Watch the hypnotic shoals

Watch our large shoal of mackerels as they move around gracefully in the largest aquarium in Northern Europe.

The open sea

57:00N  02:00E

Here, you are in the middle of the North Sea with the large shoals of fish and the special and famous sunfish. Fish shoals need a lot of space, and that is why the Oceanarium is shaped like an ellipse on 22 x 33 metres. It contains 4.5 mill. litres of sea water, and this makes it Northern Europe’s largest aquarium.

The midwater between the sea floor and the surface is full of life. Here, the foundation of life in the sea begins.

The microscopic plants, the plankton algae, subsist on sunlight and get eaten by larger animals, which get eaten by larger fish – and so on.

In the midwater there are no hiding places, and that is actually the reason why the fish form shoals in this area of the sea. Herring, mackerel, horse mackerel and garfish do this – the fish simply hide between a large flock of peers.

In the spring, the mackerel and the garfish live near the Danish coasts where anglers are eager to catch them.

The Oceanarium
The Oceanarium is an impressive sight with its 4.5 mill litres of sea water and 2-3000 fish, including the sunfish.