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About the Aquarium |
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The sea aquarium is situated within the walls of the medieval fortress
St. Ivan (St. John's). After passing through the stupendous atrium, one
enters the fascinating world of silence and tranquil atmosphere. Diverse
and affluent Adriatic Sea flora and fauna can be discerned in 31
aquarium tanks. Fresh sea water runs continuously into the tanks of 115
m3 volume, which may be, if necessary, exchanged by the system of 4
high-pressure pumps, 200 L pressing power per second and 150 m3 of
gravitational tank capacity. In the first out of 3 big tanks, all dug in
the stone-paved floor, you will be welcomed by the domesticated grouper.
In the next tank, there are elegant amberjacks, never tired of circling
around. The loggerhead turtle, the oldest denizen of the Dubrovnik see
aquarium, has been situated in the third and the biggest tank since 1953
that was enlarged and deepened with ca 50 m3 of the seawater in 2004.
You will meet conger eel, denizen of cracks in the submerged rocks, as
well as the abundance of other fish. Entering the following premises
there are the tanks built in canon niches to the right, and the line of
wall tanks to the left. Visitors can observe interesting world of the
fish and invertebrates that are hiding in the surrounding rocks and
plants by mimicry, hardly visible to unaccustomed eye. There is the
poulp who continuously guards the territory, as well as the logo of the
Dubrovnik sea aquarium, the sea horse, swimming slowly or with the
"tail" attached to the sea bottom. This is an opportunity to see dentex,
gilthead sea bream, seabass, common sea bream, brown wrasse, green
wrasse, eel, mullets, dangerous snakelike moray, peaceful scorpion fish,
spiny lobsters, and trigger fish up to recently very rare in the
Adriatic. In the smaller tanks or on the pebble of bigger tanks the
visitors can find strangely shaped sea sponges of various colors, sea
anemones shaped as blossoming chrysanthemums, corals in the shape of
bushes or live rocks, cerianthus and tall spirographis that grow upright
like miniature palm trees. There are many other animals like starfish,
sea urchins, sea cucumber, conches, shells, crabs, and cray fish. An
exceptional curiosity is Bonellia viridis, hiding the body in stone
cracks while searching the habitat with the long green feeler. There are
floral sea bushes as well, providing the shelter with their long leaves
to numerous small fish and invertebrates. Our kind and well instructed
staff is at your disposal and assistance all the time, welcoming you in
this unique sea aquarium and the beautiful city of Dubrovnik.
Source: official site of
Dubrovnik Institute of Marine and Coastal Research (2012)
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