Pictures from our trip to the Georgia Aquarium

[Rollin]

Though I'd share the photos from our trip to the Georgia Aquarium today. I must say it's an amazing place and I'm sure we'll be going back many, many times.

You can view the gallery here:

http://www.cawanee.com/dnn/DesktopModules/SimpleGallery/SlideShowPopup.aspx?PortalID=6&ItemID=72

[Big Amish]

Wow. Ok, I'll have to go visit soon. :) Thanks for sharing the pics.

[greenbean36191]

Awesome. That school of rays is amazing! I think I'm supposed to go in Feb. I can't wait.

[scothew]

Awesome pictures, we defintely have to go now!

[speakeraddict]

Goodness! I wonder how many buckets of salt they had to buy? :)

That last shot of the reef is incredible.

speakeraddict

[greenbean36191]

Haha speaker, it's good to see I'm not the only one thinking like a reefer. The whole time I was looking at that I was wondering how they purified their water, how long the tanks took to fill, and how much salt it took. :lol:

[Rollin]

Imagine the water changes! We did notice they had a huge diatom outbreak in the reef aquarium - I wonder how long it takes for those tanks to cycle. :)

[speakeraddict]

I would think it wouldn't matter the volume of water per se. It matters if they have enough bioload to start a cycle and then sustain the biological filter once it is cycled.

I have noticed over the years that it takes the same time to cycle any size tank if there is adequate bioload. I have personally managed the cycling of tanks from 1 gallon all the way up to several hundred when I used to do custom stuff in Bham.

speakeraddict

[Rollin]

I would think it wouldn't matter the volume of water per se. It matters if they have enough bioload to start a cycle and then sustain the biological filter once it is cycled.

It was more of a rhetorical question. :)

I'm anxious to get a behind the scenes tour once they start offering to see how they handle husbandry.

[Siffy]

Y'all mentioned buckets of salt, but I'm more curious what they (and the other large city aquarium setups) keep the water's salinity at. The Aquarium Resturant (lots of volume, professionally kept) in Nashville's Opry Mills mall keeps their tanks' SG at only 1.009 from what people in MTRC have said in their forum on here.

[alafish]

When the Today show was there they showed them filling the tanks with TAP WATER!!!!!!! From the ATLANTA WATER SYSTEM!! UGH!!! They did use Instant Ocean. I think it was 4 flat bed trucks of it!

Some of the corals in the reef tank are artificial, until the live species grow out in the tank...

Can't wait to go! I have a season's pass...

Marybeth

[surg_xero]

I'm thinking of moving in... I wonder if they have any apartments inside the whale tank?

[man1410]

Awesome pics.

[j1b1e1]

Great pic's, that settles it, I'm going to have to go in the near future! Thanks for makeing those of us who havn't been jealous. I mean thanks for sharing!

[cainchristy]

Your pictures are really awesome. You got some really good shots there!! I can't wait to go. I think we are going in April or May.....

[Rollin]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6456904#post6456904 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by cainchristy
Your pictures are really awesome. You got some really good shots there!! I can't wait to go. I think we are going in April or May.....

Thanks - we're trying to work out our schedules for a second trip. I can't wait to see the reef tank grow in some.

~chris

[andyjd]

we went on the 3rd...it was excellent..also have season pass :D

[Mariner]

Looks really nice.
Other than the whale and the few live corals in the reef, what are the unique features of this aquarium? Most of the pics looked very similar to exhibits I've seen at the Tennessee Aquarium and Ripley's Aquarium in Gatlinburg -- not saying that's a bad thing, just wanted to know if there were any big differences.
Mariner