Coral Reef Sector

You'll be amazed to see that we have recreated the Great Barrier Reef for you to experience during your visit to the aquarium. Our Reef is home to over 120 coral species and 100 fish species along with over 100 species of sea-urchins, feather snail, sea-cucumbers, stars, worms, sponges and much more!

The corals which make up the reef are a base for sea and animal life.  They consist of individual coral polyps - tiny live creatures which join together to form colonies.  Some corals are slow growing and live to be hundreds of years old, others are faster growing. The colors of coral are created by algae. Only live coral is colored. Dead coral is white.  The ideal environment for coral is shallow warm water where there is a lot of water movement, plenty of light, where the water is salty and low in nutrients.

Reefs are sensitive to climate change, to changes in patterns of water movement, and to physical damage - so problems like global warming create trouble for the creatures that depend on the Reef for survival.  Tourism may also have a negative impact, with fragile corals broken by reef walking or dropped anchors.  For this reason, experiencing the Reef at the aquarium is the BEST solution!