While the 2016 Olympics and Paralympics inspired an ambitious makeover of Rio de Janeiro, one project is still underway but almost completed – South America’s biggest aquarium.

CCTV’s Lucrecia Franco reports the story

Follow Lucrecia C. Franco on Twitter @LucreciaFranco

Some claim it will be as impressive as this skeleton of a twenty-ton humpback whale that ran aground in Rio’s coast two years ago. And it seems it will

Rio’s marine aquarium, or “AquaRio,” built-in a 26,000 square meter warehouse, wants to set a record in South America, when it opens to the public in November.

The $37 million private funded project will house some 8,000 marine animals from 350 species. One third of them are already getting adapted.

The water here is pristine compared to the Rio’s highly contaminated Guanabara Bay, the criticized sailing venue of the 2016 Olympics.

The 4.5 million liter aquarium aims to raise environmental awareness, but it is also expects to become one of Rio’s main tourist attractions, with 28 tanks spread over five floors.