A lot of people including the Penangites don’t really know there is a small aquarium located in Batu Maung, Penang Island. Even though the aquarium is small, if you live in Penang and like aquatic life, you could probably pay a visit to this place and you might like some of the fish there. I was actually sort of surprised to know there is this small aquarium located in Batu Maung, Penang. I won’t know if my friend in Penang hadn’t told me about it.

By comparing to the Aquaria KLCC and Underwater World Langkawi, the Penang aquarium is very small  and there are far less aquatic species in this aquarium but you will get a more up-close and personal experience since this place is hardly packed even during peak seasons. You can take all the time you have to see all the fishes. The admission fee is only RM5 per person which to me is quite a bargain.

The entrance to the aquarium within the Fisheries Research
Institute.

The aquarium is located within the Fisheries Research Institute (FRI) which is a government based research institute. Even though it’s a small aquarium, it has quite a number of fish tanks and there are actually quite a lot of species of fish and you will notice some very weird sea creatures. There is also a 80,000-litre tank housing several species of larger sized aquatic life.

Besides, there is a koi pond outside the aquarium. You are allowed to feed the koi fish and the turtles, but only with certain food provided by the aquarium staffs. It’s really fun seeing the turtles and the koi fish feeding on the food.

There are also quite a number of display of coral reefs. I am not talking about the dead one, you could see some live coral reefs moving their tentacles around in tanks. If you want to know more about coral reefs, this place is for you. There are lots of articles explaining in depth about coral reefs. Overall, it was quite an informative trip for me.

For more pictures of Penang aquarium, please visit the following flickr photostream.

Location, Map and Driving Direction to Penang Aquarium:

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