chance to really see true reefs are to dive or visit the aquarium.

I really like the intro exhibits where they explain to visitors what corals are and how different they are from dead skeletons:
View attachment 44353

Mangrove tank has a few Christmas ornaments up:
View attachment 44354

Lagoon tank has a big emperor angel:
View attachment 44355

The main reef tank lost its 35+ year old clams but still is pretty diverse:

View attachment 44356

Largest purple stripe dottyback I've ever seen:
View attachment 44357

Hawaiian endemic tank:
View attachment 44358

Beautiful goldflake in the mixed sunlight:
View attachment 44359

Healthy looking sea dragon:
View attachment 44360

Lots of plating coralline:
View attachment 44361

Urchin with a snowflake in the outdoor coral ponds:
View attachment 44362

Thanks for the pics! Looks like a great trip. Waikiki just successfully bred their weedy seadragons for the first time a month before your visit. I doubt the juveniles were on display yet, though!

 

[dochou]

And the outdoor coral grow out tank:
View attachment 44363

Overall still a bargain to visit and hopefully they get more funding to bring back the clam displays and monk seal habitat!

What's that blue milk crate doing in that tank???

 

[dochou]

Was it really worth the price of admission? I was contemplating going there this summer but decided to do other things. I read mixed reviews about it. The aquarium looks so small.

 

[Darkxerox]

Was it really worth the price of admission? I was contemplating going there this summer but decided to do other things. I read mixed reviews about it. The aquarium looks so small.

It's only like $12 so compared to most things in Honolulu it's pretty cheap!

The milk crate is to protect the small gigas from that Achilles tang.