# How to build a mini waterfall out of real rock?



## psychedelicwonders (Oct 15, 2008)

Does anyone have an idea of good material or even an over all way to build a real rock fountain?

Tank size is 24x24x20.

so its not going to be too big, but I can designate an entire corner for this if I have to.

I want like a mini pool/waterfall combo.

I'd prefer for it to look kind of like a natural water fall instead of a waterfall you would have hanging on your wall in your house (you know the flat slate looking type. Although I am not totally opposed to this kind of waterfall, would just like to have it a 3-D kind of waterfall if I can.)

I'm even thinking I can make the back of the water fall a hollow chamber so I can run the tube up the back for the water, but also the tube for the fog and have the fog "waterfall" down along with the water and collect, hopefully, mostly around the "pond" area.

I could build this with some kind of stone and maybe cork bark?

I plan on adding cork bark to make the back wall, I really like the look it gives and the 3-D effect.

What is a jungle term for "small body of water"? not pond or marsh, there is a cooler name I think isnt there?

I like the exo terra waterfall... but I would prefer to go the natural material route first.


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## AlexRible (Oct 16, 2007)

I used slate and this stuff to make my waterfall

Aquarium Aquascaping & Coral Propagation: Two Little Fishies AquaStik Epoxy Putty


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## postal (Aug 12, 2008)

There are SOOOOO many ways to build a water fall.

Depends on how good you are with your hands really. Slate or flagstone are fairly common. I made mine out of lava rock. I searched for the "perfect" pieces of rock and used pool patch plaster with cement dye to hold them together. The blending of dyes matched the rock very well so you cant tell where one piece ends and the next begins.

An easier method, is to stack thin pieces of slate or flagstone for a "steps" type of falls and silicone them together, then foam around the back of it. To get a falls back tightly against cork would not be easy. 

Building your own falls really depends though on how creative you are *AND* able to execute your plan by being "handy".

Cork bark is fairly common for water features. However, I suggest you stick with one material. Not mix stone and cork.


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## gold3nku5h (Jul 24, 2008)

I dont know how recent this thread is, but im doing the exact same thing in a 36L 18T 16W tank.* To maximise land area, and give a great effect of water, i have an L shaped waterscape around a corner.* I've shaped it more like if writing with a pen, you have blotches at the points and ends of the L.* Or better to say, there are bigger areas at the ends, and the corner.* The material im going to use are, Black silicone, Aquastik Epoxy putty, Great stuff, Egg crate, waterproof mesh liner, and then the rocks, and for the backdrop of the waterscape is going to be slate, or which ever rock i find on here, or an aquarium site to find suitable for my application.* I will try and get pictures up, of which i've drawn.* But I can say for the waterfall aspect, to get an actuall fall, you need to have a low hanging point for which the water collects then falls, not like any steps or walls for it to trickle down, you know what im saying? kind of like if you had alot of water pouring out of your mouth, they would drip like a waterfall off of your chin if you opened your mouth alot, but if it were barely open, it would trickle down your neck.* Also, i've come to realize we will probably never be able to look like a miniature version of a waterfall, unless figure out how to get a large volume of water to move quickly over the edge to make the splashing a real waterfall makes.* What i've come up with for this part is to have a fogger, at the base of my fall, but havn't exactly figured out how to get it to escape at this point in the tank.* I'll let you know in a few weeks when i realize how im going to do it.* Im very patient with this, and am in no big hurry to get this done, so it could be another 6 months before i've even begin to get this thing started in the actuall construction phase.* Its very in depth, but i've gotten alot of the planning behind my belt. Good luck, and if you need any pointers or any ideas of how to work around something, PM me, I havn't made any, but have done enough research to tell you just about exactly how to do things around this stuff.


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