How to make a Sand Waterfall or Sand Fountain

ADVERTISING

LuxoGear Emergency Whistles with Lanyard

Shop now »

NOCO Genius GEN5X2, 2-Bank, 10A (5A/Bank) Smart Marine Battery Charger

Shop now »

RHINO USA Boat Trailer Transom Straps (2PK)

Shop now »

LUCKY Kayak Portable Fish Depth Finder

Shop now »

Seaview 180 V3 Full Face Snorkel Mask

Shop now »

Most popular comments
for How to make a Sand Waterfall or Sand Fountain

Live comments
Comments on YouTube

Surahmam Rahman - 7 years ago

Bala

mike gunthner - 7 years ago

What size of tubing ? 1/2, 3/4 what?

The Syed - 7 years ago

how does the pump suck the sand?

The Syed - 7 years ago

wow man! that's amazing! thank you.

craig wilson - 7 years ago

Hi, the air pump provides a stream of bubble at the bottom of the pipe and they naturally rise up the pipe. The Venturi Effect then takes place and the air draws water up with it. The water is drawn in through the bottom of the pipe and if you have sand in the entrance to the pipe, it is collected with the water. If you direct the sand to fall back on to the entrance of the pipe, it will run for as long as air is travelling up the pipe. It's an amazingly simple solution. No sand ever enters the pump.

Bogdan K - 7 years ago

Nice..Thx Man..

Egor Lisitsa - 7 years ago

I made it. I used inplix scripts for that. It was pretty easy to make it

Rony Asco - 7 years ago

ga jelas lau bung..

f1Faithful - 7 years ago

Nice vid man! Gonna make me one of them....Cheers...

Rohit Chougule - 7 years ago

Hi this good

Axe Saw - 7 years ago

I see ur true colors .

10. comment for How to make a Sand Waterfall or Sand Fountain

galang rambu - 7 years ago

terimakasih..
sangat membantu :)

The Analyser - 7 years ago

my question may be immature, but wont the pump push the air outside, instead of sucking it up?

Devraj Sensharma - 7 years ago

Excellent DIY, thanks for the the tip. Can you tell me if an Airpump with an Output : 3.5L/min will be able to draw the 1mm white sand up the tube, i have the same power airpump, wanted to know before i try.. thank you in advance

Anthony Cariola - 7 years ago

What kind of sand are you using?

craig wilson - 7 years ago

It's 1mm Silica sand, I'm pretty sure there's an eBay link on one of the comments somewhere on here.

Rafael Vargas - 7 years ago

this is a pretty good tutorial thx alot :D

Geoff Lopez - 8 years ago

thanks sir helps alot

From Mother Russia - 8 years ago

спасибо большое!

craig wilson - 8 years ago

вы только приветствовать

Mario Gutierrez - 8 years ago

wow,wow ,Man very nice Thaks

Subhan Usman - 8 years ago

its fabulous

Ash Whittaker - 8 years ago

would this work if I used 3 elbows? one at the top as an outlet but 2 at the bottom to create a U shape which I could attach a trap to to catch all sand?

craig wilson - 8 years ago

Hi Ash, yeah I would think so, I extended and bent my inlet pipe to adjust for where the sand was falling and it didn't stop it working. Give it a go and let me know how you get on :-)

20. comment for How to make a Sand Waterfall or Sand Fountain

Teten. Designproduce - 8 years ago

参考になります！ありがとうございます！

craig wilson - 8 years ago

You're welcome :-)

Kate Walter - 8 years ago

I'm not DIY person, but I found ready made sandfalls all in one box. see this http://www.aqua-maniac.com/product-eng-688-Aquarium-Sandfall-full-set.html

sonjaya anton - 8 years ago

thank's alot for your tutorial its help me to make sand in the water

craig wilson - 8 years ago

You're welcome, thanks for watching :-)

Nicola McKeen - 8 years ago

Hello. Thank you for this video, you have explained it so well but I don't have the sander you have and I'm just a little bit unsure on how to do the elbow part. I wish you were from Sheffield because I would pay you to make the pipe lol, but I have everything else. Can you buy the pipe in the shape you have made yours with the exhaust hole? This video is brilliant and I've watched it many times.

craig wilson - 8 years ago

+Nicola McKeen Hi Nicola, the top and bottom bends are just 'L' joints. You can get these from B&Q. You just drill a hole in one of them right on the top of the bend to feed the air pipe through then fit the air stone and push it all together. If you search Facebook for DIY Fishtank Projects, I can take a few photos and send them to you on there.

modular_kellogs - 8 years ago

Where do I get the green grill in the end?

craig wilson - 8 years ago

+modular_kellogs You are more than welcome :-)

modular_kellogs - 8 years ago

Nice, might have to rethink doing it, thanks for the help man.

craig wilson - 8 years ago

Mine has been in for over a year and still looks good. I did have an issue with an algae bloom after about 4 months, I kept the lights off for a month and it went away, It was caused by some moss balls so they went in the bin too :-)

modular_kellogs - 8 years ago

Awesome, i mixed this design and another with a tee on top to let the bubbles out, need a better valve to control the sand. I use home depot sand and run it with the hose in a bucket till no small sand is left. Great video. Oh and how lond does the background last? I heard its only aboyt 3 to 6 months till it needs a touch up. Thanks

craig wilson - 8 years ago

+modular_kellogs Hi and thanks for looking. I got mine off of the end of an old external filter inlet pipe. You don't really need it, mine has been running for over a year without it now and it's fine.

Dirk Deelstra - 8 years ago

Is there someone who can help me.
I have made a sandfall just like the example.
But it is not working.
First i had a airpump 350 ltr now a pump 500 ltr but there comes only a little bit sand on top of my sandfall.
The sand i'm use is aquariumsand 1mm that should be the correct sand.
Do i need still a bigger pump?
Please help me.
Gr Dirk

Universal Cichlids - 8 years ago

+Dirk Deelstra you need to make sure the airstone isnt blocking the sand from coming up....If te water is coming out and no sand, trim down the airstone a tad more....

kelvin M. - 8 years ago

check out my tank

craig wilson - 8 years ago

+Kelvin M Hey Kevin, that looks pretty good. I would like to see what it looks
like in the corner of the room the other way round, I bet it would look
cool. Then I'd make a 3D background for it with a sand fall at each end
lol

Well done mate.

mef1975 - 8 years ago

Do you know what size tubing and pump I would need for one that is 2 feet tall?

craig wilson - 8 years ago

hi, I used 22mm pvc and mine is about 23 inches tall and works very well :-)

Amare Jass - 8 years ago

what is this in the poul ?

Amare Jass - 8 years ago

what is this like the salt?

craig wilson - 8 years ago

+Amare Jass Hi Amare. No it's white sand being moved using an air stone. Check my other videos to see how I made the 3D background and sand fall.

30. comment for How to make a Sand Waterfall or Sand Fountain

Vivek Keviv - 9 years ago

Hey, I was wondering if it would be alright for me to do this with my following conditions. I have 4 goldfish, all between 4-8" and they are able to hold the pebble substrate I have right now in their mouths. Will they eat the sand, and if so, will it harm them?

craig wilson - 9 years ago

+Vivek Keviv Hi, I have a large Bristlenose that sucks on everything in the tank and he seems to enjoy sitting under the sand flow and it hasn't hurt him in over a year so I would think your gold fish would be fine. Gold fish are also pretty hardy little beasts so yes, I think it'll be fine and you will have the coolest goldfish tank ever :-)

Fabiano Kempfer - 9 years ago

Ola gostaria de saber onde encontro essa areia sílica para comprar e se tem como colocar a de quartzo e se possível qual bombinha de ar você tem qual seria a pressão, quanto de areia você colocou para montar. Obrigado pelas dicas, outra dica se possível montar outro vídeo mostrando, ah mais uma pergunta você colocar uma tela na entrada do cano para que serve?

craig wilson - 9 years ago

+Fabiano Kempfer Oi Fabiano , eu comprei a areia de ebay. A bomba de ar que eu uso é em torno de 300 litros por minuto. Eu tenho algum trabalho a fazer no aquário para que eu possa ser capaz de fazer um novo vídeo . e, finalmente , a tela na entrada evita que os peixes entrem no tubo e pára muita areia entrar de uma vez.

Ama Mem - 9 years ago

Nice video. Thanks for the tutorial. It helped me understand the basics. I've just finished my first ever build because of videos like yours.

Here's my finished build.

https://youtu.be/FlL6QSCHaeU

ByRecentDesign - 7 years ago

Kent Halloween

craig wilson - 9 years ago

+Ama Mem I have just had a look at yours and I must say it looks fantastic, well done.

Linas Adamonis - 9 years ago

Pamišėliai

TheOneAndOnly! GAMER - 9 years ago

Things you will need 'power tools', thanks for mentioning...

Karol Banaszek - 9 years ago

amazing woooooo .thx

Nicco - 9 years ago

"Safety goggles when using". Yeah, safety first, specially at 1:53 ...

craig wilson - 9 years ago

+Nicco Lol yeah, I maybe should have secured the grinder to the worktop and fitted some guards lol but honest, I was wearing eye protection... honest lol

thrilleex - 9 years ago

You can use smallest grain sand ( looks more.... watery ? ), just block the whole PVC top exit and make a hole in the underside, that way the sand crashes at the end and falls gently, note that you still need the air outlet at the corner or else the air will exit with the sand making a mess.

craig wilson - 9 years ago

+thrilleex Hi Thrillex, thanks for your suggestion, I tested a few different types of sand when I was designing the "real" sandfall that is in my tank and found that the smaller grain sands dispersed around the tank as there is a fair amount of current created by the sand and air moving. Also, the non Silica sands would run for a while then clump together as they are rough edged (under a microscope) and if I closed the pipe outlet and used the small hole under the pipe, the sand would gather in the pipe as it couldn't escape the pipe fast enough to keep it clear. The video shows the theory behind the sand fall but i was using the left over bits and pieces from the proper build. I will build a new one with proper materials (sometime) and may include examples of how different sand and outlet configurations behave. Please, feel free to do some test yourself and video them, I would like to see how others have done theirs. :-)

蔡銮珠 - 9 years ago

Why sand must pass through ash pipe?

NZ Bunny - 9 years ago

Do you need a second air pump since the air doesn't really go into the water or is the oxygen rich water witg sand coming our the pipe enough to circulate the tank?

sheddinglies - 9 years ago

Very cool. Definitely do able. I want to try

GreenvilleGuy - 9 years ago

Very helpful - thanks for the post.

craig wilson - 9 years ago

Hi ElainePhil, I tested with 2mm and it was too heavy to be lifted by the vacuum. I also tested play sand and that was too light and just fired out all over the place. I also tried 1mm standard sand and it worked for a little while but then clumped together as it's spiky (under a microscope). 1mm Silica is just the right weight and is smooth like glass balls so doesn't clump together. I hope my waffling helped :-)

paul may - 7 years ago

thanks for the link im just doing a sand fall and need the sand so followed the link its now on order thank you so much ...:-)...

dav mcg - 7 years ago

Youre so cool.

Wiji Anggoro - 7 years ago

vidio bokep

Asif Ifas - 8 years ago

swimming pool filtration sand is what all the usa guys say to use.

they also only use one elbow at the top. cutting a notch out at the bottom of the straight peice. they get much better volume of sand falling so I'll try it ther way I think.

Altho having an elbow at the bottom with the top half cut away could mayb help funnel in caught sand Idk. probably best to get the sand building up as close to the stone as possible really.

craig wilson - 9 years ago

here's an eBay link to the same stuff I used, I was fortunate enough that my local LFS had it in stock. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/500g-Bag-of-Natural-White-Silica-Sand-for-Aquariums-/121371922476?pt=UK_Pet_Supplies_Fish&hash=item1c4254902c

ElainePhil Dang - 9 years ago

+craig wilson Thanks for the reply. Now I've got to go out and look for it. The pet stores I've been to stock larger sand granules.

I have come across some crushed coral and that falls into the 1mm range, however that will effect the PH of the water.

ElainePhil Dang - 9 years ago

Hi, I really loved your tutorial. may I ask whether or not 2mm sand will work with this or is 1mm sand a necessity?

Tommy Ramirez - 9 years ago

Excellent! I'm really looking forward to putting one of these together. I love the 3d background too. How do I get that if you don't mind me asking? I really don't like cheesy tropical backdrop and wasn't sure what to put back there. Awesome video man.

Tommy Ramirez - 9 years ago

Thank you very much man.

craig wilson - 9 years ago

I used standard just add water quick drying cement from B&Q (lowes in the US). Nothing special.

Tommy Ramirez - 9 years ago

+craig wilson I watched how you created your backdrop. Right after I commented, what type of cement is recommended?

craig wilson - 9 years ago

Hey Tommy, thanks for visiting. You could stack some rocks in the corner of your tank and hide the sandfall behind them and craete a little cave type idea on top to hide the outlet or you could fit all the pipework into an ornament of some description. I'm talking to a guy on Facebook just now who is using a powerhead to create the venturi vacuum instead of using an air stone. If it's succesful, I'll build one of those and post a video.

Gary Cooper - 9 years ago

Dude, just get a narrower airstone. Why bother grinding one down?

craig wilson - 9 years ago

Hi Gary, I didn't have one kicking around but I had plenty that size and it gave me an excuse to use my grinder lol

Soul free - 9 years ago

Thank you, it's a very nice video!

Just8 Bits - 9 years ago

congrats guys, you just made an automatic burial contraption to kill ALL of your fish!!!

Ken Fields - 9 years ago

+ada gg Ta9 44G4GKSKY G4 VZ GAGA stewardesses abandoned FRE4Gstewardesses

craig wilson - 9 years ago

No you really haven't. Mine has been running for over a year with absolutely no injuries or deaths. What a moronic comment. If you have nothing good or constructive to say it's probably best if you don't say anything.

GRIMACE_2.0 - 9 years ago

Where did you find the 1mm sand?

Michael Vick - 9 years ago

What kinda sand did you use and where can you get it from?

50. comment for How to make a Sand Waterfall or Sand Fountain

pick a card - 9 years ago

what size air pump?

Billy's Aquatics - 9 years ago

Oh and whats the brand of ur pump lol

Billy's Aquatics - 9 years ago

How did you build the rocks up around the pipe? Could you do a video
For like an advanced one like the one at the start video with the layers

G Mac - 9 years ago

Great stuff, Craig. Your finished project with the 3D background is beautiful. I have attempted this project, but I can't get water to come out of the top. Do you suppose it's just a matter of my pump being too weak?

Thanks for the tutorial.

craig wilson - 9 years ago

Hi Rudy, your pump may be under powered but you should have something coming out, is the top of your sand fall level with the waterline, if its higher it will struggle, also if you introduce too much sand at once, it will block up, also if your air stone is too large, the sand cant get past it to come up. join DIY Fish Tank Projects on Facebook and upload a photo or video of your system and ill have a look.

Liam Lock - 9 years ago

another great video mate. as an earner you could build these with pipe work etc and sell them on ebay people will pay because its a great addition to any tank. Im thinking of re vamping my tank as to be honest i dont like my set up lol

craig wilson - 9 years ago

I've bought b&q multipurpose mortar today, 5 quid for 5kg and I let it cure overnight then start filling and emptying for 5 to 10 days to leech all the poisons out

Liam Lock - 9 years ago

+craig wilson sounds good mate. I have already subbed will look forward to seeing it. What cement would you recomend as iv red about all saughts and then leave it for months to cure lol not listening to the curing part just abit thrown by the types of cement

craig wilson - 9 years ago

I've just been to B&Q and bought all new bits to make one for a little Aqua One 320 (28ltr) tank. 3D Background and sand waterfall in a fry tank. I'll be posting videos of that so make sure you subscribe lol

thomas fagerli - 9 years ago

thank you for this wideo man :D

craig wilson - 9 years ago

You're welcome Thomas, I will be making a new video soon using all the correct parts as a few have commented that they can't figure out what I really mean lol

Sha Dynasty - 9 years ago

They make smaller air stones.... Just saying

craig wilson - 9 years ago

I know but I didn't have one lol

Nikhil Julka - 9 years ago

loved the setup and the waterfall idea…i will try my hands on it in a day or 2 and upload the video :)

Fakir Badr - 10 years ago

thx man!!

Sani Kam - 10 years ago

nice 3d background, maybe you might want to make a "volcano" - watch my 2 in one corner filter, I will try this method to make the waterfall effect i learn from you

craig wilson - 10 years ago

Hi nochee1000, I've uploaded a short video of the air exhaust on my sand waterfall. The top of the pipe is out of the water so the air can escape but the water and sand flow out of the front. Sand waterfall exhaust vent close up

nochee1000 - 10 years ago

hi..craig...
I need U'R help...
how to make sand waterfall without the bubbles..?
answer my question please....
thank's...

craig wilson - 10 years ago

Sakthivel Ganesan - 10 years ago

Thank you.

MrRookie714 - 10 years ago

Hello Craig.

I've been having a really hard time finding this type/size of sand..
Every place I go, they go by the grain size and not by "mm"
Is there a name/brand of this sand, which could help me?
Thanks

craig wilson - 10 years ago

Sorry for the delay, I didn't see your comment. This is the sand I used, I was lucky to find it in my local aquatic shop. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1kg-Bag-of-Natural-White-Silica-Sand-for-Aquariums-/111391335021?pt=UK_Pet_Supplies_Fish&hash=item19ef70e26d

craig wilson - 10 years ago

Hi Daniel, not as long as you use 1mm Silica sand, it does need to be washed well before you use it to remove any dust and other debris. :-)

daniel morgan - 10 years ago

doesnt it mist up the water

craig wilson - 9 years ago

As long as you use 1mm sand i doesn't dissolve in the water, play sand does so don't use that.

craig wilson - 10 years ago

Sorry for the delay in answering MrRookie. The T piece is a 25mm conduit T connector http://img-asia.electrocomponents.com/images/R3247432-10.jpg hopefully that link helps.

MrRookie714 - 10 years ago

Hello..
Nice, AWSOME idea.. Have
Seen the final phase in your
Tank..I just have a question:
What do you mean by using a
"T" on the tube, could you make a video?

craig wilson - 9 years ago

I will update the video in early 2015 as a few have mentioned the T piece. Subscribe and you'll be notified as soon as I upload it :-)

craig wilson - 10 years ago

Hi Peter, the test sandfall is using a little 1 litre per minute pump but the sandfall in my 3D background is using a 3 litre per minute pump. I want to upgrade to a 6 or 8 lpm to increase the amount of sand flow.

Peter Levey - 10 years ago

What size pump did you use?

craig wilson - 9 years ago

Sorry I meant 1 ltr, I don't know where the 30 came from :-0

craig wilson - 9 years ago

Hi peter, it's only a little 30ltr per minute pump, the bigger the pump, the better the flow as more air sucks in more sand. I would like to try it with a massive pump but I don't have one yet, if I get one anytime soon, I'll upload a comparison video :-)