Attractions

The Aquarium at the Silverton Hotel

3333 Blue Diamond Rd.
Las Vegas, NV 89139
(702) 263-7777
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The Aquarium at Silverton

The Aquarium at the Silverton Hotel Details

  • Hours of operation: Open daily, 24 hours. Daily fish feeding at 1:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. The mermaid show runs about every half hour during the following times: Thursday, 2:15 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.;  Friday and Saturday, 2:15 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.; Sunday,11:30 - 6:45 p.m. Schedule is subject to change, so please call for updated times.
  • Cost: Free.
  • Payment options: Not applicable.
  • Reservations: Reservations not necessary.
  • Location: Located at the Silverton Hotel near the intersection of Blue Diamond Road and Industrial Road. About 5 miles from the Vegas Strip.
  • Age/Height/Weight restrictions: Not applicable.

The Aquarium at the Silverton Hotel Review

Meet the fishes

Featuring 160 species of fish from all over the world, The Aquarium at The Silverton definitely has its share of shapes and colors. These are just a handful of the fish you get to see. 

 

Triggerfish

  • Length: Varies from eight inches to three feet
  • Home: Warm costal waters of the Atlantic, Mediterrananean and Indo-Pacific 
  • Fun fact: Triggerfishes have a dorsal spine on top of their head, which allows them to "lock" themselves into holes to prevent from being eaten. 

Parrotfish 

  • Length: Varies from 12 inches to 39 inches
  • Home: Found in tropical waters near coral reefs
  • Fun fact: After digestion, they excrete their waste as sand. Believe it or not, they're responsible for many of the white sand beaches! 

Leopard Shark

  • Length: Up to six feet long
  • Home: Northeastern Pacific Ocean 
  • Fun fact: In the wild, these fish are bottom feeders eating things like crustaceans and mollusks. 

Achilles Tang

  • Length: Up to 10 inches long
  • Home: Tropical Western Pacific waters (including Hawaii) 
  • Fun fact: This fish is easy to spot since it has a distinct orange teardrop at the base  of its tail. 

Unicorn Tang

  • Length: Up to two feet long
  • Home: Indo-Pacific waters
  • Fun fact: The unicorn tang has a unique "horn" coming off of its head, which grows as the animal grows. The horn has no known function. 

Emperor Angelfish

  • Length: Up to 15 inches
  • Home: Indo-Pacific waters
  • Fun fact: Young fish have very different colors and patterns than the adults. The color changes occur when the fish reach three to five inches long.

Information courtesy of The Aquarium at the Silverton. 

If you grew up loving Ariel and Sebastian from Disney's "The Little Mermaid," then you're in for a treat. 

There may not be a singing crab belting out Caribbean-sounding tunes, but the "mermaids" swimming in 117,000-gallon reef aquarium at the Silverton are a unique sight to see. The mermaids join the 4,000-plus fish and do everything from blowing bubbles to interacting with kids watching from the outside. 

But the mermaids are more than just pretty ladies donning colorful fins and bikini tops. These women have various backgrounds, from synchronized and competitive swimming to ballet. You'll see them twirl, flip, dance and do other fun stunts -- you would almost believe they really are part-fish! 

You may wonder how the mermaids breathe underwater, since they're swimming in the tank 15 minutes at a time. Every mermaid is scuba-certified and gets air from hookah ports throughout the tank. To enjoy this one-of-a-kind, free show, mermaids swim Thursday (between 2:15 p.m. - 8:45 p.m.), Friday and Saturday (2:15 p.m. - 9:45 p.m.) and Sunday (from 11:30 a.m. - 6:45 p.m.)  

In addition to the mermaids, you can also catch divers feeding stingrays at 1 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. daily. There's a guide outside the tank who'll take questions from the audience. The divers have a built-in speaker in their suit and can answer anything you want to know about the fish. Divers also share fascinating facts about the aquarium. For instance, the staff spends 32 hours a week to clean the tank. And if you ever wondered if the bigger fish attack the smaller ones, it rarely happens. The fish are well fed.

It's fun to watch the fish in their own little world. You'll see fish sticking close together like high school cliques and sting rays brushing up against each other as they glide and flap their fins. Some fish, like the sting ray and leopard shark, like to hang out on the aquarium floor. This is a sight to see since we're so used to seeing fish on the go. 

Plan on sticking around for awhile? There are comfortable benches outside the Mermaid Cafe and Lounge. You'll lose track of time just by watching the sea creatures. While you're in the area, make sure to check out the mermaid art gallery. All art is available for sale and can even be shipped out of state. 

After visiting this aquarium, you'll be humming Ariel's "Part of Your World" and Sebastian's "Under the Sea" in no time. And maybe - just maybe - be inspired to scuba dive. 

-- Review by Jeannie Garcia