How?

6772 Views 29 Replies 20 Participants Last post by frozenbarb, Nov 4, 2007

Subotaj

Discussion Starter · Jul 20, 2007 (Edited)

how?

In the first picture i think it's just a background poster of waterfall or an air bulbs that captured with long exposure shot.
In the second picture i think it's kind of fibrous material.

but.. WoW.

*edited*
To good to be true.. here is the answer http://www.fishforums.com.au/viewtopic.php?t=152&highlight=waterfall&sid=eff6541767370eb876c79496c3621d89

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Haeun

· #2 · Jul 20, 2007

The second one involves filter floss and sand; how exactly, I'm not sure either.

It does also involve meticulous care, I imagine.

Zer

· #3 · Jul 20, 2007

:drool: :drool: :drool: :drool: :drool:

I have no clue how this could be done, but I do have a guess, though its not a very good one because there are plenty of problems with running a tropical tank this way...but its all I can think of.

Colder water is denser water. Maybe he has some sort of power-head pumping water into the channel. If this water were, maybe 10 degrees colder maybe it would stay in the channel and flow like that.

Or a second thought, an inert gas that is denser than water (lol what). Just pumped in and then following the channel.

Optical illusion?

Really, I have no clue how this could be pulled off, but it looks amazing!

EDIT: beaten! ^his explanation sounds more reasonable^

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ringram

· #4 · Jul 20, 2007

Looks cool, but no idea how that do that. I imagine it's filter floss or some kind of fiberous material that's giving that running waterfall effect.

BigB

· #5 · Jul 20, 2007

maybe he just left that area bare and used photoshop lol

Haeun

· #6 · Jul 20, 2007

No, I know it's not photoshop. I remember reading somewhere that the second one was indeed accomplished with filter floss; I imagine it is not kept in the tank regularly, as it could change colors (turn brown/green, etc), but put in right before a photo session.

I do think the OP is head-on with the first one. After looking at the picture more carefully, the waterfall is just a background picture. Great picture though; I really did think it was part of the scape. Amazing tank. Makes me want to accomplish something like that.

SOLOMON

· #7 · Jul 20, 2007

Theres an explaination of the first one on this Australian site http://www.fishforums.com.au/viewto...aterfall&sid=eff6541767370eb876c79496c3621d89

Haeun

· #8 · Jul 20, 2007

WOW, my mistake. That's quite ingenious. I thought it just looked too good to be true.

I sure want to try this one.

Zer

· #9 · Jul 20, 2007

wow, that waterfall is brilliant. Its amazing what you can do with air and sand.

Subotaj

Discussion Starter · #10 · Jul 20, 2007

SOLOMON said:
Theres an explaination of the first one on this Australian site http://www.fishforums.com.au/viewto...aterfall&sid=eff6541767370eb876c79496c3621d89

WOW
thanks.

TheOtherGeoff

· #11 · Jul 20, 2007

that second one has a thread posted here on how he made that

will5

· #12 · Jul 20, 2007

Hi

My question is if air is being pumped through there it has to be causing some surface movement allowing for the off gassing of Co2 right?

spypet

· #13 · Jul 20, 2007

If you guys like the waterfall,
try something simple like my
underwater spring feature
I did in only 2-3" of gravel;

it works best with heavy course sand
by diverting your filters water outlet
under and up from your tank bottom.
it can have a volcanic look at night.

a sand "waterfall" can trap and kill fish
and my not always be self sustaining.
a fiberfloss "waterfall" is great for photos
but will get loose and filthy over time.

my well spring idea is completely fish safe
since the up welling of water flow pushes
any curious fish well out of any danger.
mine is completely silent, unlike the lift tubes
of a sand waterfall which need bubble a lot.

it can be self sustaining by adjusting the
waterflow out of two separate outlets.
the spring so it does not shoot gravel
too far away to roll back and relaunch,
and a normal near surface outlet for
the left over filter water pressure.

excess outlet, Co2 Reactor, pH probe, flow valve, screened inlet, outlet pipe, Red LED Spot
Co2 enriched water travels under the gravel through 1/2" tubing to an elbow then up and out.

as far as my fish are concerned,
most just ignore it, but my Rasboras
love shoaling in the updraft of water
and my Gobies like to hang around it.

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Storm_Rider

· #14 · Jul 20, 2007

will5 said:
My question is if air is being pumped through there it has to be causing some surface movement allowing for the off gassing of Co2 right?

I think theoretically if you can isolate the surface movement to a smaller area, instead of letting it ripple the whole tank, you could reduce the out gassing. For example, there could be some kind of ring where all the bubbles flow upward into and the ripples end at the ring. Or you could just turn up the co2 to compensate :icon_smil

spypet

· #15 · Jul 20, 2007

actually you get out-gassing from both the water bubble lift tube and the sand itself. the sand moving through the water both up the tube and down the "waterfall" will cause Co2 saturated water to outgas, so upon closer inspection you will see lot's of tiny bubbles rising from that sand "waterfall".

Storm_Rider

· #16 · Jul 20, 2007

spypet said:
actually you get out-gassing from both the water bubble lift tube and the sand itself. the sand moving through the water both up the tube and down the "waterfall" will cause Co2 saturated water to outgas, so upon closer inspection you will see lot's of tiny bubbles rising from that sand "waterfall".

Oh really? I did not know that. So with your spring, is it because the gravel is larger than the sand or is it because the shorter distance it moves up and down that makes yours more efficient?

spypet

· #17 · Jul 20, 2007

well, if your concern is Co2 outgassing, then yes, my course sand spring only exposes the water saturated Co2 for a short distance to the moving sand. I do get tiny Co2 outgass bubbles rising from my spring, but they get moved around my tank by the waterflow, so I consider this beneficial since I'm using a Co2 reactor which leaves no free Co2 bubbles, not a diffuser. the reason the sand "waterfall" requires much finer sand than I use, is so it can carry the sand over a foot up that water&air lift tube to spill over the top again. my heavier course sand, which is already 1-2mm in size, would probably not lift that high without clogging the lift tube no matter how much air was pumped in the lift tube.

aquanut415

· #18 · Jul 20, 2007

Subotaj said:
how?

In the first picture i think it's just a background poster of waterfall or an air bulbs that captured with long exposure shot.
In the second picture i think it's kind of fibrous material.

but.. WoW.

*edited*
To good to be true.. here is the answer http://www.fishforums.com.au/viewtopic.php?t=152&highlight=waterfall&sid=eff6541767370eb876c79496c3621d89

looks like really creative use of filter floss. and i bet it only is in the tank for a day or so while he gets the photos.

footbeat

· #19 · Jul 20, 2007

Here's a closer look. You can see clearly that it is filter floss and sand.

http://www.cau-aqua.net/index.php?option=com_zoom&Itemid=29&page=view&catid=116&PageNo=1&key=1&hit=1

Clone

· #20 · Jul 20, 2007

The sad thing is this tank didn't place. 2006 AGA A real shame when you compare it to the first place tank. Sometimes I just do not understand aquascaping contests.

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