Aquarium Lining Systems with Metflex

Hollingworth House, Bolton, Lancashire, England

An unusual two-storey fish display tank was incorporated into Hollingworth House in Lancashire. The tank was formed by using the reinforced concrete walls and ground floor as the base and rear backdrop with sheets of transparent acrylic material protruding from the ground floor through the first floor to form the front walls of the tank.

The two concrete walls and floor were sprayed with colour-coordinating Metflex, in blue and a buff, to provide a watertight lining. Then the front acrylic sheets were bonded to the Metflex. Not only did this demonstrate the strength of the bond between Metflex and the glazing adhesive sealant but also the strength of the bond of Metflex to the concrete given the pressures encountered with this depth of water.

The unusual two-storey aspect of the tank means, of course, the fish can enjoy watching different visitors from different levels in the tank – and vice versa.

Westerland Aquarium, Sylt, Germany

Westerland Aquarium is a new purpose built aquarium on the island of Sylt off the North Sea coast of Germany. Within this new development, the main structure of all the aquarium tanks were formed using reinforced concrete.

The requirement for waterproof lining of all the tanks specified different colours for different tanks to complement the range of intended aquatic environments. As an added touch of humour it was specified that all treated-water holding tanks were to be sprayed in a bright cerise pink – no problem given Metflex’s colour versatility. Metflex was the obvious choice to meet all the necessary requirements for flexibility, durability, and water quality.

One of the most difficult aspects of the job was held to be the timing of the work. The construction programme required that the lining work be done during a very cold time of year with ambient temperatures just above 0°C. It would have been impossible to use conventional linings in the circumstances and the project would have been held up while waiting for warmer weather. That would have resulted in a further delay with conventional liners taking at least two or three months to install.

Using Metflex meant there was no problem to continue working in cold temperatures and the entire lining work was fully completed within just two weeks – a huge saving of time and money.

Koi Pond, Saltburn-by-the-Sea, Yorkshire, England

The owner of this outdoor aquarium is highly-respected for his very valuable collection of prized Koi Carp. Over six years ago, the aquarium was being constructed from rendered concrete blockwork to provide flowing curves and angles to add to the visual interest. Metflex was the obvious solution to provide a fully waterproof lining given the complexity of the design. The selected colour was subtle dark green that would allow the fish to stand out against their background and enable their markings and colourings to be fully appreciated. The softly mottled surface texture was chosen so as to avoid any damage to fish – a problem that had been suffered with conventional linings in the past.

After six years in place the Metflex is continuing to give outstanding performance as expected; no leaks, no problem with fish health, excellent water quality and pH balance. Algae formation is minimal and does not cause the kinds of problems that are typical of many other types of lining surfaces – any deposit that does occur around the waterline is simply removed with a rubber blade. And as to the old problem of fish damage – even though there are several sharp edges contained in the pool, the resilience of the Metflex and its cushioning effect have protected the Koi from scale damage that is normally caused by a glancing impact on hard corners or surfaces.

Deep Sea World, North Queensferry, Scotland

Installation had already commenced on a number of new sectional GRP aquarium tanks at the Deep Sea World centre. However, past experience of ongoing leakage through joints and seams in this type of tank was a cause for concern. The team at Deep Sea World were keen to find a fix for the problem at installation stage rather than suffer the same leakage problems on these new tanks in the future. Metflex provided the solution.

Using two colours to complement the thematic scheme of the aquarium, coatings of Metflex were applied over the course of two days work ensuring the tanks were completely sealed and watertight. Over eight years later, and there has not been a single leakage proving the longevity of Metflex as a waterproofing solution. Not only that, but the application of Metflex on the tanks also proved the suitability of Metflex in fish-care applications. Being totally inert after application means it does not leach or leak out harmful chemicals, as do many other systems. Water quality is just not a problem as amply demonstrated by the very sensitive aquatic organisms that are thriving within the tanks.

Astrid Park Plaza Aquarium, Antwerp, Belgium

The Astrid Park Plaza project centred on a new purpose built aquarium centre next to Antwerp Zoo

The centre comprises a variety of steel, timber, rendered blockwork, and concrete-formed aquarium tanks and these were to be lined to create a durable and watertight but decorative finish. The tanks are of a complex design with compound non-planar surfaces and intricate detailing – virtually impossible to line with hand-applied, rigid-type liners. The requirements also included application of a decorative hardwearing finish to the external faces of the aquarium tanks and some floor areas to ensure total waterproofing of the area

Metflex 120 was the ideal choice to meet the specification:

	Spray-on application meant the intricate and awkward detailing was relatively easy to cover and make fully watertight.
	Choosing from the extensive range of RAL colours, the Metflex coatings were applied to perfectly match the decorative colour scheme requirements.
	Metflex’s fast application and curing properties made it possible to comply with the need for critical timing and flexibility of working so as to integrate with overall programme of work.
	Metflex met the requirement for absolute waterproofing whilst retaining the flexibility to cope with natural movement within the structures.
	The superior bonding capabilities of Metflex meant there was no problem in coping with the vast array of different substrates and materials used in construction of the complex. Most importantly, being totally inert and providing a gentle surface texture meant Metflex would be fully fish-friendly.

The Metflex lining work was completed in a very short space of time with all display tanks, treatment tanks, external coatings, etc being treated and finished in less than two weeks – an enormous time saving compared to conventional waterproofing which would have taken a minimum of three months.