The New England Aquarium has undergone some serious renovations in the last 10 months, especially the Giant Ocean Tank that serves as the aquarium’s centerpiece and main attraction. The “Giant Tank” that closely resembles a coral reef and is home to more than 2,000 aquatic animals – more than double the inhabitants it has ever held – just reopened Monday (July 1st). Even Boston’s Mayor Menino was impressed: according to NECN.com, Menino was amazed at the vast size of the exhibit saying, “There’s much more…  It’s a wow,” but made sure to mention that “Myrtle the turtle is still my favorite.”

The four-story tank was constructed in the late 1960s and was considered the largest exhibit of its kind in the world for quite some time. The tank just underwent $17.8 million worth of renovations and was given a top-to-botton 21st century makeover: it has a new coral reef, a reflective ceiling dome and clear railings at the top of the tank, and bigger crystal-clear acrylic windows to give vistors a better view. Not to mention the 2,000+ animals that can now call the giant ocean tank home.

While the work was being done, the Aquarium captured the entire process on video and posted the footage on its youtube account on Monday. You can watch the 200,000 gallon tank being drained and refilled in just under one minute in the video above. According to Boston Magazine, aquarium officials got “chills” watching the video of “the crowning achievement in the New Aquarium Experience.” If you watch the video and witness the lapsed transformation yourself, you may just get chills too.

The aquarium is right next to the harbor, so you could enjoy the fireworks on the 4th of July while visiting Menino’s favorite 550-pound green sea turtle, Myrtle. Or if you have other plans on the fourth, you can just check out the pictures below.