Aquarium
Dive into two worlds of water at Catawba Science Center and explore a dazzling saltwater gallery and a rich Amazon freshwater ecosystem, all under one roof.
Two Galleries, One Amazing Journey
The Catawba Science Center Aquarium takes you on an immersive journey through two distinct aquatic worlds. Our Saltwater Gallery brings the ocean to the Carolina Foothills with a hands-on touch tank, exotic fish, and mesmerizing invertebrates.
Step into the Freshwater Gallery and travel deep into the Amazon River Basin. Home to colorful fish, frogs, snakes, stingrays, turtles, and one of our most impressive residents: a three-foot electric eel!
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Join Today!Saltwater Gallery
Touch tanks, sharks, stingrays, seahorses, puffer fish, sea stars, and garden eels.
Freshwater Gallery
Amazon River Basin with fish, frogs, snakes, stingrays, turtles, and a three-foot electric eel.
Hands-On Learning
Interactive touch tanks and interpretive signage make every visit an educational adventure.
Electric Eel
One of our most talked-about residents — a living marvel of natural bioelectricity.
What You'll Find
Saltwater Gallery
Our Saltwater Gallery showcases the incredible diversity of ocean life. Get up close with live bamboo sharks and southern stingrays in our touch tank, marvel at the graceful movements of our tropical fish, and spot the spiky tails of the ancient Horseshoe crabs traveling across the tank floor.
Keep an eye out for our clown fish and the delicate garden eels swaying in the current, two of the most captivating residents in the gallery!
Freshwater Gallery
Our Freshwater Gallery transports you to the Amazon River Basin, one of the most biodiverse aquatic ecosystems on Earth. Discover colorful fish, tree frogs, a gecko, a freshwater stingray, and river turtles.
Our Amazon Oxbow exhibit features catfish and some exceptionally large red-bellied pacu. The undisputed star of the gallery, however, is our three-foot electric eel, a living marvel of natural bioelectricity!
Meet the Residents
From the ocean floor to the Amazon basin, our aquarium is home to some truly remarkable animals.
Saltwater touchtank
Shark & Stingray Touch Tank
Reach in and feel the smooth skin of small sharks and stingrays in our popular interactive touch tank — a favorite for visitors of all ages!
Saltwater wall of life
Garden Eels
Watch closely to find our colony of garden eels pop up from their sandy burrows, a truly hypnotic sight. In the wild they can grow up to 2ft (60cm) long!
Coastal Carolina
Horseshoe Crab
Spot our Horseshoe crabs in the coastal carolina tank! Horseshoe crabs are living fossils and have not evolved since they first appeared alongside trilobites about 445 million years ago!
freshwater
Amazon Oxbow
Oxbows are crescent-shaped lakes in lowland Amazonia that form when a river changes course. This massive tank features catfish and massive Red-bellied Pacu, a close relative of the piranha!
Freshwater
Amazon River Basin
A rich exhibit teeming with fish, tree frogs, a hecko, and Amazonian river turtles. Look closely, and you might also find our freshwater stingray!
Freshwater
Electric Eel
Telsa our electric eel, is one of the most talked-about residents at CSC. This remarkable fish generates electrical pulses to stun prey!
Our Aquatic Friends Need Your Help!
CSC's aquarium needs an upgrade! Be a part of our mission to provide the community with science education for all, and consider donating to our Annual Fund. Catawba Science Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Your donation is tax-deductible to the full extent allowed by law. EIN: 56-1073440
Find the Aquarium
The Fresh and Salt water galleries are located inside the Aquarium/Planetarium building on the North side of the SALT Block campus. You can walk through either Land to Sea or the Hall of Astronomy to enter.
View Campus MapQuestions About the Aquarium?
Reach out to our team — we're happy to help plan your visit.
Phone
(828) 322-8169