Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Morning,
Unfortunately I'm not on here NEARly enough, but at the end of this semester (2 weeks!) i'll be much happier and have more free time. I currently have a 55gal set up with 3 D. auratus (B&Green, Costa Rican). I'm doing the waterfall/pitiful stream set up in that, and I'm using a ExoTerra Repti Flo 200 pump for this one...The end of the tubing starts about 10-12" higher than the pump, and this tank is doing great.
Although, i must say they are still fairly shy...any suggestions as to get them more active?

Enough with the OT ramblings of a student needing to write papers.

I recently traded my drum set for a 125Gal 6ft tank from a PhD student i work with, and as you might imagine, i'm having an absolutely wonderful time setting this up. I went for the GS-Silicone-coco bedding background on this cage, and I'm currently working on the adding of silicone & bedding. In this viv tho, my waterfalls (yes 2) are going to be about 20" higher than the pump. I just bought a repti-flo 250 and tested it out....water flow stops once i raise the tubes more than 14" above the pump.

SO, to my actual question: What pump would any of you recommend for a waterfall starting ~20" above the pump? Repti-Flow 350? [stores in town don't carry this one, and i'd prefer to KNOW it will work before i order online as to not deal with returning to online venders] Anything else?

Thanks in advance, and i'll be posting pictures of current viv and the one in progress once finals are over. [just noticed that my signature needs a HUGE update as well, but oh well for now]
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m|tch the k|d
University of Missouri-Columbia

0.1 Iguana iguana (Green Iguana) ~ Taco
1.0 Uromastyx maliensis (Mali Uromastyx) ~ Fluffy
0.1 Pogona vitticeps (Inland Bearded Dragon) ~ Puff

1.0.1 Notophthalmus viridescens (Spotted Newt) ~ ¿?
0.0.3 Ambystoma maculatum (Spotted Salamander) ~ ¿?
0.0.1 Oeodura monilis (Australian Velvet Gecko) ~ Danny
0.1 Felis catus (Kittie Cat) ~ Gabel
1xx.1xx Hyla versicolor, Hyla chrysoscelis (Gray Treefrog, Cope's GTF) ~ (I work with these guys.)

i just read another website's forum and one of the people mentioned the following pump:
Aqua Lifter Vacuum Pump AW-20

Does anyone have any experience with this external pump? Opinions?
it says it has 30" of lift, which would definitely do my 20"

anyone know the size of the input/output ports 1/4" or 1/2", 5/8" ?

thanks
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m|tch the k|d
University of Missouri-Columbia

0.1 Iguana iguana (Green Iguana) ~ Taco
1.0 Uromastyx maliensis (Mali Uromastyx) ~ Fluffy
0.1 Pogona vitticeps (Inland Bearded Dragon) ~ Puff

1.0.1 Notophthalmus viridescens (Spotted Newt) ~ ¿?
0.0.3 Ambystoma maculatum (Spotted Salamander) ~ ¿?
0.0.1 Oeodura monilis (Australian Velvet Gecko) ~ Danny
0.1 Felis catus (Kittie Cat) ~ Gabel
1xx.1xx Hyla versicolor, Hyla chrysoscelis (Gray Treefrog, Cope's GTF) ~ (I work with these guys.)

I've found that most pumps that say they are made specifically for terrariums are overpriced and weak. The Aqua Lifter Vacuum Pump AW-20 probably wouldn't be what you want since its only a few gallons per hour. That's more of a drip than a waterfall. For my tank I bought a 200 GPH pump from Lowes in the pond section. I'm sure it would have no problem elevating the water to 20 inches.

The Eheim compact 600 will work great for what you are setting up. It is very small, will work in as little as 3" of water and I've found them to be reliable. I've also used Rio 600's for years, but seem to have to replace impellers a lot and have had a couple of them completely crap out on me within relatively short periods of time. A lot of people like the Maxi-Jet 600, but while they last forever, they are very awkward to set up for a frog tank. I use the Enheim 600 in a 135 gallon paludarium with two water falls and it does a great job. Any pump needs to be relatively accessible, since they will all tend to get clogged with debris once in awhile. These small ones are easy to hide.
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Patty
Pahsimeroi, Idaho

Dendrobates: auratus blue, auratus Ancon Hill, tinctorius azureus, leucomelas. Phyllobates: vittatus, terribilis, lugubris. Epipedobates: anthonyi tricolor pasaje. Ranitomeya fantastica, imitator, reticulata. Adelphobates castaneoticus, galactonotus. Oophagia pumilio Bastimentos. (updated systematic nomenclature)

Eheim is looking like a winner, but you say that it will work in 3" of water... is that the bare minimum, or a rough guess. a difference between requiring 2" (ideal) and 4" of water is going to make a significant different in the amount of drainage space for the 125gal tank.

but thanks for the help!
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m|tch the k|d
University of Missouri-Columbia

0.1 Iguana iguana (Green Iguana) ~ Taco
1.0 Uromastyx maliensis (Mali Uromastyx) ~ Fluffy
0.1 Pogona vitticeps (Inland Bearded Dragon) ~ Puff

1.0.1 Notophthalmus viridescens (Spotted Newt) ~ ¿?
0.0.3 Ambystoma maculatum (Spotted Salamander) ~ ¿?
0.0.1 Oeodura monilis (Australian Velvet Gecko) ~ Danny
0.1 Felis catus (Kittie Cat) ~ Gabel
1xx.1xx Hyla versicolor, Hyla chrysoscelis (Gray Treefrog, Cope's GTF) ~ (I work with these guys.)

That's a rough guess. You don't want the pump to run dry. I usually have at least a 4 inch drainage or false bottom in all but the smaller (10-15 gallon) tanks. 3" doesn't seem too much for a 125 to me. You'll still have a lot of "head room" for substrate and plants.
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Patty
Pahsimeroi, Idaho

Dendrobates: auratus blue, auratus Ancon Hill, tinctorius azureus, leucomelas. Phyllobates: vittatus, terribilis, lugubris. Epipedobates: anthonyi tricolor pasaje. Ranitomeya fantastica, imitator, reticulata. Adelphobates castaneoticus, galactonotus. Oophagia pumilio Bastimentos. (updated systematic nomenclature)

I took out the pump from a whisper in tank filter-the new ones out. I believe its for a 20 gallon tank. I had it set up in a fish tank before we moved. Before we moved I decided not to set that tank back up-it was a pain in the neck for me to keep the water clear. So I threw it out but decided to hack the filter to get to the pump. I haven't had the chance to see how it would work but it seemed to have good power and flow. But I will def. explore the option of this pump when I get my new tank purchased. Just an idea. Before I throw anything out I try to salvage anything that I think there might be a use for. Anyway just a thought.