Public Aquariums

SCRM😎 Cool Kids⚡SPS Slinger

Joined May 2026161 posts683 pts★5.0(1)📍 Tustin, CA

Lounge·Sep 11·👁 169#1

Public Aquariums

Took a trip recently and it got me thinking about how much of this hobby started with standing in front of a big tank as a kid. Every city we travel to if there's an aquarium or zoo it's always on the list. So: what public aquariums have you been to, and which one stuck with you? A few things I'm curious about beyond just the名前:

Best reef/coral exhibit you've seen in person. Who's actually

growing SPS well versus who's running plastic?

Kid verdict, if you've dragged family along

Ours locally:

Birch Aquarium (La Jolla)
Aquarium of the Pacific (Long Beach)
Cabrillo Marine Aquarium (San Pedro)
Monterey Bay, if you're going further

Post photos if you've got them.

— Always keeping it simple

Replies (18)

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@ktran
SCRM😎 Cool KidsSPS SlingerOP
Joined May 2026161 posts683 pts★5.0(1)📍 Tustin, CA
🔧 Build Contributor
Sep 11#2

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Share your experience…

My last trip to Seattle we got to visit the aquarium there, they focused more on the ecosystem around them, but recently opened their tropical building which had some cool exhibits with an area you could see their large tropical tank from top down. Overall I'd say a 7/10 Love the National Aquarium in Maryland, they have a huge tank with tons of tropical fish that you can look down on, I could have stood there for hours watching the fish. Unfortunately when I was there, they didn't have any coral systems. 7/10 Georgia aquarium is a MUST, their whale shark exhibit is INCREDIBLE. I think they are down to only 1 whale shark now so go before that one expires. We probably sat in front of the whale shark tank for 2 hours. We also did the shark behind the scenes tour and learned a lot about their leopard shard rehabilitation program. 10/10 Video and pic is from the Georgia Aquarium whale shark tank.

— Always keeping it simple

SCRM😎 Cool Kids🌸Polyp Whisperer

Joined Aug 202672 posts284 pts📍 Glendora, CA

Sep 11#3

We have passes to the Aquarium of the Pacific, and to the SeaLife Aquarium/Legoland in Carlsbad and try to go to each every couple of months or so. Between the 2, Long Beach has the better coral displays, I think. Not much SPS at SeaLife. Only photos I have of both places have my daughter in them. She loves sitting for the talks at SeaLife, and actually sits and listens and participates. 2 pics of the big habitat at SeaLife, and one at Long Beach.

— 105 gallon mixed reef - SPS/Torch/Goni

@BackbayReef

SCRM😎 Cool Kids🧠Reef Guru

Joined May 2026265 posts1,033 pts★5.0(2)

Sep 11#4

Love it — cute “mammal” 😁

— /yolo

SCRM😎 Cool Kids⚡SPS SlingerOP

Joined May 2026161 posts683 pts★5.0(1)📍 Tustin, CA

Sep 11#5

@janiners305 wrote: We have passes to the Aquarium of the Pacific, and to the SeaLife Aquarium/Legoland in Carlsbad and try to go to each every couple of months or so. Between the 2, Long Beach has the better coral displays, I think. Not much SPS at SeaLife. Only photos I have of both places have my daughter in them. She loves sitting for the talks at SeaLife, and actually sits and listens and participates. 2 pics of the big habitat at SeaLife, and one at Long Beach.

We go to Aquarium of the Pacific every year as a thing to do and still enjoy it. Surprisingly Birch aquarium was a fun little one we did on our way to SD last year.

— Always keeping it simple

SCRM😎 Cool Kids🌸Polyp Whisperer

Joined Aug 202672 posts284 pts📍 Glendora, CA

Sep 11#6

Hopefully one of these days we will be able to head down a little farther to spend some time at Birch. I've heard good things, but have never been.

— 105 gallon mixed reef - SPS/Torch/Goni

@ThatPoolGuy

SCRM😎 Cool Kids⛰️Aquascaper

Joined Sep 202616 posts102 pts📍 Glendora, CA

Sep 11#7

The Nem/clown fish tank at AOP got me hooked. It was just so cool to see hundreds of clowns and anemones all together. It inspired me to want to do something similar in my house. Now I have the 40g cube nem/clown tank in my living room.

@Ndrwater

SCRM😎 Cool Kids⚡SPS Slinger

Joined Aug 202687 posts395 pts

Sep 11#8

I've been threatening and promising a behind the scenes at Long Beach aquarium for quite a while. I think it's about time I need to make this happen.

— Yup....

@ThatPoolGuy

SCRM😎 Cool Kids⛰️Aquascaper

Joined Sep 202616 posts102 pts📍 Glendora, CA

Sep 11#9

@Ndrwater wrote: I've been threatening and promising a behind the scenes at Long Beach aquarium for quite a while. I think it's about time I need to make this happen.

That would be pretty bad ass. 2 story skimmers could only imagine what it looks like behind the scenes

@wsoldier

😎 Cool Kids⛰️Aquascaper

Joined Aug 202632 posts140 pts📍 Burbank, CA

Sep 11#10

I too love going to public aquariums all over the world. Monterey Bay will always be special since it was the first large aquarium I went to as a kid. Most recently I went to the one in Osaka and snapped the photo below. I'm a scuba diver at Aquarium of the Pacific and also volunteer with their Husbandry team. The reason why artificial corals are used in the larger exhibits is for a few reasons:

The divers have to go in and clean quite a bit with power scrubbers to get the algae off, and as you can imagine knocking into real coral would be devastating to the exhibit.

Other large animals like the Olive Ridley sea turtle also tends to thrash around in the exhibit. We are constantly picking up the artificial pieces that have been knocked around by the different inhabitants.

Considering the amount of food we feed in the tanks as well, I would think water quality is also an issue at larger volumes.

SCRM😎 Cool Kids⚡SPS SlingerOP

Joined May 2026161 posts683 pts★5.0(1)📍 Tustin, CA

Sep 11#11

@wsoldier wrote: I too love going to public aquariums all over the world. Monterey Bay will always be special since it was the first large aquarium I went to as a kid. Most recently I went to the one in Osaka and snapped the photo below. I'm a scuba diver at Aquarium of the Pacific and also volunteer with their Husbandry team. The reason why artificial corals are used in the larger exhibits is for a few reasons: - The divers have to go in and clean quite a bit with power scrubbers to get the algae off, and as you can imagine knocking into real coral would be devastating to the exhibit. - Other large animals like the Olive Ridley sea turtle also tends to thrash around in the exhibit. We are constantly picking up the artificial pieces that have been knocked around by the different inhabitants. Considering the amount of food we feed in the tanks as well, I would think water quality is also an issue at larger volumes.

Dude awesome!!!

— Always keeping it simple

SCRM😎 Cool Kids🌸Polyp Whisperer

Joined Aug 202672 posts284 pts📍 Glendora, CA

Sep 12#12

@wsoldier wrote: I too love going to public aquariums all over the world. Monterey Bay will always be special since it was the first large aquarium I went to as a kid. Most recently I went to the one in Osaka and snapped the photo below. I'm a scuba diver at Aquarium of the Pacific and also volunteer with their Husbandry team. The reason why artificial corals are used in the larger exhibits is for a few reasons: - The divers have to go in and clean quite a bit with power scrubbers to get the algae off, and as you can imagine knocking into real coral would be devastating to the exhibit. - Other large animals like the Olive Ridley sea turtle also tends to thrash around in the exhibit. We are constantly picking up the artificial pieces that have been knocked around by the different inhabitants. Considering the amount of food we feed in the tanks as well, I would think water quality is also an issue at larger volumes.

That’s super cool!! We have probably seen you in the tank without realizing. Some of those tangs are huge, and I’ve seen them bump into the artificial pieces, and seen them sitting on the bottom. I can only imagine what it would look like if they were real corals.

— 105 gallon mixed reef - SPS/Torch/Goni

@wsoldier

😎 Cool Kids⛰️Aquascaper

Joined Aug 202632 posts140 pts📍 Burbank, CA

Sep 12#13

@janiners305 wrote: That’s super cool!! We have probably seen you in the tank without realizing. Some of those tangs are huge, and I’ve seen them bump into the artificial pieces, and seen them sitting on the bottom. I can only imagine what it would look like if they were real corals.

For sure! I'm usually there Mondays but sometimes Saturdays. What's funny is sometimes I'll see people I know but have no way to communicate that I know them, and it just ends up being creepy when I try. haha.

SCRM😎 Cool Kids🌸Polyp Whisperer

Joined Aug 202672 posts284 pts📍 Glendora, CA

Sep 12#14

We usually go Mondays, because things are quieter than weekends, lol

— 105 gallon mixed reef - SPS/Torch/Goni

SCRM😎 Cool Kids⚡SPS SlingerOP

Joined May 2026161 posts683 pts★5.0(1)📍 Tustin, CA