First small fountain that I have build was made of an old jar, which was used only as decoration. This way it was given a practical purpose. At the bottom of the jar, I have pierced a hole just big enough to fit in a tube of the smallest submersible water pump I could find. It's power was around 0,25W. The jar is filed with water which overflows in a deeper tray where the pump is buried under rocks. The problem was that the jar had enough volume to contain all the water from the tray, so the pump was left dry. I had to increase the volume of the tray and decrease the volume of the jar. I accomplished this by covering the pump with a metal grid. i placed the jar on the grid, and the rocks around the jar. This gave me more space for the water because I neaded less rocks. The jar had to be filed with small rocks to decrease its water capacity. Since the jar was smooth, water flowed down to the tray without splashing, so the table stayed dry. The sound was not very noticeable. I kept it on for 10 hours a day, during which time, in summer, 2dL of water would vaporize. static electricity no longer bothered me.
I have placed a plastic tub in a plywood box. There was enough room in the box for additional electrical installation. Plywood is not the best solution because it doesn't take moisture well. I have used the rest of the space for a UV germicidal lamp, which is used for sterilization. UV light is very harmful and it causes skin burn and blindness, so it is important that the case is not transparent. That's why I have covered it with a plywood shelf for plants. near the UV lamp is a transparent plastic hose which conducts water from the pump to the waterfall. UV light sterilizes the water and prevents development of bacteria in it, so the water does not get a bad smell. This way you don't have to change the water often, just add more, and the fountain rarely has to be washed. Another solution would be chloride, but it is poisonous and unpleasant in a closed space I have also made an electronic timer which keeps the UV light on for about 45 minutes. This is enough time for all the water to flow by it, so there is no nead for it to work any longer, and in this way it will last longer.
The waterfall is made of river shells, which was not the best solution as they did not last very long. I later replaced them wiyh sea shells which lasted much longer due to greater thickness.
In a square wooden box of 22cm side, I have placed a bottom of a plastic canister. I filled it with soil and planted some plants. From a small ceramical jar, i have cut off the bottom and used it as a tube to serve for moisture control during watering of the plants. Ceramical vase, 40 cm in height, combined with glued rocks, serves as a waterfall. In it's interior is a UV lamp for water sterilization.
This is one of my dearest creations. It is amazing how much it means to have something like this in your yard. It had to be a little deaper so I could have fish in it, and since I did not want it to take up too much space, the edges had to be steep. We have made a concrete frame, build 2 lines of bricks and covered the bricks with marble. Inside the concrete frame, I dug a hole and covered it with nylon. Some rocks and grinded white marble was used as the rest of the material. UV germicidal lamp is placed in a plastic tube under the rocks. Next to it is a transparent water hose. this way the water gets sterilized so I don't have to change it often.
