Only in Jeddah airport … the largest fish tank in the world
By : Marwa Mahmoud
The fish tank in the new Jeddah airport, west of Saudi Arabia, is the largest fish tank in an airport in the world. The height of the aquarium is 14 meters, with a diameter of 10 meters, and the thickness of the glass aquarium wall is 300 mm, consisting of 10 pieces, the weight of each piece is 12 tons (12000 kg), Reefs are made of silicon and latex, which represent true Red Sea corals.
Also at the bottom of the basin, there are 4 different tanks, for recycling and maintenance of sea water, and their preparation before use, which contributes to reducing the consumption of sea water used.
The basin can hold a million liters of water, and the water in it is similar to the real sea water .This simulation is caused by adding a special salt supported by chemicals to the filtered water.
Among the characteristics of the basin, that it is inspired by its design from the marine environment and its ancient history, as it contains about 2000 marine creatures and it includes 65 of the most famous types of Red Sea fish, the most important of which are (sharks, mollusks, trevalli, mono, and trigger) .
The lighting system simulates the regular day cycle, and is automatically controlled using 16 halogen daytime running lights and 10 LED lights for night lighting similar to moonlight.
Three quarantine systems are used in the aquarium, which isolate the new fish in separate ponds to adapt to the new environment, and until safety is confirmed before they are introduced to the aquarium, this is done under the supervision of specialists. A diver specializes in aquarium maintenance and feeding fish twice a day, and some specific fish are directly fed.
