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This DIY background project began with a used 29 gallon aquarium won at a local aquarium club auction. To
our surprise, it turned out not to be a traditional aquarium at all, but was made from thinner glass intended
only for small reptiles and mammals. This presented the challenge of what to do with this project so our first
semi-aquatic design was born. The thinner glass easily supported the estimated 8 gallons of water used in
this design.
DIY Aquarium Background
Semi-Aquatic Plateau and Waterfall
Semi-Aquatic Plateau and Waterfall
This father daughter project turned
an otherwise unsuccessful
aquarium into our very first DIY
semi-aquatic background built with
polystyrene and cement.
The background features an unidentified bog plant on the left, Java Moss carpeting the rock wall and a working waterfall on the right. A DIY water bottle power filter hidden below, supplies the waterfall and dripline with filtered water.
Click here if you would like to see how the hidden filter was made.
The nylon hose dripline provides a continuous flow of nutrient rich water for the Java Moss from the water column below.
The background features an unidentified bog plant on the left, Java Moss carpeting the rock wall and a working waterfall on the right. A DIY water bottle power filter hidden below, supplies the waterfall and dripline with filtered water.
Click here if you would like to see how the hidden filter was made.
The nylon hose dripline provides a continuous flow of nutrient rich water for the Java Moss from the water column below.
This closeup shows the white
nylon T-splitter used to direct water
from the hidden filter to both the
waterfall and the dripline. Since the
dripline is fed with pre-filtered
water, the small holes in the
dripline rarely clog with debris.
A small wedge of pink polystyrene was used to hold the dripline in place and is for the most part, out of sight when viewing the aquarium.
A small wedge of pink polystyrene was used to hold the dripline in place and is for the most part, out of sight when viewing the aquarium.
Flash back a few months earlier,
our semi-aquatic setting was
sporting less than natural looking
blue gravel.
Three Fire Bellied Newts unconcerned by the youthful selection of substrate, relax in the Java Moss bed after a swim. The natural stone leaning against the plateau was added to provide the newts with easy access to and from the water.
Three Fire Bellied Newts unconcerned by the youthful selection of substrate, relax in the Java Moss bed after a swim. The natural stone leaning against the plateau was added to provide the newts with easy access to and from the water.
Patience was a virtue when it came
to waiting for the Java Moss to
spread and flourish.
The reward however, was a more natural look to the rock wall and naturally ocurring biological filtration provided by the moss.
The reward however, was a more natural look to the rock wall and naturally ocurring biological filtration provided by the moss.
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