Water features are used in terrariums and vivariums for several reasons. They can provide a visual display that enhances the appearance of an enclosure, increase the humidity level, create an area for certain species of reptiles to drink from, and sometimes trigger certain species of reptiles and amphibians to breed. There are many different ways to create waterfalls, drip walls and other water features in a terrarium. The three ways that I show in this article are just common ways, not the only ways, to use running water in terrariums and vivariums.

Before trying to create a water feature it might be helpful to plan first. Sometimes making a sketch of the basic concept of the water feature can help. Waterfalls are generally best for terrariums that are at least 18 inches (45 cm) high. It can be difficult, and often not practical, to create them in shorter terrariums.

Submersible aquarium pumps are what move the water in the first two styles described. These can be purchased from most pet stores and tropical fish stores. The type of pump needed depends on how high the water is being pumped. In the United States, gallons per hour (GPH) is usually used to rate pumps. Stronger pumps move more gallons per hour and are more powerful.

Using A Submersible Pump Inside The Terrarium
This style of waterfall or dripwall is easy to create. It’s a good way to make a water feature in a terrarium without drilling glass or having to think about concealing a pump outside of the enclosure. The downside to this type of setup is that accessing the pump is difficult. If the pump breaks or needs to be fixed the animals in the cage need to be removed and the entire area under the waterfall needs to be disturbed. Before placing the pump in the drainage area, I suggest wrapping a piece of filter floss or fiber over the intake so that it doesn’t become clogged with soil or small pieces of gravel innitially.

In this style of water feature, a submersible pump sits under a false bottom in a few inches of water. The false-bottom is modified so that the area directly above the pump can be removed to do maintenance on the pump. Large gravel can be used as a drainage area in place of a false-bottom, but often makes accessing the pump more difficult. Small pea gravel will clog pumps and should not be used. A tube is attached to the output of the pump and runs up through the false-bottom, gravel, soil and up to the top of the rocks, wood, or whatever the water is supposed to run down. The area where the water falls through the gravel and false-bottom is left free of soil so that the soil does not fall below and clog the pump.

Using A Submersible Pump Outside The Terrarium
Using a pump outside of the terrarium makes accessing the pump easier. When maintenance has to be done on the pump just simply reach under or beside the tank and into the sump. Two holes need to be drilled in the terrarium in order for this style of water feature to work. Glass can be drilled at most glass shops inexpensively. Often the glass shop will need you to remove the sides of the aquarium that needs to be drilled. This can be done with a razor blade and then resealed with silicone sealant. Many aquariums come standard with a tempered glass bottom. Tempered glass will shatter into many tiny pieces if it is drilled so make sure to find out if the glass used to create your terrarium is tempered or not. In general, only very large enclosures have a tempered glass bottom.

The concept behind this style of waterfall or dripwall is to use a separate container beneath or beside the aquarium to keep the pump in. A plastic bulkhead is attached to both of the holes in the terrarium. Plastic tubing is then attached from the bottom bulkhead to the sump so that water can flow (or drain if the sump is below the terrarium) into the sump. A second piece of tubing is attached to the output of the submersible pump and runs up out of the sump and to the top hole in the terrarium. Large gravel can be used instead of a false-bottom but the area around the bottom hole will need to be sealed off with screen or a partial false-bottom so that soil and other debris doesn't clog the hole.

Using a sump that is level with the terrarium is the ideal way to do this. If the sump is level with the bottom of the terrarium you don’t have to worry about the water draining faster or slower than the output from the pump. If the sump is placed under the terrarium it can take a while to play around with the settings on the pump to figure out how fast the water should be pumped so that the sump doesn’t overflow or run dry. It also can take a while to find out how much water should be placed into the terrarium so that the sump does not overflow. The use of a check valve may be helpful to prevent water from overflowing if the pump burns out or turns off.

Using A Canister Filter
Canister filters are familiar to those that keep fish. They can also be used to create waterfalls and streams inside a large terrarium. I have never used a canister filter with a terrarium before but have seen many setups that do. They are convenient because the filter is outside of the terrarium, which makes it easier to access for maintenance. They also use biological, chemical, and mechanical filtration to help maintain proper water quality as opposed to a pump which just moves the water. One thing to take into consideration before buying a canister filter is that they pump water very fast. Even the smaller models have a minimum flow rate of 100 GPH so they should generally only be used for tall waterfalls or for setups where a fast moving stream is required.

One way to create a water feature in a terrarium that I did not write in detail about is purchasing a self-contained one from a pet store or terrarium supply company. These waterfalls are often the best way to provide moving water in simple setups or in temporary terrariums that won’t be setup for long periods of time. They do not however, give you the opportunity to be creative and design one yourself. They also do not always look natural or fit in with the rocks or wood that are used in a living terrarium and for this reason I generally try to avoid them in my tanks.

Last updated 06.29.05