An enormous marine aquarium located in the lobby of Heron Tower in London is now fully stocked with fish.
The aquarium is the largest in private hands in Britain, measuring 12m long by 2m wide and with a water depth of 3.6m. It contains 70,000 l/15,550 gal of water and weighs around 100 tonnes when fully filled.
The tank is made of acrylic panelling, which in places is 22cm/11" thick.
It has been stocked with 1200 fish of 67 different species, ranging in size from Green chromis to Brownbanded catsharks, Epaulette and Port Jackson sharks.
The National Marine Aquarium in Plymouth has supplied the fish and will be responsible for their ongoing care and maintenance. The aquarium will be checked daily for fish health, cleanliness and water chemistry; food will be prepared on site and the fish will be fed 2-3 times per day according to their requirements.
Two full-time fish attendants will ensure the highest standards of welfare and divers will enter the aquarium to clean the artificial coral and windows twice a week.
The aquarium’s ecological design is based on Heron Island, which is situated just a few kilometres off the southernmost tip of The Great Barrier Reef. The species have been carefully chosen by expert biologists and animal curators from the National Marine Aquarium to ensure compatibility and ease of adaptability to the aquarium environment. They have been supplied in an ethical and sustainable manner.
The picture above shows the tank after installation, before the fish were added.
Heron Tower is a prime office development located in Bishopsgate, London and is the tallest buildest building in the capital, stretching 230m into the city skyline. It's London's newest skyscraper being completed in March 2011. It provides 40,836 square metres of office space spread over 36 floors, plus a public ground floor restaurant and bar and a restaurant and sky bar at the top of the building, also open to the public and accessed via direct scenic lifts from Bishopsgate.
The triple-height aquarium provides a real impact for visitors to the building.
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