Danmarks Akvarium - Denmark's Aquarium

Small yet Enjoyable

The spring season has started in Denmark with day temperatures mostly above 10 C. The Sun seems to be glorious during the weekdays and goes into a shy mode on the weekends. The saturday we chose to head out was not sunny but we decided to visit the Denmark's Aquarium in Charlottenlund anyway. We took to a train up to Svanemollen Station and from there, it was a pleasant bus ride.

We have never been to Hellerup, an upscale area near Copenhagen—it was love at first sight. The narrow streets lined with shops and apartments overlooking the beautiful blue sea was exactly our idea of upscale living. The area near the aquarium is quite remote and had a forest like atmosphere. The Chalottenlund Strandpark and the fort are nearby and are good for a brisk walk.

We love aquariums and we had a small 20 gallon tank in India. It all started with a small betta bowl but soon we fell in to the hobby. We had a 1 gallon bowl with a betta fish, named bettu. We soon graduated to a tropical tank. After heartbreaks of losing fishes to diseases and tank violence, we found severums (Heros Severus) to be suitable for us. We had five well-behaved, adjusting severums for about a year. One by one, they started dying after we shifted our home.

We decided to call it quits after this episode, but it was more heartbreaking to see an empty tank. Bettu enjoyed the spacious tank for himself for a while. In the local fish shop on the outskirts of Chennai, the only fancy fishes available were the Angels, so we bought four angels—two Marble varieties and two Gold Pearlscales. The two Marble angels succumbed after constant fighting. The Gold Pearlscales survived the long trip from Chennai to Coimbatore and are thriving well in our parent's home. Bettu succumbed to old age (or so we believe) after being with us for over a year and a half.

Bettu

Our Lovely Angels

As with every aquarist, we too were tempted with the colorful salt water tanks but the maintenance and the cost involved were too much for us considering our bumpy history with the simple tropical tank. We have extensively researched on saltwater and planted tanks and have visited most of the aquariums and shops in Chennai. So, it is always a delight for us to visit aquariums, guess names and enjoy them.

The Entrance

The Denmark's Aquarium was fairly small and was not very crowded. Due to the climate and other factors, fishes don't seem to be popular pets in Denmark unlike dogs and cats. There was a Touch Pool, where the kids could play with crabs, starfishes and other small mollusks. There were toddlers and kids splashing around and having fun.

We started with the freshwater tanks, which had the usual fishes from the simple gold fish to tetras to frogs. Most of the information were in Danish except for some English explanations, so we didn't fully get the names of many species.

Kois and Carps

A Carp

Jewel Cichlid?

Freshwater Frog

Flowerhorn

Rainbow Fish?

Glass Catfish

Angelfish

Tetras and Barbs:

Freshwater Rays and Crustaceans:

The next was our favorite—Saltwater Tanks. There were usual clowns, tangs and exotic ones like octopus and giant crabs.

The Reef

Clown Fish aka Nemo

Regal Tang aka Dory

Beauties from the Ocean:

Octopus, Crustaceans and Other Sea Animals:

There were also smaller species like Sea Horses, Garden Eels and Mudskippers in smaller displays. In between there were also informative play areas for the kids.

The last part of the aquarium had enormous tanks with turtles, piranhas and sharks. The turtles swarmed near the infra red lights to warm up. We also saw Red Piranha feeding—the fish that was fed vanished in to nothing in a matter of seconds. The sharks were small ones and seemed restless and on the move.

Waiting for the Red Piranha Feeding

Feeding Frenzy

Warming Up

The star attraction is the giant sea turtle who was boisterously showing off. It seemed very friendly, minding its own business oblivious to the people excitedly clicking photos—reminded us of the friendly Crush from Finding Nemo.

The Hero of the Day

There is a small cafe within the aquarium serving salads, sandwiches and desserts. Though it was small, it proved worthy. The entrance fee 100 Kr. is a bit high for the size and facilities.