Let's Make a Fountain

Okay, let me preface this post so you all don't think we're slobs. We are currently in the process of moving over three hundred and fifty miles away. Therefore, my house looks like a tenement camp! With that being said, I want to share with you just how easy it is to make your own fountain.

Let's Make a Fountain

    I am a water baby, as is my son. Every spring when we're out shopping we're both drawn to the outdoor and indoor fountains. However, have you seen how much they cost??? I refuse to pay that much especially since it's more fun and waaaayyyy cheaper to create your own. I made mine for under twenty-five bucks, and depending on how you create yours, you can too.

The Pump

    The first and main thing you need to get started is a submersible pump. After all, it won't be a fountain if you don't have something to pull in the water, and push it back out. I got this one from Amazon for under twenty dollars. It works wonderfully! You can adjust the water flow to control your fountain, and it easily comes apart so you can keep it clean. This was huge for me because my cat likes to drink out of my fountains!

    This pump is super quiet which is a must. You want to hear your water running, not hear the pump motor.  (YuanHua even has a smaller version if you want to make a smaller scale water feature, or a bigger one for larger needs.)

Tubing

    Depending on what size pump you choose, you will need tubing. I found mine on Amazon, but you can grab it at your local hardware store too. Buy extra so you can replace it. With time, it will become yucky inside, and if you have pets drinking from your fountain, you will want that tube to be clean.

The Bowl or Pot  

    You're going to need something to contain all of your water. I chose an elongated planter, but you could use a flower pot, wash basin, or anything really. It just needs to be deep enough that the water inside will completely cover your pump.

  

    You will also need something for your water to pour over. In the past I have used rocks and created a mini waterfall. This is effective in a turtle habitat or for pet frogs too! This time however, I wanted to match our nautical theme. So I chose a bunch of whelk shells that my papa and babcia collected for us from Assateague Island. In the largest one, I drilled a hole to accommodate the tubing. Then all I did was put my pump inside my planter, and arrange my shells around it.

    When I first created it, I had the water pooling into the shells, and pouring into lower ones. However, I couldn't really see the water unless I was standing over it. I also couldn't hear it and that defeated the relaxing purpose of my new fountain. So I rearranged the shells, and just have the water pouring from the biggest one. Now I can hear the trickle and actually see the water falling from a room away. 

My Total

    For my seashell fountain I actually used the smaller pump from YuanHua because I knew my cat was going to drink from it. (The smaller pump is safer for pets current wise.) So that pump cost 10.99. I paid about five dollars for my tubing, and my planter was six dollars. My total was under 25 dollars.