# Waterfall and Rain system



## BrinnANDTorts (Jan 26, 2012)

I have been googling how to build homemade waterfall and rain system for all my tortoises and I have decided that in all my tortoise cages I am going to install one small waterfall and a rain system on a timer in their enclosures and I was wondering if anyone had done something like this in theirs and had any advice for me ? 
This is the pump I am going to use Pump
and then I was going to use small plastic tubbing from lowes to get the water where I wanted it and I would poke small holes in it for the rain fall system..
I have found that it saves a lot of money and time to ask on here first for advice and THEN build and spend money lol 
Sorry for all the people hoping this was pictures of homemade waterfalls and rain systems..thats coming soon!! 
I was going to use 10 or 5 gallon buckets to submerge the pump for the rain fall system in and use a water heater to keep the water in the bucket warm so it wasn't just pouring cold water into my cage :/ that wouldn't have been very good. In the summer it will but not inside or during the winter


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## lynnedit (Jan 26, 2012)

For the 'rainforest' tubing, what about using drip lines and misters? The kind they sell in the landscape sections of Home Depot, etc.
It would have to have some kind of water source, as water going into your substrate would be hard to recirculate.
They have all sorts of attachment parts (1/2" to 1/4", etc.) to connect your equipment to the 1/4 inch distribution tubing. 
http://www.rainbird.com/homeowner/products/drip/DistributionTubing.htm
Then there is a little hole punch
http://www.rainbird.com/homeowner/products/drip/EmitterInstallTool.htm
and you can insert misters or sprayers (they can face upside down). 
http://www.rainbird.com/homeowner/products/drip/MicroSprays.htm OR
http://www.mrdrip.com/microfoggers.htm.



They even have little 'u' hooks with nails. You could run the lines across the roof of your enclosure, the supply tubing could be in one big 'S' with an end plug at the end (of course).


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## BrinnANDTorts (Jan 26, 2012)

lynnedit said:


> For the 'rainforest' tubing, what about using drip lines and misters? The kind they sell in the landscape sections of Home Depot, etc.
> It would have to have some kind of water source, as water going into your substrate would be hard to recirculate.
> They have all sorts of attachment parts (1/2" to 1/4", etc.) to connect your equipment to the 1/4 inch distribution tubing.
> http://www.rainbird.com/homeowner/products/drip/DistributionTubing.htm
> ...



Wow thank u this is awesome advice !!!!!!!


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## Tom (Jan 26, 2012)

Where is all that water going to end up?


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## tortuga_please (Jan 26, 2012)

If you did this set up on a tortoise table that was just gravel substrate over a mesh it would solve the 'where does the water go' issue. Just put a small basin with a drain, or having the drain connect with tubing to a different bucket. Either way, this 'rainfall' won't evaporate OR be absorbed as it would outdoors. Let me know how it turns out though, might steal the idea :-D


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## lynnedit (Jan 26, 2012)

You're welcome. I love drip equipment, but not as much as my torts, lol.

Usually a drip system hooks to an outside faucet. You run 1/2 inch poly pipe from an adaptor at the faucet (found in same area as drip stuff). Inside, it would be different (you can't tie up your bathroom faucet, lol). I guess you could have a 5 gallon container as your supply:
http://www.google.com/products/cata...=zDIiT-O4E8OpiALPuJGDCA&sqi=2&ved=0CHEQ8gIwAw . OR
http://www.campmor.com/seattle-spor....shtml?source=CI&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=60632
You could probably attach a high pressure hose to the water supply, like those used for washing machines, leave the valve open, then a timer on the other end at your enclosure.

Mister emitters don't put out that much water. They could run for a very short period like 5" at at time, perhaps 3x per day?
Tortuga's suggestion is good.


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## BrinnANDTorts (Jan 27, 2012)

[video=youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_taH2ZFyqoA[/video]
This is what the waterfalls are going to look like , smaller version. I will probably have it trickle over some petrified wood in a big flower pot for the Sullies enclosure, bamboo for Rose's, I'll think of something cool for the Greek's and Remy. 
I just going to use a clear tubing to get the water up to let it run back down with the pump

As far as the rain system..I am unsure how I am going to do this....
I would rather have misters so there isn't near as much water so I don't have to have a false bottom. 
I don't know how to make a homemade indoor mister system though  I will have to research more. I like what Lynnedit showed me with the misters but I'm un sure how they work


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## ShadowRancher (Jan 27, 2012)

You can get mister heads for the drip valves Lynne was talking about...my mom has a big irrigation web set up with them for her flowerpots. Just go to Lowes and look at what hardware they have and you should be able to cobble something together. You would probably only need two or three sprayer heads. Maybe this means you don't have to close the boxes up so tight? So some of all the extra water can escape?


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## BrinnANDTorts (Jan 27, 2012)

ShadowRancher said:


> You can get mister heads for the drip valves Lynne was talking about...my mom has a big irrigation web set up with them for her flowerpots. Just go to Lowes and look at what hardware they have and you should be able to cobble something together. You would probably only need two or three sprayer heads. Maybe this means you don't have to close the boxes up so tight? So some of all the extra water can escape?



Yea but how do you get enough water pressure to the mister heads? I don't think a simple water pump will do it 
And if there isn't enough pressure than the mister heads will just like drop lol


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## zzzdanz (Jan 27, 2012)

http://www.mistking.com/ everything needed. The Home Depot nozzles will work for awhile but eventually clog up from the minerals in the water, and they're cheap and have inconsistent spray patterns


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## ShadowRancher (Jan 27, 2012)

BrinnANDGupta said:


> ShadowRancher said:
> 
> 
> > You can get mister heads for the drip valves Lynne was talking about...my mom has a big irrigation web set up with them for her flowerpots. Just go to Lowes and look at what hardware they have and you should be able to cobble something together. You would probably only need two or three sprayer heads. Maybe this means you don't have to close the boxes up so tight? So some of all the extra water can escape?
> ...



That's true, I didn't look at you pump specs. The mister heads should have the min gal/hr they need to work properly on the packet.


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## zzzdanz (Jan 27, 2012)

You need the right PSI to run the nozzles, not GPH. A pump with a max 125PSI is what you need.


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## ShadowRancher (Jan 27, 2012)

zzzdanz said:


> You need the right PSI to run the nozzles, not GPH. A pump with a max 125PSI is what you need.



Sorry your right! I was thinking about my big waterfall


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## lynnedit (Jan 27, 2012)

In a garden, you leave the water pressure on. The timer opens at specified times and then the water flows, in your case to the misters. After 5 minutes (or however you set your timer), the timer turns off and the water stops. So there is always pressure.
Setting up the drip lines/misters and even timer should be easy. What you will have to work on is your water source, which is why I showed a pic of the hanging 5 gal bag with valve. You would leave the valve on and connect to a timer at your enclosure.
Does that make sense?

Good idea to leave some air flow, with the heat, water will evaporate.


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## BrinnANDTorts (Jan 27, 2012)

lynnedit said:


> In a garden, you leave the water pressure on. The timer opens at specified times and then the water flows, in your case to the misters. After 5 minutes (or however you set your timer), the timer turns off and the water stops. So there is always pressure.
> Setting up the drip lines/misters and even timer should be easy. What you will have to work on is your water source, which is why I showed a pic of the hanging 5 gal bag with valve. You would leave the valve on and connect to a timer at your enclosure.
> Does that make sense?
> 
> Good idea to leave some air flow, with the heat, water will evaporate.



O there will be some airflow but very little. Each enclosure has a small fan that keeps the air flowing. 
Questions..what kinda timer are you talking about ? I don't know what kinda timer stops water flow
So I would have that 5 gallon water source with the valve and connect a high pressure hose to that valve and leave the pressure on...where does the other end of the hose go and where does the timer go
I'm so sorry that its taking me forever to get this , I have never done anything like this before so its taking me a while to really put it all together 

I am very close to understand though I promise!!


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## zzzdanz (Jan 27, 2012)

Yeah, a 5 gal bucket with misters will last quite awhile,just be sure to get a pump that will run dry with out burning up...just in case ya forget to check the water level...also be sure that you don't spray any bulbs.

I'ld also put valves in to stop the misters from dripping when they're not misting.They drip constantly from presure in the lines and the drips will eventually clog the mister nozzles.


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## BrinnANDTorts (Jan 27, 2012)

So i get the 5 gallon bucket with the valve 
I connect it to this hose 





and what do I connect to the other side of the hose? 
This water timer or something like this one?





Now where do the misters connect ? 
Are you talking about misters like this ?









Or like this upside down like Lynnedit suggested ?


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## ripper7777777 (Jan 27, 2012)

zzzdanz said:


> http://www.mistking.com/ everything needed. The Home Depot nozzles will work for awhile but eventually clog up from the minerals in the water, and they're cheap and have inconsistent spray patterns




I second that, Mist King would be the best route, there pumps can run dry, there nozzles don't drip, it comes with a digital timer.

I've used the micro Sprinkler systems for the yard, ponds and other outdoor uses, they worked great outdoors, I know they make a small starter kit for patio gardens.


The key is gonna be finding a timer that will activate the pump several times a day for very short times otherwise your gonna have to much water to deal with.


I have also seen small mister systems for cooling down decks and tables, we had a really long one one time for the kids playground, it was 50' but I have seen them for table umbrellas and they spray a really fine mist.


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## ShadowRancher (Jan 27, 2012)

I thought we established there is no need for a pump? Just an elevated bucket with a spigot at the bottom? The watering system kits you can get at Lowes come with a main hose that would screw on just like an outdoor hose and then branch down to the little misters....thats what I'm seeing now at least. You would need a pump for a waterfall though. I just feel like there's a lot going on and I'm always a fan of the plan with the least moving parts


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## chairman (Jan 27, 2012)

I purchased the following (also a 10 gallon aquarium and some larger diameter hose to go from pump to the faucet manifold) several months ago with the intention of building my own misting system. I had to cancel the vacation that inspired my purchase and because of procrastination all I've actually done is some experimenting to find out what won't work. But, for the intended system...




















The timer is from harbor freight and can turn on/off up to 20 times a day (if I'm remembering correctly) and can run for as little as 2 seconds. I think the pump is a 400 gph. Pump attached to an adapter for the faucet manifold. Drip irrigation hose plugged in to the manifold. The Toro brand works very well as far as the hose goes. However, the drip valves are worthless and I couldn't alter them to spray. Trust me, I tried. I also tried a harbor freight drip system but the connector that attached to the manifold leaked like a sieve causing way too much pressure loss. I would have returned it, but it was only $3 and that's pretty cheap for 100 ft of perfectly good drip hose and some T's. Those little orange sprayers didn't have enough pressure behind them with my pump to form a mist, but plenty for a light "rain". If necessary I figure I could increase the pump size or add another pump in the system with a T to increase pressure.

When I put it all together to mist the inside of my sink it worked quite well with a couple nozzles. I'm not sure how the final result will turn out but I imagine I have a lot of tweaking ahead of me. I do know that everything cost me much less than any of the commercially available systems.

Hope you get your project finished faster then mine. I'm still using a garden sprayer a couple times a day.


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## jaizei (Jan 27, 2012)

Whichever route you go, I look forward to seeing the pictures when you're done.


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## Tony the tank (Jan 27, 2012)

I installed a mist king system..I have around 12 heads in each room...(36 total)..Had some on the ceiling but got tired of getting caught in the rain...water is supplied from a 5 gallon bucket with a aquarium heater... goes off for 30 seconds 3 times a day...torts love it ..they stop what ever there doing and head under the nozzles..

Mistking makes a quality setup..pump is really quiet...and mister throw a really fine mist....


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## lynnedit (Jan 27, 2012)

Mike, thanks for sharing your pictures of the proposed set up!
Hector, how about pics of yours?


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## Tony the tank (Jan 27, 2012)

Lynne.. This is the unit I started with.. I then brought the extra nozzles and line... 

http://www.mistking.com/Advanced-Misting-System.html

No promises I will try to get pictures tomorrow...


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## BrinnANDTorts (Jan 27, 2012)

This is the Water Pump 





that I am buying to create my sprinkler system , its only 50 dollars and is plenty powerful I think. 
These are the Timers I use 




They use pins you push down so you can chose for it to come on every ten minutes five times a day. 
I just don't need something as expensive as the MistKing system for my small 4, 50 gallon tubes in my opinion.


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## Tony the tank (Jan 27, 2012)

BrinnANDGupta said:


> This is the Water Pump
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Sounds good.. Just make sure you pick up a timer that cycles in seconds... Most of the push pin timers cycle in half hr increments..... That pump I'm sure can move a lot of water in a short period of time... Good luck


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