Waterfalls in Aquariums

[klp]

I am wanting to make an aquarium with a waterfall inside it and was wondering if anyone had successfully made one? I have some designs on paper which I hope should work which I will post on this forum to get some feedback. I've made waterfalls & rapids in outdoor ponds using rocks and logs as well as using Universal Rocks waterfall kits. I have also seen some paludariums with water trickling down the backgrounds. I like the idea of the Universal Rocks waterfalls, but they are way too big for an aquarium.

I want the waterfalls to look natural and the tank to be visually pleasing to the viewer when viewed from the front and sides as well as being a fully functioning fish tank. All my tanks are natural Australian bio-type aquariums so the water fall tank has to fit into that theme.

I want more than a trickle, but less than the flow you get from a powerhead and a more natural waterfall than a hang-over filter flowing onto a rocky background.

I also plan to make the tank with 2 waterfalls and therefore 2 levels within the same tank ie similar to the multi-level tanks that some fish stores have for their plant tanks.

I will be making a test tank first before making the full size waterfall tank which will be a 4 or 6 foot tank.

Test tank details are:
2 feet long x 1 foot wide x 2 feet high (height is to allow a good fall of water and allow a 2nd waterfall in the tank).
Background I'll make myself from foam.
The 1st main waterfall will be in the back right corner & the 2nd water fall in the middle of the tank.

The biggest problems I haven't resolved are what pump/filter/water return system to use and how to make the water fall look natural. Too much water pressure and the water won't fall, but gush over. Also in nature, the best looking water falls have the water channelled before the fall/drop.

Finally, though the tank will have 2 sections of differing depth/height, I plan on using one filtering system for the whole tank so the water from the bottom/lower section will be returned to the higher/top section via the first waterfall.

Any suggestions will be welcome.

[leeruisheng]

klp check this out http://www.aquatic-eden.com/2007/10/...nderwater.html

[FishSoup]

i don't think klp's talking about sand waterfalls underwater, but more like actual waterfalls...

real sorry though, can't help you there never tried anything on that scale before.

Best of luck though, and do post pictures when you're done. I'm sure it'll be quite a spectacle

[bryan]

You will need to have a reservoir at the top of the waterfall. The return supply should overflow the reservoir and fall naturally. Main problem will be the water hitting the surface and splattering on to the glass. Not a pretty sight.

A less dramatic idea would be a small stream flowing down from some hardscape. A large canister filter or return sump pump can be piped to supply.
I would suggest lots of branchy wood to spread out the water flow. Hardware can be hidden with plant covered driftwood. A constant stream of water dripping down some moss covered wood sounds pleasant.

Come to think of it, why not just visit the vivarium section?

[gbbudd]

why does everyone insist on only working within the dimensions of the sides of the tank. with some imagination you can make any size drop you want use the tank as the reservoir not your limits. heres my water fall and heres a pic of the tank

[davidk]

That's a great looking tank you have there, gbbudd!

The down flowing water doesn't seem to be disturbing water in the tank at all. Excellent work!

[EdwinL]

Cool Dude.............Heavenly.

Keep it up.

EdwinL

[jwuog]

gbbudd, your tank – wow

[klp]

Thank-you everyone for your replies. gbbudd that waterfall aquascape was impressive. I want to recreate an actual waterfall in a tank, not just the illusion of one.

I've made lots of outdoor water features and ponds with waterfalls, streams & rapids. I grew up in Qld in the Sunshine Coast hinterland and my biggest creation was a 1 acre dam which flowed into two smaller dams via waterfalls and streams. It was easy when you had natural springs, a backhoe, an abundance of boulders and gravity on your side. (Our biggest dam was 10 acres and all our 6 dams were stocked with native sport fish and their smaller native cousins). Unfortunately I'm no longer in Qld and can't just walk out the back door anymore to look at the waterfalls or go catch some fish for dinner or my aquariums.

In aquariums I've made white water rapids by having a fast flow of water going over large rocks and a small waterfall flowing over wood and rocks, but its not the same as water falling from a decent height with a decent flow. I've been looking at pictures of some of the big waterfalls in nature and the recent rains in Sydney have allowed me to observe how the water flows & falls in the nearby creek systems.

I have some great aquarium design books by various authors (Peter Hiscock, Takashi Amano, Peter Scott, Mathew Christian, Helen Nash & Greg Speichert), but none with what I envision in my mind.

I think putting an airstone/airline before the pump/powerhead will give the whitewater effect as the water falls over the rock overhang/background.

Please keep your suggestions coming.

[gbbudd]

That's no illusion of a waterfall dropping into the tank. theres a water proof shelf thats behind the back on the tank but that is flush with the top of the tank. It has a slight pitch so when the water falls over the main rocks that direct most of the flow to the waterfall. The rest is allowed to run across the shelf watering all the plants, I never have to water any of the plants. The water then runs right into the top of the fish tank . I use a ehiem pro 3 as my main filter yes it maybe over kill for a 92 gallon but i wanted the current and i see nothing wrong with a filter that can handle any bio load that may occure expecialy with so many plants in the water fall area. i use a second ehiem filter pro-series that has only ceramic discs in it that pumps water to a splitter one side goes to the water fall that has a gate valve for flow rate the other side goes to Two CO2 Reactor 1000's which then flows to a 38 watt uv then returns to the tank. The waterfall and tank are in my living room and having alot of flow over the falls becomes rather loud. Even though i have designed a couple steps to reduce the noise. i keep the flow rate at approximately 500 gallons per hr. I have been asked if i have any other tanks or if i have been doing this for years for " NO KNOB COULD POSIBLY have created such a tank" well it was my fist planted tank and after making a mistake of adding some HC from a fellow hobbiest that contained HAIR algae that bloomed out of control in my tank. i decided it was time to see if the fist setup was a fluke or not so 3 months ago i ripped appart the fish ank area removed the stump and well heres a pic of where i'm at now. Its a bit crowed at the moment structure still seems a bit unorganised but prunning and eliminations will be coming soon. Picture can be found here 92 Gallon with a twist revamp

[Jervis]

I did try to create a simple waterfall by using the internal filter.





Just a rough concept at the moment

[klp]

Thanks gbbudd & Jervis for your pictures and details of your waterfall tanks. They are both great. I was looking at those internal overflow filters just the other day. They were only recently introduced for sale in Australia and I like the concept of them. I'm still working on my 2 ft waterfall test tank, but finding time to experiment with designs and filters is hard whilst dealing with our new baby daughter. Kids seem to get in the way of aquascaping!!! I'll keep the forum posted with updates.

[Jervis]

Manage to conceal the filter better these days



Using a thin piece of granite to create irregular water flow.

[Verminator]

Looking good, simplicity is often the key to success initially, then you can progress onto more complicated ideas.

No problems with plant leaves drying out i take it?