Otter habitats mixed with fish at the Aquamarine Fukushima and Discovery Cove

And below an otter habitat at the SeaWorld's Discovery Cove, Florida, also mixed with fish. 

24 01 23 Concave shark and reef tank

Cylinder tanks can distort the fish and make viewing strenuous. However, here are two concave tanks of very different size where the concave shape of the window enhanced the viewing.

At the Long Island Aquarium, the main shark tank is a large fiberglass tank with about 30 feet (ca. 9 meters) diameter. The windows are curved out, bringing the animals closer to the viewer. The windows are only 8' wide, that creates an intimated viewing, excellent for a family to observe and share their experience in a more private atmosphere. Compared to larger viewing windows, it made a nice contrast. Because the curve was so slight, the distortion was less than that of your average cylinder tank.

Also, noteworthy: The Long Island Aquarium doesn't have an acrylic tunnel — I didn't miss it. The second tank (at the 1min4second) shows a hemisphere acrylic window of about 3 feet (ca. 91 cm) that leads to a very strong magnification. It made the tiny animals pop out and also made an interesting viewing. The distortion was not hindering the view but making it great.

Dubai Mall aquarium - Giftshop tank

Entry pools at the Long Island Aquarium

The flounder at the 1-minute point has been doing laps. I saw the flounder going around at least three times. These animals are rarely so active in smaller tanks. The touch tank was heavily stocked. Maybe overstocked due to the fact that the outdoor ray tank was closed. It was interesting to view and compare that many and beautiful animals.

Rope Bridge Over Shark Tank - 4 minute video

Live Coral Tank wild-design

wildcat exhibit at the animal park in Goldau, Switzerland

16 11 Odysea Aquarium 2016 from upper level to Lower level

Boring ramp walk from upper penguin viewing to lower level gets enhanced with wall projection of ship voyage

A long winding ramp from the upstairs penguin viewing area to the underwater viewing area gets enhanced with projections along the walls. The shows the HMS Beagle breaking through rough seas. A bit of mist is sprayed on the guests. Then the sea calms, there's a night sky projection and a tiny amount of snowflakes (or ice flakes) falls from the ceiling.

I'm not a fan of technology in zoos, generally. Technology is outdated within a decade or two while animals are always fascinating. However, I liked what they did here to anotherwise boring ramp.

Outdoor aquarium tanks

Locating aquarium exhibits out of doors and in the landscape offers a wealth of advantages and design opportunities.
Integrating the exhibits into the environment allows for a highly complex natural experience for the animals and the visitors. Visitors see fish as part of nature rather than isolated in a tank in a building.

Plants grow healthily and plantings can be incorporated into the design - in fact, the landscape is integral and a highlight of the design. Animals in the exhibit experience a more natural life - they have access to the open air and the weather, natural light, and insects and birds may visit their water body.

Traditional aquariums are usually indoors and the cost of the building is exponentially greater than the cost of an outdoor tank exhibit. Corrosive saltwater further drives up the cost of any building material surrounding a tank.

Outdoor, landscaped aquarium exhibits are not often a consideration for a new design because they don't allow for complete control of the parameters of the exhibit. Algae growth is often cited as a problem, but I spoke with aquarists at an outdoor exhibit in Abu Dhabi and they said they experienced less growth in their outdoor tanks.

In Oregon along a hiking trail this viewing window is set into the side of a naturally flowing stream. It was not a captive fish exhibit and when I was there there weren't many fish to see. But I was told one can observe larger trouts here.




https://youtu.be/u1xc4odhBWM

At the Pilsen Zoo in the Czech Republic fish tanks presenting a stream habitat are viewed from the side in a cutaway tank. The surrounding area is landscaped.
The first video shows unfortunate reflection that occurs when the screen (and the observer) aren't in the shade.

Reflection
https://youtu.be/JyjUNbEi_SI


But there is also this larger tank that the visitor sees from inside a grotto. The fish can enjoy the sun, wind and rain. The visitor can enjoy a perfect reflection-free viewing experience.  It's great. The windows are narrow, which keeps the glass thin and prevents a green hue.

Pilsen Zoo, Outdoor fish tanks.

https://youtu.be/R1kDRgSyuVo

https://youtu.be/O3JqIYCPF_g

The visitor is standing in a grotto, the fish swim under open sky. No reflection issue here.

Again, no reflection issue. 

A bit more shading on the visitor side and this would make a perfect viewing experience.

At Cleveland Zoo in Ohio the visitors are under a covered area and the fish are not - it can rain and snow into the tanks while the visitor stays dry. The photos below were taken during a heavy downpour with thunder and lightning.

Birds and insects can enter the exhibits. Which might need consideration.

A cutaway view offers a unique view into the animals' habitat. Everyone has experienced looking into a pond or stream from above.

Here's a great example from the Sea Life Park in Tokyo. It rained that day, too. But I'm standing in a covered (but unheated) building. The viewing was excellent.

Sea Life Park Tokyo

https://youtu.be/AeZcT2qUPP8

The large tank with the greenish hue, was covered in a net that was barely visible to the visitor. Unfortunately the tank was poorly stocked. Only a few and small fish.
But the last 3 feet show a beautifully decorated tank with an excellent viewing experience.


Below: many more photos of  outdoor tanks. Some are within a netted area, an aviary; good to keep birds in, and other birds out. Here the net is nicely hidden from view by the lush vegetation.

This photo is taken from inside a greenhouse, with the visitor being inside, and the fish tank outside.




Below more photos that show outdoor tanks. Either as cutaways or as ponds.