wow, this is really cool. How much space does this take up? are you having water at the bottom or what?
DIY Rock Wall / River Tank (long with pics)
- Thread starter JoelR
- Start date
basslover34;1234041; said:That looks amazing.... can't wait to see the water rollingOne Question though ... how deep are you keeping the water at the bottom? it looks like your return that you cut out on the wall makes it seem that you'll be "right under" the last "creek bed"
Thank you, & You got it, I plan to have the water level at the large rock just bellow the bottom ledge so the newts will be able to climb up. You can't really tell from the pics but the bottom creek bed actual has a land ledge. Both beds / ledges are grooved out for the water channel but the bottom one has a good "high" spot for them to hang out on. I'll likely put some moss or something there.
mike dunagan;1234479; said:
It probably takes up a good 2/3 of the floor space. I would much rather it was in a 50 show tank but $$ doesn't call for it now. I had to use what I had.
Thanks to all the rest of the kind comments. Unfortunately they will likely all be removed. They are trying to keep this post "clean" until the project is finished so the subject line isn't broken. I'm not gaffing it off or anything, I'm just not going to rush it. I'm being patient and letting this thing cure.
All right,, time to get the filter set up. I'll start with a few of the expenses for this portion.
Plastic Gutter guard, $3.00 Halls Nursery. I used this as the intake strainer.
Silicone 1 X 2,, $4 Home Depot. I wanted to use Silicone 2 but the only stuff I could find was the new stuff with Bio Guard (or shield) & trust me I looked every where.
Plastic Egg crate. $11.00 Lowes. They keep this stuff where they keep ceiling panels. I had the guys who work there running all over the place trying to find this. Oddly enough, I was told a guy was in just a week ago looking for the same stuff, for a fish tank filter! I wonder if they hang out here?
I got two different kinds of hoses and a few fittings from Home Depot. Aprox $15
I'm using a Fluval 2 plus I got from a flea market for dirt cheap for the return, along with an air wand. $10 (shop around, there are deals out there for the finding)
The rest is stuff I had laying around.
Plastic Gutter guard, $3.00 Halls Nursery. I used this as the intake strainer.
Silicone 1 X 2,, $4 Home Depot. I wanted to use Silicone 2 but the only stuff I could find was the new stuff with Bio Guard (or shield) & trust me I looked every where.
Plastic Egg crate. $11.00 Lowes. They keep this stuff where they keep ceiling panels. I had the guys who work there running all over the place trying to find this. Oddly enough, I was told a guy was in just a week ago looking for the same stuff, for a fish tank filter! I wonder if they hang out here?
I got two different kinds of hoses and a few fittings from Home Depot. Aprox $15
I'm using a Fluval 2 plus I got from a flea market for dirt cheap for the return, along with an air wand. $10 (shop around, there are deals out there for the finding)
The rest is stuff I had laying around.
This was a tuffy. (not really)
This is the plastic gutter guard. I did double it up to make the holes a bit smaller. To get it to say flat while the silicone dried, I had to iron the fold. I guess I could have just cut two pieces and laid them together but I didn't think of that until I was done
I just laid them on the inside of the intake hole and siliconed it into place.
This is the plastic gutter guard. I did double it up to make the holes a bit smaller. To get it to say flat while the silicone dried, I had to iron the fold. I guess I could have just cut two pieces and laid them together but I didn't think of that until I was done
I just laid them on the inside of the intake hole and siliconed it into place.Okay,, this thing needed some kind of a pre-filter. I planed on using the pot scrubbies for a wet/dry but without a pre-filter they would clog to easily. I had to come up with something. So here it is.
Starting with an eclipse (rite-size G) filter pad I made channels to slide the filter pad into using scrap Plexi.
For each side I used two same size strips of plexi and one skinnier one. I sandwiched the smaller one making a "channel"
Here's both sides drying
I used the Acetone from the Great Stuff tool cleaner. Just put some in a milk jug cap and using a syringe & needle I injected it into the joints.
I also put a little strip in the bottom of the two channels to join them. It will help hold it all together.
It will also hold the Eclipse 2 pads,, they are just taller so what ever is on sale
Starting with an eclipse (rite-size G) filter pad I made channels to slide the filter pad into using scrap Plexi.
For each side I used two same size strips of plexi and one skinnier one. I sandwiched the smaller one making a "channel"
Here's both sides drying
I used the Acetone from the Great Stuff tool cleaner. Just put some in a milk jug cap and using a syringe & needle I injected it into the joints.
I also put a little strip in the bottom of the two channels to join them. It will help hold it all together.
It will also hold the Eclipse 2 pads,, they are just taller so what ever is on sale
Okay, putting this thing in place was a task. I couldn't get the caulking gun in to put the channels in place. I ran all over town trying to find Silicone 1 or 2 (without Bio Shield) in a squeeze tube. I couldn't find it anywhere! So after burning all that dang gas, while at Home Depot I took a tube of silicone to the plumbing department and tried a piece of tubing (that I already have at home for the return) and sure enough, it fits! I can make a flexible extension for the caulking gun!
Here is the channel glued in place. I know, it's not pretty but no one will see it.
Here is the channel glued in place. I know, it's not pretty but no one will see it.
To make this some what of a wet/dry filter I had to get the pot scrubbies off the bottom and put an air wand under them. I also had to keep them in place so they didn't just drift over the Fluval.
I used the plastic egg crate and a couple pieces of PVC. To hold it together I put a good blob of silicon into each of the PVC pieces and after I put the egg crate on, I put a good blob on top and pushed it down onto the silicon that was in them. You can see in the pic how I kept stems on the bottom part of the side piece that go down into the silicone and PVC pieces. That should hold.
I used the plastic egg crate and a couple pieces of PVC. To hold it together I put a good blob of silicon into each of the PVC pieces and after I put the egg crate on, I put a good blob on top and pushed it down onto the silicon that was in them. You can see in the pic how I kept stems on the bottom part of the side piece that go down into the silicone and PVC pieces. That should hold.
Here are all the parts put together. There will be more scrubbies,, this is just a dry fit. I have to wait for this silicone to fully cure before I can put water in. Then I'm going to have to do quite a few complete water changes and see what happens with the water.
You can see the return system from the pic. I put a valve on the lower return because all the water would try to go out there and wouldn't make it up to the pool in the upper return. So by restricting the lower one I can control how much goes out the top one.
It's still going to be a little while before it's running properly. I'm going to have to completely fill the tank for a while to let the cement leech out what ever it's going to. Once the water stables out, I will drain it to the right level and we'll have a water fall or creek bed. I'll keep this up to date throughout.
You can see the return system from the pic. I put a valve on the lower return because all the water would try to go out there and wouldn't make it up to the pool in the upper return. So by restricting the lower one I can control how much goes out the top one.
It's still going to be a little while before it's running properly. I'm going to have to completely fill the tank for a while to let the cement leech out what ever it's going to. Once the water stables out, I will drain it to the right level and we'll have a water fall or creek bed. I'll keep this up to date throughout.
OOOPs! I forgot a major step. Sorry 
I put the wall into the tank. 
Keep in mind,, the only way you can do this in one piece is to have it smaller than the tank. If it's the same length, it's not going to go in. I have a small gap on both sides. If you do make a back ground the same length of the tank, you have to do it in pieces and put it back together in the tank.
Putting it in I put a thick bead of silicone along both back sides and the bottom. Make sure you use enough especially in the corners. I want to keep the water movement where I want it. Not leaking in, or out of the filter back into the tank.
One thing I thought of too. If this thing fails, since I only have silicone on the back & bottom, the tank doesn't have to be trashed. Nothing a back ground won't help hide.
I put the wall into the tank. Keep in mind,, the only way you can do this in one piece is to have it smaller than the tank. If it's the same length, it's not going to go in. I have a small gap on both sides. If you do make a back ground the same length of the tank, you have to do it in pieces and put it back together in the tank.
Putting it in I put a thick bead of silicone along both back sides and the bottom. Make sure you use enough especially in the corners. I want to keep the water movement where I want it. Not leaking in, or out of the filter back into the tank.
One thing I thought of too. If this thing fails, since I only have silicone on the back & bottom, the tank doesn't have to be trashed. Nothing a back ground won't help hide.
Well while filling the tank to soak the wall, I just had to stop and run the pump to see how it will look.
Here it is from above
Here is the pool / upper return. The water is coming from the bottom of the rock.
Here you can see some of both the upper & lower creek beds.
This is the "turn around" pool, where the water gets sent back to the right side of the tank.
A front shot
The only thing I'm not too happy with is a little trickle coming from the underside of the Turn around. It's traveling underneath and trickling down the wall. Not a biggie though.
It's completely filled with water now so it can do it's leeching. Let's see how long I have to do this for???
Here it is from above
Here is the pool / upper return. The water is coming from the bottom of the rock.
Here you can see some of both the upper & lower creek beds.
This is the "turn around" pool, where the water gets sent back to the right side of the tank.
A front shot
The only thing I'm not too happy with is a little trickle coming from the underside of the Turn around. It's traveling underneath and trickling down the wall. Not a biggie though.
It's completely filled with water now so it can do it's leeching. Let's see how long I have to do this for???
