Custom Acrylic Curved, African and Sth American Cichlid Habitat and Grow Wall Installation for Springett's Arcade Bowral, Southern Highlands
Project Information
Home to the museum of cricket legend Don Bradman, to brilliant tulip gardens to award-winning restaurants, cool-climate wineries and boutique shops, Bowral is the embodiment of Southern Highlands charm. Only 90 minutes south of Sydney, this town is also a great base to explore surrounding villages, country scenery and fascinating heritage.
Our Client, owner and CEO of Springett’s Arcade Bowral engaged Aquarium Architect to design a custom aquarium to uplift and modernise the lobby of the Shopping centre.
The design brief encompassed the requirement to install a Cichlid ecosystem and lush grow wall that would seamlessly integrate with the flat screen TVs to provide a relaxing ambience to the patron seating area.
Non-linear, curved lines were a strict requirement for the aquarium. The brief stated that the aquarium edges were to “mimic waves”. Accordingly, our design team liaised with the Client to create a cutting edge CAD design. Our engineers supervised the fabrication of the job in industrial grade Acrylic. Acrylic provides the flexibility, durability and robustnesses that Glass cannot provide. It remains clear for a lifetime, with minimal maintenance. The advantage of Acrylic over glass is that Acrylic can be easily polished, if any scratches were to appear.
Our lead designer created a custom hardscape for the tank, according to our Client’s hand sketched drawing.
Basic specifications of this installation:
- Capacity: 3000L
- Fabrication: Premium industrial grade Acrylic
- Size: 4.8m x 1m x 1m
- Filtration: Custom Sump with Mechanical Filtration
- Grow Wall: The lush grow wall features real, living plants which are combination of a selected ferns.
- Fish: Six varieties of premium African and American Cichlids
- Hardscape: Custom-made 3D hardscape constructed from real aesthetic stone, driftwood and find white river sand
Several years after installation, the live installation continues to provide a relaxing environment for tourists and locals, as they sit down to relax and unwind with friends and family. The fish are vibrant and active, and the tank ecosystem mimics one that you would find in nature, with crystal clear water and no turbity.
Aquarium Architect’s installation has become an popular icon of Bowral, enjoyed by everyone of all ages. You must take a trip to gorgeous Bowral to see this masterpiece yourself!
