[tws]

greetings all,

I'm new to this forum and aquariums/fountains and have a question.

I'm trying to set up a fresh water bowl fountain in my flat. so far i've gotten a sub gravel filter thingy and the plastic tube that rises out of it.

I intend to suspend a rock ledge above one third of the bowl fountain. beneath that ledge i hope to mount some inexpensive blue led lights to shine at night onto a white gravel bottom.

basically i haven't got a clue what pump to buy or how to mount it? obviously i will need a pump to filter the gravel and keep the water clean. the bowl is made from Mekong delta mud and is 29 inches in diameter.

i've attached a couple of images so you can see my project so far.

thank you for any advice.

tws

 

[Dave B. Anderson]

We had a "coffee table aquarium" much the same size as your bowl- go to a walmart superstore and get a pump for the cheapest price- I recommend the blue one on 4 legs-
you don't need much of an air supply. ou'll also need a valve to divert the excess air from the pump- believe me there will be some- -
Next go to your local aquarium store or pet shop and get a top piece for your filter stem if you don't have one already. then you should be all set .

 

[tws]

Thanks Dave

 

[petlover516]

interesting set-up-do u plan on having any fish? for pums i recomend whispers. dave-by top piece do u mean powerhead?

 

[tws]

petlover,

actually i might put in some mosquito fish... but more importantly this indoor bowl fountain is to keep my flat cool in the summer, and mesmerize my feral cat dolly... several years ago dolly let me pet her and now she won't leave my side, tho she still bolts from anyone else... about the time she took a hankering to me i had an out door fountain setup very nice but the neighborhood raccoons trashed it bad... dolly used to get up on the standing stone i had in the middle of it and spend hours staring at the white gravel and glittering marble bottom... she loved it.

so now i'm going to set a similar one up in my flat and pray the ***** don't break in...

here are a couple of more pictures...

I'm stumped on setting up the undergravel filter thingy... i reckon i will use a power head maybe the gravel filter i have is made by perfect-a-flo and they recommend the aquaclear 20 power head... i'm going to look for one tomorrow...

i suppose i'll take pictures as i go to keep those interested in my progress...

here is a link to my old critter cam images (circa 1997) you will see pictures of dolly before she got tamed and ventured to be my pal and have indoor meals.

Critter Cam


I'll try and find an old video of a big momma raccoon having a go at my outdoor bowl fountain when i put dry ice in it...

it was fearsome...

ideas are always welcomed...

tws

 

[tws]

well...

i mounted my gravel filter with a aquaclear 20 pump on top... furthermore i've suspended a Repti Glo full spectrum terrarium lamp above the fountain in the hopes of growing some miniature cattails, papyrus and various other water plants.

i've a long ways to go. i'd like to hide the aquaclear pump under the shelf and rig a tube to feed water flow to some kind of water fall thingy which i could set on the shelf.

moreover, i've got some wire plant hangers which i intend to carefully cut and hang from the bowl edges to accept the plants i mentioned above.

it is unclear to me whether or not i need to heat the water in order to help the plants thrive or if i were to add some mosquito fish later on. i'll have to take the water temp when things stabilize and go from there...

all ideas are welcome.

tws - a speck in a ruthless cybersea...

 

[Dave B. Anderson]

G/M- now you have a horse of a different color- air won't lift a water column big enough for your waterfall. Go to Home Depot or Loew's outdoor dept. and get a fountain kit- it's a pump and hose and fittings for about 15 bucks or so- -
Better to get White Cloud Mountain fish than mosquito fish- they don't require heat, are more colorful and a little bigger, and don't nip fins (in case you want anything else in there) --

 

[tws]

thanks for the white cloud mountain fish tip... i checked my water temp and it's 63 degrees... i put a two foot clear plastic tube on the aquaclear 20 output stem and it pushed water ok as high as i could hold it...

i'm only thinking about a small water feature to mount on top of the shelf to cascade water into the bowl for the sound as well as visual appeal... i will be sussing out plants that can be placed on the shelf as well as semi submerged and fully submerged. i'd like the bowl to be as plant rich as possible.

i've a long ways to go...

tws

more pictures as things develop..

 

[Dave B. Anderson]

We live in Florida and have 3 tanks on the patio- a 55 that we just got, a 20 high, and a 20 low-- all from garage sales or craigslist (up to 300 listings/day, due to the economy tanking like it has)- Walmart has submersible heaters if water temp. is an issue. The LPS's seem to have a better variety at about the same price, however.
As far as plants, members of the echinodorus (sword) family are supposed to
prosper from submerged to terrestrial plantings- even to flower under optimum conditions, but the flowers aren't that showy or big- suggest dwarf water lilies from Loew's or Home Depot. They cut down on the direct light and thereby the algae problem- if you can afford it I suggest you get a diatom filter (Vortex is a major manufacturer)- it will even clear green water in minutes! If you get a diatom, go for the smallest/cheapest one- you don't have enough water volume for the larger ones..

 

[tws]

Thanks Dave,

great suggestions i'll be following up on all of them.

cheers!

tws

 

[tws]

well here is my progress so far... i've planted some peace lilly in wire baskets hung from the rim... and down in the gravel i've planted aqua fern - trichomanes javanicum - remarkably still alive and apparently thriving. also i've attached to a lava rock a fern plant - microsorium pteropus. it looks good.

i've also attached a co2 thingy and added a cap full of plant grow iron enriched...

but my water has turned a sickly shade of green...

does anyone know the cause or possible remedy?

thanks,

tws

 

[Dave B. Anderson]

Probably too much sunlight, and not enough plants to utilize the fertilizer you added..
change water until it clears unless you can buy or rent a diatom filter made by Vortex- it filters so fine it's called a "water polisher" and is the only type I know of that will clear green water- on your volume it should take only 10 minutes- but READ the INSTRUCTIONS- -
BTW, "a capful" sounds like 'way too much to me..