Aquarium & Vivarium design.

The Reptilarium can realize your plans and ideas for spectacular aquariums no matter how large or small. We have decades of experience and expertise in all aspects of aquarium construction, design and operations.

Hotels, Restaurants, Offices, Public Aquaria, Zoos and Theme Parks as well as private individuals seeking that unique and impressive decorative item are increasingly looking at aquariums. Shopping Centres and business parks now appreciate the public spectacle and marketing potential that a large aquarium can bring. For many years international icons in entertainment and hospitality have included large scale aquariums in their design and planning of world-class resorts and venues. In Las Vegas alone there are more than one hundred aquariums in excess of 5,000 litres, and some are many millions of litres in size!

There are very few true experts capable of turning an aquarium sketch into reality. Worldwide the marketplace for large scale aquarium builders is dominated by just a few individual companies. Many of these companies use our services to obtain successful and spectacular results.

In 2011, The Reptilarium is looking to develop a section of the industry that for years has been plagued with poor quality workmanship, bad designs and inaccurate engineering. Our key targets are aquarium projects that fall between public aquaria sized ‘Oceanariums’ and the largest of home aquariums. Aquariums of between 1,000 and 50,000 litres.

The Limits of a hobbyist aquarium

Mass produced all-glass and acrylic aquariums are widely available at very reasonable prices. Filtration equipment lighting and accessories are manufactured en-masse for a worldwide market. The largest of these aquariums are no more than 2m long and no more than 1m tall or wide. Commercially available home aquarium equipment and supplies struggle to keep the water quality correct and the extra maintenance and running costs of multiple pumps, lights, heaters, chillers ensures that the largest of home aquariums becomes almost another full time job for the owner. Restraining nearly two tons of water behind undersized glass panels or poorly bonded acrylic sheets also creates a major safety risk, not to mention full scale flood damage in the event of a failure. Commercial aquarium manufacturers appreciate their position in the market and shy away from very big aquariums. The risks and the exposure are too great.

The same limits apply for the commercial aquarium as they do for the home aquarium, except they are critically more exposed to the increased safety risks.

Definitions

Commercial Aquariums is often the term applied to aquariums that are designed and built for public display or for commercial gain. Aquariums in shopping centres, restaurants, hotels and offices that are larger than the standard hobbyist aquariums, would be a general categorization. More importantly a commercial aquarium is almost always designed, engineered and built to an architect’s or interior designers specifications and is included as an integral part of the buildings construction process.

Increasing numbers of large custom built aquariums are being installed in private residences. No longer are these aquariums confined to the super-rich of Hollywood and the Sheiks of the Middle East. Today large scale and spectacular aquariums are integrated into the designs of many prestigious properties all over the world.

What to be aware of

1. Planning:
   Commercial Aquariums require careful planning, design and engineering. Consider building a large aquarium when either building a new or renovating an existing building. Placing a aquarium into a finished room will undoubtedly meet with many complications and obstructions. Aquariums are heavy. In many applications the installation of a large aquarium will require strengthening of foundations, joists and support beams.
2. Budget:
   Perhaps the most important aspect of planning and designing a new aquarium is defining and sticking to a budget. Large aquariums are not cheap and neither are they to maintain over long periods. Consider the aquarium a little bit like a luxury car or boat. It will have an initial cost for the purchase and will also have operating and maintenance costs. Consider that for commercial applications a very large aquarium may need a full time maintenance person or persons.
3. What you want to see:
   By far the most popular choice for commercial aquariums is tropical saltwater fish from the world’s coral reefs. This selection is active, colorful and continually changing. Depending on the internal décor or personal preferences large freshwater aquariums are also very spectacular, particularly when combined with other features such as waterfalls and living plants.
   Freshwater aquariums are frequently less maintenance intensive. Sharks (true sharks) are a very popular choice and with today’s technology can be housed comfortably in an aquarium of less than 10,000litres. Choices range from jellyfish through to crocodiles with every possible combination can be designed and built.

How to get started

Start by measuring the available space and considering the type of aquarium that you would like. If you have drawings or sketches send them to us at info@thereptilarium.com . AutoCAD compatible drawings are preferable but hand sketches work fine. Set yourself a budget, we don’t need to know about it, and try to answer as many of the following questions as possible:

• Where is the aquarium located?
• What Type of Aquarium do I want? (Saltwater, reef, Freshwater, Sharks, etc)
• What is the preferred shape of the aquarium?
• How many viewing windows must it have? (Front only, front and back, 4 sided, cylinder)
• How much space is their adjacent to the aquarium for filtration systems?
• Is there space above and below the aquarium for access?
• Is there space in a floor below the aquarium for filtration equipment? (This is preferable)

With these questions answered The Reptilarium will put together some sketches and drawings and a detailed no obligation quotation.

Send your sketches, designs and information to: info@thereptilarium.com or telephone 01202 720120.