Audio File length: 2.08
Author: STEFANO ZUFFI E DAVIDE TORTORELLA
English Language: English

The Aquarium is one of the most amazing places in Barcelona, with 11,000 fish and about 450 species.

Before going inside, I recommend strolling along the Rambla del Mar, which is sometimes raised to allow large yachts to pass, and visiting the Maremagnum, a collection of shops, bars, and restaurants.

After passing through the Aquarium's entrance, you'll walk through a series of ramps that take you to the tanks with their myriad of diverse marine environments: you'll start with the low water near the coast, limpid and clear, which is populated with sea bass, ash, and other fish, then move on to the sandy coasts tank where the species love to hide under the sand. The third tank shows you the delta of the Ebro, which is the Catalan river, while the fourth hosts species that prefer to hide deep within the rocks.

Your path continues with a series of pools where you can see algae, crabs, sea horses, and other Mediterranean environments with their respective fish fauna. I especially recommend the gorgeous red corals in tank 11 and the white and black finned sharks in tank 12. But there are also tanks that show you the Caribbean environment, the Great Barrier Reef, and the Red Sea. Tank 17 takes you into the darkest abysses, with poisonous species like red lionfish or scorpionfish.

But the Aquarium's main attraction is an 80-meter tunnel that takes you through a Mediterranean environment tank with huge rays and gray sharks. At the end of the tunnel you'll find yourself in the South Seas, among colorful fish.

Upstairs you can visit the so-called Planeta Agua: an interactive area where you can admire families of penguins and even pet rays with a glove with some assistance from a guide, as well as observe some of the most rare and bizarre marine species.

 

FUN FACT: the hungry "residents" of the Aquarium consume over 2,000 pounds of food per week including plankton, shellfish, fish, and seaweed!

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