How to Make a Vivarium Waterfall

Vivariums are specifically designed to house amphibians and lizards that live in hot humid jungles. Vivariums contain living plant life as well in order to mimic the enclosed animal's natural environment as much as possible. When constructing a vivarium many people opt to install a waterfall. Waterfalls add an aesthetic and practical value to the vivarium, as some species thrive and breed when they have one in their environment.

Things You'll Need

  • Aquarium Pump
  • Large Plastic Margarine Tub
  • Tubing
  • Slate or shale pieces
  • Cork bark tubes and flats
  • Silicone Caulk
  • Decorative Moss
  • Coco Mat
  • Window screen
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Instructions

  1. Making Your Waterfall

    • 1

      Pick a suitable location within the vivarium for the waterfall and decide how you want the waterfall to look.

    • 2

      Take plastic margarine tub and poke holes in it around the base of the tub with the screw driver.

    • 3

      Cut out a small square of window screen and silicone it into place over each of the holes.

    • 4

      Poke two holes in the tub lid for the power cord and tubing of the pump to fit through. If holes aren't a tight fit you can silicone the cord and tubing into place to prevent them from moving.

    • 5

      Put pump into tub, feed cord and tubing through the holes on the lid and close the lid.

    • 6

      Place pump container under the vivarium's drainage layer or false bottom near the waterfall or a corner of the tank.

    • 7

      Feed the tubing through the draining reservoir and up to the top of where the water fall will be.

    • 8

      Arrange the rocks, cork bark tubes, or bark flats where the water fall is going to be in the Vivarium. These are going to be the water fall itself. Make sure to leave enough space behind the falls for the tubing. The top of the tubing will be at the top of the falls.

      Use silicone caulk to glue them into place. Wait for silicone to dry.

    • 9

      Surround waterfall with moss or a coco mat, securing them into place with silicone caulking to make the waterfall blend in with the environment.

    • 10

      Add water to the Vivarium.

      Turn the pump on.

      Water will flow through the tubing and down your newly constructed falls where it will naturally pool up to mimic the environment for the animals.