Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am having trouble with coming up with a way to build my waterfall. I have an idea but am not sure if it will work. I am thinking of building it with levels of PVC and eggcrate from the false bottom to just about the top of the aquarium. It would be a good 12 inches high. I think it will work but it just looks not right. It would look better probably with it planted and such. Anyways, i was just wondering if anyone could share with me the way they built there own waterfall? I am open to all ideas

Thanks
Jon

You could use cork bark. Here is the picture of the top of one of my waterfalls. The water comes from underneath this piece of bark and flows down another piece below it, as well as dripping from under this one into a pool. The moss, fern and some other leafy plant grew from this damp piece of bark, probably from spores that were lodged there, as they aren't anything I planted. If you just wash off the cork and don't sterilize it, you can get all kinds of nice surprises like this. I haven't been able to get a good straight on view of the entire falls, due to glass reflections and flash spots, but I'll try again by lighting it at night so you can get a better idea. This is just the "cap" that is set over the top of the cork bark that constitues the falls and distributes some of the water into drips.

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Patty
Pahsimeroi, Idaho

4 D. auratus blue
5 D. galactonotus pumpkin orange splash back
5 D. imitator
6 D. leucomelas
4 D. pumilio Bastimentos
4 D. fantasticus
4 P. terribilis
4 D. reticulatus
4 D. castaneoticus

This may be a better image. The water is flowing down the cork bark from just under the cork bark cap with the moss and fern on it. It also flows across the underside of the cap somewhat and drips down into the the pool underneath. Occasional splashes help keep the bromeliad axils full of fresh water.

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Patty
Pahsimeroi, Idaho

4 D. auratus blue
5 D. galactonotus pumpkin orange splash back
5 D. imitator
6 D. leucomelas
4 D. pumilio Bastimentos
4 D. fantasticus
4 P. terribilis
4 D. reticulatus
4 D. castaneoticus

Thats an excellent looking waterfall. Thanks for posting a picture of it for me.. I was kinda thinking about just having the water run down either a piece of wood or a nice flat rock into a little pool that is drained into the false bottom

Jon

You could also stack thin "slate" type rock from large on the bottom to small. If you use wood, be sure to use wood that isn't going to rot easily or you'll just have mush in no time. I use a lot of ropy lava rock, which makes great falls, but isn't usually available unless you can collect it nearby. It's also extremely heavy. I have one falls of petrified wood. Take your time and have fun with it. I don't know where you live, but if you can get out in the mountains or hills, look for neat stuff to use.

Last fall when I was in the Nevada desert with my son, who is a geologist, I found some great stuff I was going to use as "paving stones" around a pool. He said it would be very nice, but many of the wonderful flat stones I'd collected were full of aresenic, and I ought to be careful about using them. There's nothing like having an expert in the family to spoil your fun.

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Patty
Pahsimeroi, Idaho

4 D. auratus blue
5 D. galactonotus pumpkin orange splash back
5 D. imitator
6 D. leucomelas
4 D. pumilio Bastimentos
4 D. fantasticus
4 P. terribilis
4 D. reticulatus
4 D. castaneoticus