The blue gravel was eventually replaced with more natural looking river rock. This 29 gallon semi-aquatic aquascape was built to accomodate about 8 gallons of water. A do-it-yourself "water bottle power filter" hidden beneath the waterfall feeds filtered water to both the waterfall and a dripline that spans the length of the top of the background.
The dripline made it possible to cultivate a growing carpet of Java Moss on the rock wall which made for a nice "rain forest" dripping effect.
A 50w stealth submersible heater is also hidden from view in the shadow of the rock shelf.

For more information on the do-it-yourself "water bottle power filter" idea used in this design, click here.
This wall of Java Moss is quite at home with the steady flow of nutrient supplemented water from the drip line and soft lighting from the single strip grow light above.
Three Fire Bellied Newts relax in the Java Moss bed after a swim. A natural stone was added to provide the newts with easy access to the water.
A red plastic hair clamp holds the nylon drip hose in place above the rock wall. The steady flow of water allowed the Java moss to flourish. Over several months it would eventually cover most of the back wall and provide natural filtration for the water column.
This DIY background project began with a used 29 gallon aquarium found at an auction. It turned out to not be an aquarium at all but It was in fact a "critter cage" which is made from thinner glass and not intended to support 29 gallons of water.

Realizing that, the idea of building a semi-aquatic setting made the most sense and worked out in the end.