fish / aquarium safe waterfall

[armageddon]

hi all, anybody have experience with making waterfall?
i checked youtube and seen alot are making using styofoam and than paint over it.... i very worried the paint substances etc will poison the fish and cause them their death. i plan to have a 2 ft tank at the bottom and a mini small waterfall on top.
just an idea..... but than again, need your advice and suggestion on those whom have done this on HOW to do it cause if use natural granite will be difficult to scape too...

[delhezi]

The classic waterfall as may be observed on pages like vivariumforums may not be a wise addition to the vivarium.

The materials used are likely fish safe though. Research.

They're bacteria breeding grounds that have to be taken apart to be cleaned.

That said, never attempted one.

[Justikanz]

Thought of using driftwood?

[stormhawk]

With those fake waterfalls, the key is basically sealing in the paint so it doesn't cause problems for the animals later on. You can use pieces of wood siliconed together to form a ledge for the water to cascade over, or rely on ready-made products like these:

http://www.exo-terra.com/en/products/waterfall.php

[armageddon]

anybody experienced with these sealing agents? any brands or what to look out for?

[Zenith82]

I suggest, the waterfall to be made of rocks stacking together or use foam to craft instead of wood, as some wood in the long run will start to rot and breakdown. And when the wood is wet the silicon will not hold so well also. Important point to take note also the area where the pump used to pump water up to the top and comes down as waterfall must be easy to access. Must consider when pump choke or dirty require to clean it must be easy to remove and place back.

[blacksnow]

For me, I use expanding foam to carve out the waterfall layout