teknofilechik

So I bought a 35 gallon for my cichlids, because after I started cycling the 75 gallon, my mother freaked out, thinking it would break the floor in my room. Anyway, I was just thinking - you know what'd be cool? If I spent the time to actually simulate Mother Nature.
I'm in the middle of crafting a glass top that sits ABOVE the top line of the tank, so I can thread a hose through it. I'm going to pinprick ultra-thin aluminum foil and put that over the top of the tank, below the glass top (which is just to keep the fish from jumping through the foil and to their deaths). Thread a hose through a small hole in the glass and attach it to a water pump (we have some small equipment hanging around from god knows what), and simulate rain. I could simulate "water evaporation" faster by having a hose come out from the tank, pulling water out of it.
It would kinda simulate the water level going up when it rains (i.e. water change) and it would simulate the evaporation and lowering of the water level. I'm going to invest in an under-gravel filter (do they work well?) and maybe even install a dimmer on the light bulb... it's just an experiment to see if i can get some more vibrant colors out of my malawi cichlids.

Any input on making this system even cooler?

(I might avoid aluminum foil altogether and find something else, because I'm worried about leaching into the tanks... although a friend of mine used aluminum foil all around his tank, but never had a problem with the levels in his tanks with twice-weekly water changes.)

sirdarksol

Cool idea, but I wouldn't use aluminum foil. It could end up leeching metal into the water (and would be susceptible to breaking). Edit: I notice now that you expressed this concern as well.

You could do this with PVC piping, however. Run two or three lines of the stuff across the top, with holes drilled in the bottom, and use a small pump to fill the piping, allowing it to rain.
If you're going to use an under-gravel filter, you should power it with powerheads, rather than air pumps.
This sounds like the good base for a tank. Run with it, see what you can come up with, and post pictures.
I'm sure there are other ways to do this, as well.

crabbyabby

Sounds neat. If you wanted to simulate Mother Nature I would suggest getting some real rocks for the fish to dwell in. I have gotten some stuff from these guys: www.kavatica.com . also I agree with sir don't use an air pump, go with the powerhead. No tin foil either. PVC is the way to go. Good luck and post some pics once you get it all set.