Loch Ness Has Got Nothing on Golden Nugget’s Aquarium

Looking for something free to do in Las Vegas? Try this.

The Golden Nugget, downtown, has a couple of sweet fish tanks. The most famous is the one at the pool, where you can take a water slide through a shark tank.

Golden Nugget shark tank
The shark tank at Golden Nugget has about 300 animals in it. Some of them the party type. It’s Vegas.

Pretty cool, right?

But there’s another aquarium in the hotel’s Rush Tower. This 75,000-gallon tropical fish aquarium sits between the check-in desk and the Chart House restaurant and bar. Emphasis on the bar, of course.

Rush Tower aquarium
You’d never suspect something epic slithers within.

It’s a gorgeous aquarium, and an endless source of entertainment whether you’re sitting at the bar, having dinner or just passing through for a look.

But don’t be distracted by the exotic fish. Look closely, and you’ll see a six-foot monster, a green moray eel.

green moray eel
This is where we say, “Aieee!”

These bad boys are typically found in the western Atlantic, and can grow up to eight feet long.

Now, let’s see how much you know about moray eels! The eel’s “kingdom” is Animalia, of course. It’s phylum is Chordata, class is Actinopterygii, order is Anguilliformes, family is Muraenidae, genus is Gymnothorax, species is G. funebris and its binomial name is Gymnothorax funebris. Which is all stuff we knew off the top of our head, of course.

Checking out the free aquariums at Golden Nugget is a fun way to take a break from the casino, and see some truly amazing life forms, up close and personal.