SEA LIFE Fills Habitat with 192,000 Gallons of Water

SEA LIFE Orlando's aquarists started filling the aquarium’s Atlantic Ocean habitat this morning (Tuesday, February 24, 2015) with more than 192,000 gallons of water. As mentioned in a previous article, it will take the aquarists about two days to completely fill up the Atlantic habitat. After that, 30 additional aquatic habitats will be filled with fresh water that will then go through a very complex, customized filtration system where salt will be added.

The salt water will hold many sea animals, which include sea stars, rays, sharks and more. The animals will begin to arrive to the SEA LIFE Aquarium in the coming months.

Rowdy Gaines, a three-time Olympic gold medalist, U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame inductee, NBC swimming analyst, and Central Florida resident joined Steve Blair, Curator, Merlin Animal Welfare and Development for SEA LIFE Orlando, for this special milestone. “This is a huge day for SEA LIFE, as we are one step closer to the grand opening on May 4,” said Blair. “We are excited to inspire children to fall in love with the oceans of the world and the animals who call it their home.”

“As someone who has spent half their life in the water, I’m so excited to be on hand for this water fill milestone,” said Gaines, who serves as Vice President of Aquatics for the Central Florida YMCA. “It’s great to see children appreciate and learn about the world’s oceans, and how to help respect and protect the Florida Everglades which is in our backyard.”

To be among the first to be nose-to-nose with sea animals, guests can sign up for our newsletter at VisitSeaLife.com/Orlando for the chance to visit May 1-3, ahead of the attraction’s May 4 grand opening.

PHOTOS: © 2015 Merlin Entertainments (SEA LIFE) Limited. All rights reserved.