Biggest Aquarium, How To Handle?

Bayangkan 18 juta liter air dengan sebagian sisi ditahan dengan panel bening sehingga anda dapat melihat ke dalam dimana lebih dari 50 ribu hewan laut tinggal disitu. Bayangkan pembuatan aquarium dengan panel pandang selebar 36 meter dan tinggi 8,3 meter.

 
Imagine 4,7 million gallons of water detained with see through panel so you can see inside where more than 50 thousand marine animals live. Imagine how they make a gigantic aquarium, 118 feet wide and 27 feet high.

4,7 million gallons of sea water and these marine animals!

Bagaimana cara membuatnya, berapa lama mengisi airnya, setebal apa panel itu, bagaimana membersihkannya, mengisi dan memberi makan ikan dan berbagai makhluk laut di dalamnya, semua pertanyaan itu muncul saat berhadapan dengan panel di aquarium terbesar di dunia, SEA Aquarium, khususnya di depan Open Ocean, salah satu area "aquarium" terbesar di kawasan SEA Aquarium, Sentosa, Singapura.

 
How do they built it? how long does it took to fill the water? how thick are the panels? how to clean it up, fill or even feed the fishes and other marine animals inside it? All those questions just rise up when I'm facing the biggest viewing panel of an aquarium in the world, the SEA Aquarium, precisely the Open Ocean, one of the aquarium in SEA Aquarium, Sentosa, Singapore.

Open Ocean adalah pusat dari SEA Aquarium, dengan lebar panel salah satu sisi yang saya sebutkan di atas. Panel bening yang jadi sisi atraksi utama seakan menyatu, tanpa terlihat ada garis penyambung. Saya mesti melihat sangat dekat ke salah satu titik dan menggeser pandangan ke kiri dan kanan titik itu untuk melihat sambungan antar panel di platform pandang tersebut.

 
Open Ocean is the main attraction of the SEA Aquarium, with the size of the panel I've mentioned above. The clear panel which is the main attraction looked so converged, it's very had to see the connecting line between panels. I really have to look closely to one side and shifting my head right to the left to see the connecting line.

Sebuah garis terlihat sangat kasat mata, anda perlu memicing dan bergerak sedikit kemudian melihat ketebalan panel. "70 sentimeter," ujar Anggi Permatasari yang menemani saya. Panel pandang terbesar di dunia ini mencapai berat 250 ribu kilogram atau setara berat 30 gajah afrika, wow that's heavy!

Almost not visible at all, you must focused your eyes and move a bit to see how thick the panel is. "2,2 feet," said Anggi Permatasari who accompanied me telling how thick the panels are. The weight of this biggest viewing panel in the world reached 551 thousand pound, equal with about 30 adult African elephant, that's heavy! 

Divers cleaning the aquarium, pic by Resort World Sentosa

You can dive in this aquarium too, pic by Resort World Sentosa

"Setiap hari ada divers yang membersihkan aquarium ini," ujar Anggi saat saya bertanya bagaimana cara membersihkan habitat hewan laut buatan seluas ini. "Dibersikan di saat bukan jam operasi," tambah Anggi. Saya membayangkan perlu berapa lama dan berapa divers untuk membuat panel panel bening ini tetap bersih.

 
"Every day there are divers cleaning the aquarium," said Anggi when I asked how to clean this aquarium. "They clean it when during non operate hour for visitors," Anggi added. Then I'm thinking about how long and how many divers to get this panel clean all the time.

50.000 marine animals inside

Sementara air laut tempat hidup hewan laut sebanyak 18 juta liter ini juga diganti secara berkala. "Langsung dari air laut namun di filter terlebih dulu agar bersih dari bakteri atau elemen yang berbahaya bagi hewan laut disini," tambah Anggi. Sama halnya dengan aquarium di rumah kita, air laut di dalam Open Ocean ini tentunya harus diganti secara berkala.

Also, the water for the marine animals to live is also filtered and replaced periodically. It's about 4,7 million gallons of sea water. "We got the water from the sea but it through filter process so that the water is totally clean and safe for these marine animals, no bacteria or elements which may harm those fishes," Anggi explained. Just like aquarium in our home, the water inside the tank must replaced periodically.

It's so crowded during feeding time :)

Sedangkan makanan makhluk laut ini rupanya dipersiapkan secara khusus oleh ahli nutrisi SEA Aquarium, saya melihat makanan berbentuk bulat yang langsung dikerubuti ikan ikan laut ini saat saya masuk ke dalam aquarium untuk Sea Trek, namun ada makanan makanan yang berbeda untuk hewan laut yang berbeda pula, kita tentu saja tidak bisa menyamakan makanan pari manta dengan makanan batfish.

 
As for food apparently specially prepared by SEA Aquarium nutritionist, I saw the food, round shape which immediately surrounded by the marine fish when I got inside the aquarium during Sea Trek, but there are also different foods for different marine animals, we certainly just can't give the same food for manta rays with the batfish.

Leopard shark with schools of smaller fishes following

Masih banyak hal lain yang ingin saya tanyakan, sayangnya saya tidak bisa bertemu tim teknis SEA Aquarium, mungkin saya bisa menghabiskan waktu berjam jam untuk bertanya dan bertanya tentang habitat laut buatan yang begitu mempesona ini.

There are still many other things I really want to ask, unfortunately there are no technical guy around to ask. I might spend countless hours to ask and ask about this breath taking artificial marine habitat.

Memang habitat asli jauh lebih indah, namun melihat manusia sanggup membuat sepotong keindahan ini ada di darat dan dapat melihat begitu dekat, you'll be amazed.

 
I still think that the natural habitat is way more beautiful, but look at this and realize that human are capable to built this beautiful marine life which are accessible to see so close, you'll be amazed.

@marischkaprue - falling in love with the ocean again and again

NOTES:

• Harga tiket masuk SEA Aquarium: Dewasa 33 SGD (Singapore Dollar), Anak anak 4-12 tahun 23 SGD dan orang tua di atas 60 tahun 23 SGD.
• Admission price to enter SEA Aquarium: 33 SGD (adult), 23 SGD (child 4-12 years old and above 60 years old)
• SEA Aquarium beroperasi dari pukul 10 am - 7 pm
• SEA Aqurium opens from 10 am to 7 pm 
• Kontak Resort World Sentosa: +65778888
• Resort World Sentosa, Contact: +65778888

RELATED STORIES:

• Friends with Stingray at Ray Bay 
• Snorkeling without going to the Sea 
• Sea Trek Adventure, Berjalan di Dalam Aquarium Terbesar
• Romantic Dinner at Ocean Restaurant