A shoal of baby sea bass create a mesmerising sight.

More than 1,000 fish of all shapes and colours will be gracing the 26 tanks at the national aquarium, which opens its doors to the public at the end of the month.

Some, like black tip reef sharks, were flown over from the Caribbean Sea and others, such as sea bream, were brought from the Aquaculture Research Centre in Fort San Luċjan, Marsaxlokk.

Work on the €15.6 million project, partly financed by the EU and private investment, started in November 2011 and has now reached the stage where fish are being gradually introduced to get used to their new home.

There will be more than 50 different species of fish imported from the Mediterranean, the Indian Ocean, the Red Sea and the Caribbean.

Curator Mike Hutchinson said the aquarium would also be working on a conservation project to breed the local seahorse.

A cow fish is one of the many species at the aquarium.

With 25 years experience, Mr Hutchinson has built similar aquariums in China, America, North Korea, Scotland and New Zealand.

Nursehound and small spotted cat shark eggs have also been brought from San Luċjan, where Mcast and Sharklab Malta are carrying out a conservation project to make up for the species’ declining numbers.

Children will be able to touch starfish, sea urchins and lobsters in a pool where a diver will guide them on how to handle the marine creatures and teach them about their nutritional habits.

The national aquarium’s entrance.

They will also be able to walk through a tunnel in a fish tank with cave-dwelling fish, and patrons can go through a 15-metre long tunnel in a 400,000-litre tank to see the fish at close range.

This tropical reef tank holds about 400 fish, including a mangrove ray and five black tip sharks that will grow up to 1.5 metres long. Larger sharks will be brought over in the coming weeks.

A few metres away, a group of greater amberjack, each weighing about 22 kilos, circle around their tank set against a backdrop of the Blue Grotto.

A cuttlefish.

Fish from the Valletta harbour, including rays, small shark species, mullet and sea bass, will be housed in a Valletta harbour-themed section.

The aquarium tanks have been made up in a way to represent different diving sites around the island, with handmade concrete replicas of shipwrecks and statues.

Each tank has its own filter, to avoid diseases spreading, controlled ozone and ultraviolet light to kill bacteria. Sick fish will be moved to a quarantine area where they can be treated before being put back.

A ray swims close to the walk-through tunnel of a 330-cubic-metre fish tank at the national aquarium in Qawra, which will open to the public at the end of the month. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

Yellowtail purple tang and yellow tang in their tank. Right: An emperor angelfish swims in front of artificial coral replicating its natural environment.

Curator Mike Hutchinson inside the tunnel. Photos: Matthew Mirabelli