This 9,000-gallon, floor-to-ceiling, concave habitat highlights one of the most happening neighborhoods in the ocean: an Indo-Pacific coral reef. 

Positioned across from the Aquarium’s signature four-story Giant Ocean Tank, this new exhibit accentuates the biological richness of an Indo-Pacific coral reef community. Its bright, enhanced backdrop helps visitors learn about these “rainforests of the sea” that are so essential to supporting thousands of species of fish, sea turtles, sharks, and other marine life.

Indo-Pacific Coral Reef Exhibit
The new, floor-to-ceiling exhibit will make you feel like you're immersed on the reef.

Habitat

This exhibit represents an Indo-Pacific coral reef. The coral was handmade and painted by Aquarium artists. The habitat inside is so accurate that it can be hard to tell it isn’t real! Coral reefs are found throughout the Earth’s tropical and subtropical oceans. Indo-Pacific coral reefs comprise the tropical waters off the Indian Ocean and the western and central Pacific Ocean.

Inside our new exhibit.
Inside the Indo-Pacific Coral Reef Exhibit.

Meet Some Reef Residents

  1. tomato clownfish

    Tomato Clownfish

    Tomato clownfish (Amphiprion frenatus) live in anemones and are immune to its stinging tentacles.

  2. Longnose Butterflyfsh

    Longnose Butterflyfish

    Longnose butterflyfish (Forcipiger longirostris) pairs stay together by focusing on their partner’s false eyespot.

  3. Orangespine Unicornfish

    Orangespine Unicornfish

    The orangespine unicornfish (Naso lituratus) is sometimes known as a "clown surgeonfish" or "lipstick tang" because of its bright coloring.

Conservation Context

Appreciated for their beauty and spectacular biodiversity, coral reefs are also critical components to ocean health. They are nurseries to thousands of fish species, many of which could not survive without these unique habitats. Earth’s coral reefs support more than 4,000 species of fishes, 800 types of hard corals, and hundreds of other species of marine life. Those found in the Indo-Pacific are more diverse and complex than anywhere else in the world!
Unfortunately, coral reefs are rapidly disappearing worldwide, primarily due to climate change and other human impacts. The loss of coral reefs to bleaching has dire consequences for marine animals and humans alike. Coral reefs have the best chance to adapt if humans slow climate change and reduce other human-caused stresses.
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