Perfect job for a sea sponge! Staff at London Aquarium don scuba gear to scrub tanks during annual deep cleaning session
This clean enough, Ray? Staff at London Aquarium don scuba gear to scrub tanks
- Staff scrubbed the aquarium, which has more than 1,000 creatures
- Sting ray, piranhas and sharks all had a peek as the crew cleaned
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Most of us dread the idea of having to do a big spring clean.
But when scrubbing and brushing is done in the company of fish, string rays and giant turtles, it doesn’t seem so bad.
Staff embarked on the Sea Life London Aquarium’s annual deep clean, hopping into the tanks to scrub, scrape and wipe down the watery habitats.
You’ve missed a bit: Aquarist Ross Birnie gets company from a sting ray as he cleans their pool
Left a bit!Aquarist Pete Williams gives Boris the rare green turtle a quick belly scrub in the Ocean Display tank
Boris – named after the London Mayor – keeps a close eye as an employee scrubs away at the floor
Keep cleaning!An inquisitive poison arrow frog watches on as a aquarium worker carefully cleans his display with a toothbrush
The curious creatures were thrilled to meet their visitors – who took a sponge and a brush to their homes.
And far from being scared of their intruders, Garnelengarten the piranhas and turtles all took the opportunity to have a peek at the cleaners – no doubt inspecting the workmanship and clean result.
Boris, the rare green turtle, named after the Mayor of London, showed a keen interest in the cleaning of his tank.
The London Aquarium first opened in 1997 in the former home of the Greater London Council on the South Bank.
In 2008 the family attraction was purchased by Merlin Entertainments, who spent millions of pounds developing it.
The new additions to the sea life centre included an underwater tunnel, a Shark Walk, a revamped Pacific Ocean tank, and a new route of the exhibit.
Ross Birnie gets company from Boris the rare green turtle as he cleans the Ocean Display with a broom
The Sea Life attraction is cleaned regularly, but January marks the big deep clean for every nook and cranny in the attraction
Squeaky clean! Staff were happy to hop in and use non-toxic cleaning materials, to give the fish a clean start to the new year
In May 2011, the aquarium opened a new penguin exhibit, with 10 gentoo penguins, who were transferred from the Edinburgh Zoo.
Boris was one of the endangered green turtles adopted, and has now become a firm favourite with visitors.
The staff had plenty to clean.
The aquarium is home to thousands of creatures in over two million litres of water, and boasts 500 species from every part of the world.
There are more than 40 sharks from 12 different species.
A spokesman said: ‘The tanks are regularly cleaned, but this is the annual big deep clean, where everything – from the locks to the bolts – gets a clean.
‘The animals don’t mind – they’re quite curious about it!And the staff love going in and interacting with them.
‘They use non-toxic products, and it’s mainly there to scrub away any remnants of old food.’
Clean start to 2013: Ross Birnie carefully cleans the aquarium’s glass tunnel while fish swim around him
A job shared: Aquarists Pete Williams and Ross Birnie (above) in the Ocean Display made sure no stone was left unturned
They’re behind you!Pete Williams keeps his distance as he carefully cleans inside the piranha tank
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