Poema del Mar - Aquarium Gran Canaria: Tickets

Peome del Mar - Aquarium Gran Canaria Tickets and Information

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• Poema del Mar - Aquarium Gran Canaria Address: Sanapú Dock, 35008, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
• Opening Hours: Daily from 09:30 - 17:30

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Is Poema del Mar - Aquarium Gran Canaria Worth Visiting

• We love aquariums, and this is a good one, so definitely, yes.
• Good for all ages - so families and adults alike.

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What Visitors See at Poeme del Mar - Aquarium Gran Canaria

• Sharks!
• Thousands of fish
• Rays
• Turtles
• Jellyfish and lots more!

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About Poema del Mar - Aquarium Gran Canaria

Poema del Mar (Poem of the Sea), which is often called the 'Aquarium Gran Canaria', or 'Gran Canaria Aquarium' is one of our bestsellers in Gran Canaria. A modern aquarium sitting on the harbour in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.

The aquarium is home to a huge collection of marine life from around 350 different species that are split into multiple habitats. The aquarium also has thousands of species of plants which not only add to the beauty of the displays, but also to ensure the animals live in habitats that would mirror their natural surroundings in the wild.

The aquarium has three overall zones which are then split into different habitats:

Jungle Zone

The jungle zone is set up with rocky-mountain-style paths, ponds and tanks and in this section you will find multiple habitats that include the following:

• Crocodiles - a replica of their natural habitat where you will find the Siamese crocodile, which can grow up to 3 meters in length. The space is home to two of them, a male and female. The section has a great viewing panel which covers some of the water area as well, which means you can watch the crocodiles as they relax in the water as well. You may even be lucky enough for them to swim past the window and be just centimetres away from them! Not many places that you can get that close to crocodiles!
• Cenotes - A cenote is a natural underground reservoir carved in limestone that has been created over thousands of years by water running through them, normally found in Mexico. The aquariums cenote is full of little fish called blind fish. The cenote has lights in it to ensure you can see the fish. It also makes the cenote look very appealing to jump in and have a swim (which to confirm - you are NOT allowed to do!).
• Discus Fish - Discus fish are easy to identify due to their shape! Found in the Amazon river network, they are beautiful flat fish with bright colours. You will see although the same shape, the fish all have different patterns, making each one unique! You will also find other aquarium favourites in this tank including Rummy-nosed tetras and Ram cichlid's, which if you have a tropical fish tank at home, you will likely recognise!
• Jewels of the Jungle - a tank full of colour from the little fish that live in it. Full of tetras, molly's, freshwater angelfish and many others. All small but various different shapes. The tank is also full of beautiful aquatic plants which the fish use to hide and live in. You can also spot a pleco in this tank - his job is to clean the rocks and plants! You will tend to see them sucking on the rocks at the bottom!
• Goliaths - as the name suggests, this tank is home to some larger fish, including Goliath tigerfish. Found in the rivers of the Congo, goliaths can grow quite large and have a nasty row of teeth, so if you are ever swimming in the rivers of the Congo, do be aware of them! You can also find Saddled bichir and Gray bichir in the tank. Bichir's have evolved over time and their lower fins have actually adapted into being almost like legs, now enabling the fish to crawl over the bottom of their habitats and they've even been known to 'walk' short distances over land between water sources!
• Turtles - sharing a tank with Denison barb's and Parkinson rainbow fish, you will find the aquarium's Pig-nosed turtles! If you look at the turtle's nose, you will understand why its called the 'pig-nosed turtle'!
• Giants of the Rivers - a firm favourite at the aquarium as its home to the underwater tunnel, the Giants of the Rivers section you will find various species including some of the larger ones such as rays and striped catfish.
• Piranhas - another section with some rather dangerous inhabitants! the sharp toothed piranhas! They may look beautiful but you don't want to come across them in the wild! The aquarium is full of red-bellied piranhas. Silver fish with a flaming red belly.
• Amphibians - a mock-cave style path in the aquarium and fun to walk along as you will pass multiple smaller tanks, each home to various different species including the funny looking Mexican Axolotl, Poison Dart Frogs, Rubber eels, cute little newts, another fish that can live outside water, the Mudskipper and the large bullfrog.

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Tropical Zone

The tropical zone is set up like a tropical desert island and is surrounded by water and again has multiple habitats around it, including:

• Nemo Kids - this is a fantastic section that the kids will love. Another tunnel for them to enjoy. This one shorter but it goes through the tank that is home to some very colourful fish, including fish from their favourite films such as Finding Nemo, like the Clownfish and Regal Blue Tangs and the tunnel means they can get close to them and just watch them swim past! The tank is full of life and colour from both the fish and the aquatic plants and corals in there. A great section.
• Atoll - a fantastic large cylinder shaped tank that you can walk around and admire. Home to sharks, coral, stingrays, eels, triggerfish, angelfish and many more exotic and colourful fish. This is one of our favourite tanks due to the variety of colours from the fish. Its just beautiful.
• Tropical Beach - a large flat fronted tank that is home to fish and other species that you would find along tropical shorelines. You can see various different smaller shark species, as well as different rays and other fish.
• Red Sea - home to some of the species found in the warm waters of the red sea. You can find spiky lionfish (that can shoot spikes at you as a form of defence), the funny looking Longspined porcupinefish, pufferfish, various eels, and more colour from the Regal angelfish, Longnose Hawkfish and the beautiful yellowtail tangs.
• Mangroves - mangroves are a unique place as they are a mixture of land and water, so can be harsh living conditions. However, you can still find some beautiful marine life there. In this section you can find species including spotted scat, Malaysian angelfish, archerfish, the funny looking 'four eyed fish' whose eyes sit on top of its head! You can also see the Atlantic horse crab in this section with the beautiful African moonfish.
• Corals - Coral is incredibly important to marine life. It acts as protection, home and food source. Its also incredibly difficult to maintain. In this section you can find the aquariums incredibly beautiful collection of living coral, as well as one or two species in the tank too!
• Jellyfish & Seahorses - this tank is brimming with life with some creates that are sometimes not some as commonly in nature. It includes the beautiful seahorses, moon jelly, blue linckia, harlequin filefish and some more beautiful coral, amongst others.
• Tide Pool - this section replicates the tide pools you found around the coastal areas and is home to favourites such as star fish (now known as sea stars!) as well as whitespotted bambooshark, which can actually spend up to 12 hours out of the water!

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Deep Ocean Zone

The Deep Ocean zone is home to a huge centrepiece tank and then multiple smaller tanks and in this section you will find:

• Cold Water Corals - this section is home to animals that live deep in the depths of the ocean and can withstand colder temperatures. You will find pineconefish, arrow crabs, the very beautiful swallowtail seaperch and the bright orange cardinal fish, as well as beautiful corals from the depths including incredible purple jewel anemone, yellow coral and singular sea fusion.
• Octopus - hiding in this section you will find the common octopus, black goby, Guinean puffers, the beautifully colourful Pointed-snout wrasse and the aesthetically challenged (in our opinion!) Black scorpionfish!
• Deep Sea - a magnificent large tank with a vast front which is home to more of the aquariums larger species including various varieties of sharks, including Bull sharks, and Sand tiger sharks and more rays, including bull rays, southern stingrays amongst others. Keeping them company in the tank you will also find seabass, salema, pompano and if you look carefully you may even spot the resident loggerhead turtle!
• Shoaling and Schooling - in another large tank, you can enjoy sitting and watching the longspine snipefish and their long trumpet noses! A schooling species, they are fascinating to watch in the water as they swim in large schools and can turn in an instant. Will they all follow each other! You can also see the White skate in this tank with is smiling face and the lesser spotted dogfish!
• Submarine Canyon - An interesting display in a large tank that is only half full (on purpose!) You can find the spider crabs, cardinal fish and nursehounds in this section.
• Moray Eel Cave - if you don't like the long and slimey eels, you can steer clear of this section! Home to lots of eels, slithering they way around the tank! However, you can also see some beautiful coloured fish in there including the rainbow coloured barred hogfish and the not so pretty but still red, Red scorpionfish, all hanging out with the eels!
• Sea Dragons - this section fascinates us. The sea dragons. The little creatures are incredibly sensitive to the surrounding environment and if it's not moving, you may be forgiven for missing it and thinking its just a plant floating around in the water, but no, its the rather wonderful sea dragons! The aquarium has the largest collection of Sea Dragons in the country! Looks like a mix between a strange looking horse, a strange looking sea horse and a unicorn, but to confirm, only very small!
• Lobster - a long dark tank home to a variety of lobsters from the Canary islands and kept company with a school of European seabass to ensure they feel at home! Oh, and extra points if you can spot the resident red hermit crab!

The aquarium also has a great cafe called 'Nemo Snack Bar' and a restaurant called 'Néstor' and both have tank views so you can watch the fish as you relax!

As you can see, there is plenty to see at the aquarium and it makes it a great place to entertain the kids on the island! We highly recomment the aquarium!