Coral Reef
Long Island Aquarium’s Coral Reef Exhibit is one of the largest all-living, closed-system Coral Reef displays in the Western hemisphere.
Thirty feet long, the 20,000-gallon exhibit depicts a natural reef ecosystem, including a reef wall, crest, terrace, and back reef.
Our live Coral Reef exhibit incorporates both stony and soft corals, as well as anemones and coralline algae. It also features approximately 800 types of fish and other marine life. Marine life such as tangs, wrasses, gobies, angelfish, sea cucumbers, snails, crabs, and sea urchins.
The size and diversity of this living Coral Reef provide a unique view of natural aquatic behaviors, as different types of fish play their natural role in the complete, self-sustaining reef ecosystem.
Coral Reef Exhibit
Proudly Sponsored by:
Did You Know?
Corals are actually living creatures. They grow in colonies of individual animals called polyps.
Long Island Aquarium’s Coral Reef began in the basement of Curator and Co-Founder Joe Yaiullo, who still tends the reef during regular dives.
Corals are actually animals, growing in colonies of individuals called polyps. The hard, rigid “skeleton” that is visible on a reef is actually not alive.