acralic structures

[mat_in]

hi i m matin 5yr archi student designing an oceanarium.
a transperent tunnel through the fish tanks could be made by acrylic or glass but i dnt know which is better. what r the constructional details for it?
is that any other material possible for this?


pls reply me i u have some information.

[barryhunter]

The tubes are typically acrylic. Water pressure can be immense, so try not to go to deep with the tube. For marine aquarium elements see www.strombergarchitectural.com

[miscreant]

someone just posted on the aquarium enthusiast site I'm on the other day about it, according to someone named Boozeman (heeeee) there, displays are made in much the same way as swimming pools are, wire mesh suport and shotcrete buildup. Then they cover it in flocoat. put the acrylic viewing pane an voila!
the filtration is much the same as ours but on a larger scale. .. with huge sand filters and commercial ozonizers doing most of the work.

[miscreant]

i think it's safe to say that acrylic is the way to go... how are you going to support the tube? or were you, or did you, judging by this post date//please show pics!!!!!

[Fabdesigno]

it could be a vaulted tunnel (which resists and passes load easily) passing below the aquarium, although the view will be slightly distorted because of the concaved surface, the material would probably be acrylic/fibre glass. ive been in something like that before and it was a huge aquarium
gd luck