Aside from the ghastly mural behind it, it is quite nice. An occasional tidal surge pours into the top most pool then races down to the lowest pools and works to a rather nice effect.
the fish in the mural all look stoned. If they were more cheerful then it would look all right. The whole aquarium seems geared more towards kids and families than anything so I don't have a problem with the murals everywhere.
I don't specifically know what it is with aquariums, and how many are like this, but a lot in Britain seem to be very child-orientated [more so than zoos], with examples of cartoon characters everywhere and guide books that have more wordsearches and mazes than info on the collection.
The murals throughout the aquarium do little to complement the surrounding exhibits. A good example is the orcas swimming through the lorikeet aviary. If there were a rhyme or reason to the design and placement of the murals they would be less distracting.
I suspect it results from a concern that fish (and their neighbors) are more difficult for humans to relate to than are mammals or even birds. Notice how their eyes always get over-emphasized
