Building A "Drip Garden"
After building a lot of aquariums, ponds and terrariums, I was looking for a display that required minimal (zero!) maintenance but was interesting to look at and "fiddle" with. I didn't want a filter to clean, and decided to use a similar setup that I've used for ponds for quite some time.
So the limiting factor for the breakdown of nitrogenous waste is typically available oxygen. This led to an idea to have water cascade down a rock face and let the bacteria & microbes grow there (without worrying about clogging, cleaning, washing etc).
The other point of the project was to use available resources (rocks) and more specifically, a broken 55 gal tank I had laying around. A quick trip to the glass store got me a replacement for the broken front panel. I then removed all the silicon sealant and put on the new panel and used GE Silicon to hold it in place. Cost so far about $10.
I picked up a tiny little pump from a local shop and got some cheap tubing. Total cost at this point, $20. I then got some plants. These varied in price, and I had some around the house, and I did not track the expense. Anyway, that's going to vary a lot depending on where you live, etc (I live in Hawaii so tropical plants are no problem to grow year round). No heater needed either. Light was from the window.
Below are a set of pics and directions to DIY. Pretty easy, quick and fun project. Best part, only need to add some water to replace evaporation.
The tank eventually held guppies, which bred like mad. I spent a couple bucks on those fish and fed them maybe once a week. Seems there was plenty to eat in there for them.
You'll need an aquarium, some rock (wash off all the dirt), and a bunch of plants.
Tropical plants I chose. Be careful because the plants you put in this setup will grow like mad. That palm looking plant in the back eventually got 6' tall and I had to remove it from the tank.
There are two parts to the design. The first is the circulation system (pump, plumbing and tubing) and the second is the rocks. Place the largest rocks in the tank first. Be sure to leave room for the plumbing (ie behind the rocks).
The idea is to lift the water to the top of the tank, and let it run down the rocks.
To control the water flow, insert "drip line" nipples into the pvc pipe (any kinda glue will do. I used pvc cement and silicon (where needed)). Then attach clear vinyl "aquarium" tubing to the nipple.
Make sure to leave room for the pump to be pulled out for maintenance. A large rock is a good choice for the corner of the tank where the pump will be located
.
To get the rocks to stay in place, use black 100% silicon caulk. Just a dab will do.
After caulking the rock in place, be sure to wait 24 hours to let it dry. Otherwise, it is very easy to bump the rock and knock it out of place.
With all the rock in place, and all the nipples glued to the plumbing, insert the pump and hide it behind the black plastic film (taped to the back of the tank).
Connect the aquarium tubing to the nipples and direct the flow of water over the rocks.
Place "plant bags" in the pockets behind the rocks. Make sure these "bags" have small holes in the bottom for drainage. You can use any kind of plastic bag or fabricate your own. I just used some extra black plastic that I found in my garage.
Put some potting soil into the "plant bags" and add the plants. I pirated some soil from plants in containers (where I also got some of my plants). It only takes a handful of soil even for the "bigger" plants.
For the first few weeks, water the plants with a watering can. Eventually, the plants will find the permanent water in the aquarium, and won't need watering after that.
Make sure that the plants aren't getting too much water (water running directly over the roots -- drip irrigation is a lot better) or too much light (direct sunlight).
The plants will grow like crazy and will need a haircut now and then. The water needs topping off. Be careful of splash. The water tends to stick to the rocks quite well, but every now and again, it might splash onto the floor.
I put some local sand in the bottom. When this tank eventually had about 50 guppies in it (pretty heavy population given the amount of water) I checked the nitrate levels several times. I never got a measurable amount. I even thought my test was broken, so used it to measure the nitrates on my bio-ball Oscar tank (the Oscars were happy because I gave them a water change!)
I really like this open design (great for broken tanks!). Also no front glass to clean! How many tanks can you say that about!
The draw back, of course, is unless you make a HUGE tank, you won't have much water and thus large fish would not work as well. But whatever fish would fit (and not die from stress) would do well as the water quality is perfect.
Fin.
After building a lot of aquariums, ponds and terrariums, I was looking for a display that required minimal (zero!) maintenance but was interesting to look at and "fiddle" with. I didn't want a filter to clean, and decided to use a similar setup that I've used for ponds for quite some time.
So the limiting factor for the breakdown of nitrogenous waste is typically available oxygen. This led to an idea to have water cascade down a rock face and let the bacteria & microbes grow there (without worrying about clogging, cleaning, washing etc).
The other point of the project was to use available resources (rocks) and more specifically, a broken 55 gal tank I had laying around. A quick trip to the glass store got me a replacement for the broken front panel. I then removed all the silicon sealant and put on the new panel and used GE Silicon to hold it in place. Cost so far about $10.
I picked up a tiny little pump from a local shop and got some cheap tubing. Total cost at this point, $20. I then got some plants. These varied in price, and I had some around the house, and I did not track the expense. Anyway, that's going to vary a lot depending on where you live, etc (I live in Hawaii so tropical plants are no problem to grow year round). No heater needed either. Light was from the window.
Below are a set of pics and directions to DIY. Pretty easy, quick and fun project. Best part, only need to add some water to replace evaporation.
The tank eventually held guppies, which bred like mad. I spent a couple bucks on those fish and fed them maybe once a week. Seems there was plenty to eat in there for them.
You'll need an aquarium, some rock (wash off all the dirt), and a bunch of plants.
Tropical plants I chose. Be careful because the plants you put in this setup will grow like mad. That palm looking plant in the back eventually got 6' tall and I had to remove it from the tank.
There are two parts to the design. The first is the circulation system (pump, plumbing and tubing) and the second is the rocks. Place the largest rocks in the tank first. Be sure to leave room for the plumbing (ie behind the rocks).
The idea is to lift the water to the top of the tank, and let it run down the rocks.
To control the water flow, insert "drip line" nipples into the pvc pipe (any kinda glue will do. I used pvc cement and silicon (where needed)). Then attach clear vinyl "aquarium" tubing to the nipple.
Make sure to leave room for the pump to be pulled out for maintenance. A large rock is a good choice for the corner of the tank where the pump will be located
.
To get the rocks to stay in place, use black 100% silicon caulk. Just a dab will do.
After caulking the rock in place, be sure to wait 24 hours to let it dry. Otherwise, it is very easy to bump the rock and knock it out of place.
With all the rock in place, and all the nipples glued to the plumbing, insert the pump and hide it behind the black plastic film (taped to the back of the tank).
Connect the aquarium tubing to the nipples and direct the flow of water over the rocks.
Place "plant bags" in the pockets behind the rocks. Make sure these "bags" have small holes in the bottom for drainage. You can use any kind of plastic bag or fabricate your own. I just used some extra black plastic that I found in my garage.
Put some potting soil into the "plant bags" and add the plants. I pirated some soil from plants in containers (where I also got some of my plants). It only takes a handful of soil even for the "bigger" plants.
For the first few weeks, water the plants with a watering can. Eventually, the plants will find the permanent water in the aquarium, and won't need watering after that.
Make sure that the plants aren't getting too much water (water running directly over the roots -- drip irrigation is a lot better) or too much light (direct sunlight).
The plants will grow like crazy and will need a haircut now and then. The water needs topping off. Be careful of splash. The water tends to stick to the rocks quite well, but every now and again, it might splash onto the floor.
I put some local sand in the bottom. When this tank eventually had about 50 guppies in it (pretty heavy population given the amount of water) I checked the nitrate levels several times. I never got a measurable amount. I even thought my test was broken, so used it to measure the nitrates on my bio-ball Oscar tank (the Oscars were happy because I gave them a water change!)
I really like this open design (great for broken tanks!). Also no front glass to clean! How many tanks can you say that about!
The draw back, of course, is unless you make a HUGE tank, you won't have much water and thus large fish would not work as well. But whatever fish would fit (and not die from stress) would do well as the water quality is perfect.
Fin.
