There’s BIG NEWS happening at Hastings Aquarium! We may be locked down but we’re still very busy. We have embarked on a HUGE restoration project over lockdown; completely redesigning our 133,000 litre Ocean Tank. It’s a huge undertaking and will bring stunning results not just for us at the Aquarium, but for the Hastings tourism industry at large as well as our lovely members.
Work is already underway on the project, scheduled to last over 12 weeks and is focussed on reconstructing and remodelling the existing ocean tank. The water that the tank currently holds is enough to fill a staggering 4000 bathtubs and is complete with an underwater viewing gallery. It is home to over 350 marine animals, including two Blacktip sharks, pufferfish and triggerfish from the South Pacific.
What’s more, the project is being documented by a film crew. The fly-on-the-wall web-series, Blue Reef Aquarium: A Fishy Business, has launched on the Aquarium’s Youtube channel.
You can meet the Blue Reef Team and follow their trials and tribulations from beginning to end. It is a tricky undertaking logistically, as the specialist aquarist team have to temporarily rehome and care for the animals while the work is going on.
It’s all hands on deck on site with the entire Blue Reef Hastings staff working overtime in order to complete the project on time. Everyone from the aquarists to maintenance, catering, and marketing staff are strapping on their hard hats, picking up a shovel and getting to work breaking up the existing tank and all of its fittings (shifting up to twenty-five tons of rubble), then excavating and preparing the site before specialist contractors step in to begin the remodelling work.
Work is expected to complete for a Spring 2021 re-opening. You can follow the developments from the project real-time through our social media channels as well as on Youtube channel, Blue Reef TV. We also plan to run a public competition alongside the project so stay tuned!
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We are home to over 3500 exotic animals from around the world and 250+ species. Located in the heart of Hastings Old Town, we’re open 7 days a week and everything is indoors so we’re a perfect place to visit, whatever the weather!
