Waterfall - Orchid Board

ronaldhanko · #1 09-28-2011, 01:01 PM

I am not sure that I am posting this in the right place, nor am I sure that Orchid Board is the place to get help with my project, but we seem to have members here who know something about everything, so here goes....

I am working on a display for our next show and want to do a small waterfall as part of the display. The pump will have to work over a distance of about 5 feet and the waterfall will be very low volume, i.e., it can be anything from a dripping edge to a continuous trickle. Since I've never done anything like this before, I need information:

(1) the best place to get equipment - I need a pump, tubing and an upper and lower reservoirs especially. I've found a place that sells pumps but do not know where to get reservoirs that are suitable and at least look somewhat natural;

(2) advice on setting this up, especially on problems to avoid. I've already discovered that the pump has to deal with a lot more volume than I would have expected, but want to avoid other problems as well;

(3) if there are websites that have information on this kind of thing, I would be delighted to know about them. I know there are sites that deal with terrariums, vivariums, etc., but what about this?

Any help, advice, etc., is appreciated.

glengary54 · #2 09-30-2011, 12:02 AM

Ron - If you are talking that small a volume, make sure that you get a pump that is rated for less than a 5 foot rise. As far as what to use as a resevoir, you can use almost anything that is non pourous. If it is going into a display you can camouflage the edges with almost anything that is organic, wood, rocks or even moss. My only concern would be the amount of splash that might occur from such a height. Also, if you are doing a Society Orchid Show, I would check with the Society to see if they allow water features. I know here in Florida that they don't allow any water at all standing or moving. As to tubing from the pump to the upper level, any home improvement store like Home Depot or Lowe's carries the tubing you will need, they probably also carry a small enough pump. Hope this helps some. Good Luck.