Discovering Georgia Aquarium: The Largest Aquarium in the United States

Georgia Aquarium stands as the largest aquarium in the Western Hemisphere, whether measured by the sheer number of aquatic creatures (tens of thousands) or the immense volume of water (over 11 million gallons or 41.6 million liters). It is home to more than 500 species across 100 habitats, featuring over 12,000 square feet (1,115 square meters) of viewing windows, and was constructed with a budget of $290 million.

Thank You!

Mytour extends its gratitude to the team at Georgia Aquarium for their invaluable support in creating this article.

Building the Aquarium

Constructing the Aquarium, along with its parking deck and diverse animal exhibits, was a monumental undertaking. Throughout the process, the Aquarium utilized:

The Ocean Voyager exhibit, the Aquarium's largest habitat, contains more than half of its total water volume. Measuring 263 feet long, 126 feet wide, and 33 feet deep (80.1 x 38.4 x 10.1 meters), it houses 6.3 million gallons (23.9 million liters) of water. A skylight above the exhibit allows natural sunlight to illuminate the aquatic environment on sunny days.

A dedicated holding pool at one end enables staff to isolate fish, rays, or even juveniles from the main exhibit when necessary. Veterinarians can also use this space to examine larger animals. Visitors are transported through a 100-foot (30.5-meter) acrylic tunnel beneath the exhibit via a slow-moving conveyor belt, offering a unique underwater perspective.

Additional exhibits at the Aquarium feature an 800,000-gallon (3-million-liter) beluga whale habitat, smaller aquatic environments, and interactive touch pools where guests can engage directly with marine life.

While many exhibits rely on artificial lighting, the Ocean Voyager, beluga whale habitat, and expansive coral reef benefit from natural sunlight.

To create the saline environment for marine exhibits, the Aquarium utilized 1.5 million pounds (680,389 kg) of Instant Ocean® sea salt initially. Maintaining the salinity requires periodic additions of more salt.

In preparation for its 2005 opening, the Aquarium staff filled the exhibits with 8 million gallons (30.3 million liters) of tap water from the City of Atlanta — equivalent to filling 160,000 bathtubs. After treating the water to eliminate chemicals and impurities, they transformed it into saltwater for marine habitats.

This transformation involved adding 750 sacks of Instant Ocean® sea salt, each weighing 2,000 pounds (907 kg), totaling 1.5 million pounds (680,389 kg). This amount is comparable to over 920,000 standard containers of table salt.

Acquiring Animals

The Aquarium's animal population originates from various sources, including aquaculture farms, other zoos and aquariums, confiscations, and non-releasable animals designated by federal authorities.

When rescued animals are deemed non-releasable after rehabilitation efforts, they cannot return to the wild and require a permanent home; otherwise, euthanasia becomes the only option. Georgia Aquarium has provided sanctuary to many such animals, offering them a forever home. In numerous instances, the Aquarium's staff has rescued animals from dire conditions or situations where survival was unlikely without intervention.

Beyond beluga whales, whale sharks, and creatures from aquaculture centers, the Aquarium also houses a variety of other live animals, such as:

Feeding the Animals

Providing meals for the animals at Georgia Aquarium involves a far more intricate process than simply scattering food across the water's surface.

In a dedicated kitchen known as the commissary, the Aquarium team prepares meals for all its animals. This facility adheres to stricter standards than typical restaurant kitchens, with the United States Department of Agriculture performing unannounced inspections to ensure cleanliness and safety.

The commissary is equipped with a freezer capable of storing 20,000 pounds (9,071.9 kg) of food and a refrigerator that can hold 6,000 pounds (2,721.6 kg). Daily, the staff prepares fresh meals tailored to the needs of the animals.

Dietary requirements, portion sizes, and feeding frequencies differ significantly across species. Each animal receives meals designed to mimic their natural diet, often supplemented with vitamins or medications as needed. For instance:

Aquarium experts can enter the exhibits to feed the animals, but the expansive Ocean Voyager habitat poses unique difficulties. Shaped somewhat like an hourglass, it is home to a diverse array of fish species.

The whale sharks share their space with sawfish, bowmouth guitarfish, grouper, manta rays, a green sea turtle, and golden trevally. To cater to all these species, the Aquarium employs various feeding methods, such as ladle feedings, hand feedings, and a broadcast-style system for smaller fish. A specialized broadcast mechanism distributes food throughout the exhibit.

Providing the fish with premium, species-specific food, tailored to their natural diets and nutritional needs, ensures their health and well-being.

Georgia Aquarium's Correll Center for Animal Health

The animal health team at Georgia Aquarium operates a cutting-edge, on-site veterinary hospital dedicated to both preventive and emergency care for the Aquarium's inhabitants. This 5,800-square-foot (538.8-square-meter) facility is staffed by approximately 10 professionals and features over 20 treatment systems, along with a fully equipped surgical suite.

In collaboration with the University of Georgia, the Aquarium offers internships to cultivate the next generation of aquatic animal experts. The veterinary team also conducts research on animal health and behavior, sharing their findings with other zoos and aquariums worldwide.

The on-site laboratory is capable of performing blood tests, analyzing microscopic slides, and culturing bacteria for detailed examination.

The surgical suite is equipped with a portable digital radiography unit, enabling x-ray imaging of animals ranging from small penguins to massive whales. Additionally, it includes an ultrasound machine, an endoscope, and specialized equipment to safely anesthetize mammals, reptiles, and fish during procedures.

Georgia Aquarium implements preventive healthcare measures for all its larger animals, which include routine annual check-ups.

While some animals may be vaccinated, the primary approach to preventive care for Aquarium fish involves careful observation and mandatory quarantine periods for new arrivals, rather than relying on vaccines.

The larger animals at the Aquarium are trained in husbandry behaviors, enabling the veterinary team to perform examinations more efficiently. These medical check-ups are entirely voluntary for the animals, facilitated by their training.

For instance, whales can be directed by trainers to present their flippers or tail flukes for medical inspections or blood draws. They can also exhale onto a plate, allowing staff to analyze the sample under a microscope for signs of parasites or bacteria.

Penguins, when handled, will willingly offer their feet for examination. This cooperative behavior simplifies the process for staff and significantly minimizes stress for the animals.

Fish Life Support

Despite housing 11 million gallons (41.6 million liters) of water across its exhibits, Georgia Aquarium recycles nearly 99 percent of its water supply. A sophisticated treatment and reclamation system purifies and reuses the water, with minimal loss occurring through evaporation and the operation of protein skimmers, which help eliminate waste.

Behind the scenes, the Aquarium employs three primary filtration methods:

The entire Aquarium relies on more than 500 pumps, 148 sand filters, and 82 protein skimmers to maintain its filtration system.

The Ocean Voyager exhibit alone utilizes 232 pumps and 74 sand filters, processing approximately 65,000 gallons (246,052 liters) of water every minute. The life support team is responsible for maintaining these systems, including tasks like oil changes and filter replacements.

The life support team also monitors exhibit turnover time, which is the duration required to filter and clean all the water in an exhibit. Their objective is to ensure this process takes less than two hours.

Flow rates play a crucial role in regulating dissolved oxygen levels in the exhibits. Insufficient oxygen can suffocate the fish, while excessive amounts can become harmful.

All these pumps direct water through a sequence of filters and skimmers. While this process is essential, it requires constant supervision by staff to ensure it operates correctly.

Filters and Skimmers

Sand Filters

The sand filters resemble those used in residential swimming pools but are significantly larger. Water is pushed through the sand, which captures debris. The system can automatically back-wash clogged filters, and the sand is replaced regularly by the staff.

Protein Skimmers

In a protein skimmer, water from the exhibits flows through the filter, where air is injected at high speed. A venturi valve, a tube with a narrow center, breaks the air into tiny bubbles.

These microbubbles provide ample surface area for debris to attach. The resulting foam spills over from the filter's top into a collection chamber, which staff regularly clean.

This process involves significant pumping, which can introduce harmful dissolved gasses to the water. To address this, the system pumps water into holding tanks above the exhibits, allowing the gasses to escape. Gravity then returns the water to the habitats.

A small portion of the water is heated or cooled before being reintroduced to the exhibits, ensuring the habitats maintain the proper temperature.

Automated Systems With a Manual Touch

While the system appears intricate, a computer manages nearly all decisions related to water cleanliness and distribution.

Multiple interconnected computers across the facility make countless decisions every second, regulating tank levels, temperatures, and water flow rates. These systems use visual data and analytics to provide real-time feedback to the life support team.

Despite the system being almost entirely self-sufficient, staff manually collect daily samples from each exhibit, analyze them in the lab, and manually adjust chemical levels as needed.

The high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) system is capable of detecting antibiotic levels and any irregularities in the water. The lab team utilizes this tool for ongoing research and analysis.

Water chemists analyze the nitrogen cycle — the process of organic material decomposing into nitrogen-based waste — along with ammonia levels, pH, salinity, and oxygen content in daily water samples from each habitat.

An ion photography system measures, dilutes, and examines samples, identifying any positively or negatively charged elements. Additionally, the staff employs a high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) system for research purposes.

Education Program

The Aquarium's educational focus is unmistakable during a visit. Each exhibit features signs or touch screens providing details about its residents. Additionally, education stations are available to offer further insights to visitors.

Touch pools, supervised by staff and volunteers, let visitors interact directly with some of the Aquarium's creatures. In various areas, projectors display animal-related information on walls and floors.

The Aquarium provides behind-the-scenes tours and animal encounters, allowing visitors to observe how the staff feeds and tends to the animals.

A beluga whale resides in the 800,000-gallon (3-million-liter) habitat. Since beluga whales are native to arctic and subarctic regions, their exhibit water is maintained at approximately 59 degrees Fahrenheit (15 degrees Celsius).

Funding and Running the Aquarium

Georgia Aquarium was initiated by Bernie Marcus, co-founder of The Home Depot. Marcus aimed to gift Atlanta and Georgia an institution that would foster education and stimulate economic development.

In November 2001, Marcus revealed his vision to construct an aquarium in downtown Atlanta. Together with his wife Billi, he contributed $250 million to fund the Aquarium's development.

However, they didn't undertake this project alone. Marcus and the Aquarium team toured 56 aquariums across 13 countries to gather inspiration and insights. They also secured financial support from corporate partners. The land itself, spanning 9 acres (3.6 hectares), was generously donated by The Coca-Cola Company.

Thanks to this extensive financial backing, the Aquarium opened without any debt.

Construction began in May 2003, and the Aquarium welcomed the public on November 23, 2005. The 550,000-square-foot (51,097-square-meter) facility was completed in just 27 months.

Beyond the animal exhibits, the Aquarium features a gift shop and a recently updated cafe. It also includes a 16,400-square-foot (1,523-square-meter) ballroom and fully equipped food-service kitchens.

The Aquarium employs more than 500 staff members and benefits from the dedication of over 1,000 trained volunteers.

All visitors to the Aquarium are required to pass through a security screening, and items such as guns, knives, matches, and lighters are prohibited inside.

Artists and Architects

Constructed in accordance with Association of Zoos and Aquariums standards, the Georgia Aquarium's design and construction involved:

3 More of the Largest Aquariums in the United States

While Georgia Aquarium holds the title of the largest aquarium in the United States, there are several other impressive aquariums worth exploring. Here are three additional must-visit destinations.

1. Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, Illinois

Established in 1930, Chicago's Shedd Aquarium is not only one of the world's largest aquariums but also a designated National Historic Landmark. Annually, two million visitors explore its exhibits, such as the 3-million-gallon (11.4-million-liter) Abbott Oceanarium, which replicates a Pacific Northwest marine habitat featuring beluga whales, sea otters, and dolphins.

2. The National Aquarium in Baltimore, Maryland

Boasting a total water volume of approximately 2.2 million gallons (8.3 million liters), the National Aquarium in Baltimore ranks among the largest aquariums in the United States. Its most notable feature is the 1.3-million-gallon (4.9-million-liter) habitat for Atlantic bottlenose dolphins.

3. The Monterey Bay Aquarium in Monterey, California

The Monterey Bay Aquarium in California is home to more than 81,000 animals representing 771 species, housed in 1.9 million gallons (7.2 million liters) of water. Its exhibits focus on regional marine ecosystems, featuring a 343,000-gallon (1.3-million-liter) kelp forest and a 55,000-gallon (208,198-liter) sea otter enclosure.

The largest tank is the 1.2-million-gallon (4.5-million-liter) Open Sea exhibit, which houses sea turtles and hammerhead sharks.