[dirtbomb]

sorry guys i know this has to have been covered before i just couldnt find anything out in the threads. i know water features arent necessary however i want to have one. being my first build i dnt know how to partion off the water feature side from the falsebottom side and hidding the partition so that u cannot see where i separated the land from water. OR should i just forget all that and just flood the false bottom and use that water to supply the waterfall?

if it helps i just want a basic waterfall/ creek on the back right of the tank.

-thanks

 

[c81kennedy]

I would flood the false bottom put the pump there. Or even better is drill a hole and make a sump.

 

[Ed]

You need to either use the false bottom as part of the water retention area or drill it so it can drain into the sump. Otherwise, the water will wick into the other side at the first chance, potentially ruining the pump.

Typically water features really complicate first builds...


Ed

 

[kickedinthevader]

Ed is right. I did a water feature in my viv, I regret it, pulled the entire thing apart and started from scratch. Honestly, start with something simple then try going for a water feature. Waterfalls and such are really cool looking but are unnecessary for the health of the frogs, in fact because they don't swim there has been a few stories of frogs getting caught in the water feature and meeting it's sad end =(

 

[dirtbomb]

ok thanks guys yea im going to place the pump under the false bottom. yea it does seem to kinda complicate things with a pump however im in no rush to finish this build. im currently in that reading and asking questions stage.

 

[Ed]

ok thanks guys yea im going to place the pump under the false bottom. yea it does seem to kinda complicate things with a pump however im in no rush to finish this build. im currently in that reading and asking questions stage.

Make it easy to be able to get into the area and replace/service the pump.. This means you have to figure out how to make it accessiable to you but not to the frogs so they don't get trapped down there or even caught in the pump.

Too often the pumps fail after awhile and you end up tearing apart an area that started to look good to replace the pump...

Ed

 

[dirtbomb]

oh thanks yea i already planned out having an easy access area to service/remove the pump. when i do have it all set up i dont plan on running the pump all the time though.

 

[Ed]

oh thanks yea i already planned out having an easy access area to service/remove the pump. when i do have it all set up i dont plan on running the pump all the time though.

The repeated starting and stopping can also wear on the pump which means that the frequent starts and stops can play hell with the impellors.. this causes extra stresses on the impellors and often requires fairly frequent replacements.

Have fun with it.

Ed

 

[stkupprnces]

I have a false bottom throughout the entire tank with a submersible pump running 24/7. Pump has been running for over a yr and so far, no problems yet. Pump was purchased from homedepot, in the pond section.

Overall, I'm really glad I did a waterfall. Although I don't have a sump, i did make the tubing that circulates my water extra long. This makes water changes super easy. I just pull the tubing out from my waterfall (its wedged in between 2 pieces of wood) and drain the water out into a bucket. Hope this helps, Alex.

 

[kenji226]

Try looking at the waterfall in this thread.

http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/parts-construction/73620-frogfevers-55g-display-tank-build.html

It shows a good example of how to make the pump accessible and how to separate the water feature from the area under the false bottom.