Every brand of rock and gravel reservoir pondless waterfall kit has just one design option - the reservoir is required to be at the base of the waterfalls.
Whereas the modular components of Ultimate pondless waterfall kits provide unlimited design options. The most important thing to consider before purchasing either type of pondless waterfall kit is "How do you clean a pondless waterfall that features a rock and gravel reservoir?" Ultimate pondless kits feature an easy to clean pre-filter that makes routine maintenance a snap!
Common rock and gravel basin pondless waterfall kits provide one design option that requires you to install the water reservoir at the base of the waterfall and/or stream while the rock and gravel acts as the pre-filter. Rock and gravel reservoir basin pondless waterfall kits offer just one pondless waterfall design option and are virtually impossible to keep clean.
Ultimate pondless waterfall kits enable you to get creative with your pondless waterfall design - install the pre-filter and water storage away, and out of sight from your waterfalls and/or stream. Ultimate pondless waterfall kits provide unlimited pondless waterfall design options.
We showcase the most popular pondless waterfall brands with their pondless waterfall design ideas and options to provide you with much needed information before you commit to purchasing any brand or type of pondless waterfall kit. Rock and gravel based pondless waterfall kits, or a tank and pre-filter based system. We show you both. You decide which is best for you.
Unlimited Design Options or
One Design Option
You Decide Which is Better for You
There are two types of pondless waterfall kit styles available to you, and I am responsible for both versions (more on that below). The first, and most common type of pondless waterfall kit are the rock and gravel basin style pondless waterfall kits that are found everywhere online.
Rock and gravel style pondless waterfall kits all utilize a rock and gravel covered water storage reservoir that is required to be installed at the base of the waterfall or stream. The rock and gravel then acts as the pre-filter for this type of pondless waterfall. My question about all rock and gravel reservoir basins is: "How do you clean them?"
The other style of pondless waterfall kit is the Ultimate pondless waterfall kit that replaces the rock and gravel reservoir basin with a tank based system that features an easy to clean pre-filter, an 'All-in-One' pump chamber/water storage tank, and a backwashable waterfall filter for the absolute easiest to clean pondless waterfall possible. Each component works together to remove debris and impurities from the water, is easy to clean, modular, and can be placed anywhere in the landscape. A clean pondless waterfall is the most beautiful pondless waterfall.
The common rock and gravel basin pondless waterfall kits found everywhere online feature just one design option. All rock and gravel reservoir basin pondless waterfall kits have the same single design option - the reservoir is required to be installed at the base of the waterfalls or stream - you have no other choice or option.
In addition to the design limitations of rock and gravel type pondless waterfall kits, there is something else to consider that no pondless waterfall kit retailer or contractor wants to talk about: Rock and gravel pondless waterfall reservoir basins can only be cleaned by hand.
I have compiled several manufacturers' pondless waterfall design idea drawings below for you to see for yourself. You will notice that all rock and gravel basin pondless waterfall kits get installed in the same way. I listed the Aquascape rock and gravel reservoir pondless waterfall kit first because they are the most popular, and all the others are simply copies of the Aquascape system as you can clearly see below.
I ask you to also consider how these rock and gravel basin pondless waterfalls get cleaned and maintained. How will you remove the debris caught down inside the rock and gravel of the reservoir basin? I have found through years of experience cleaning rock and gravel pondless waterfall reservoirs, the only way to clean them is by hand! The force and weight of the waterfalls force leaves and debris deep down into the rock and gravel reservoir basin. Rocks must be removed by hand, and debris can only be hand-picked from between the rocks.
The following information, and pondless waterfall design idea diagrams can be found all over the internet, I am not making this stuff up. After reading this blog post, I ask that you to do a little research for yourself and come to your own conclusions. You will see for yourself that there is only one pondless waterfall kit brand that provides you with unlimited design options, comes complete with pre and post filtration for removing algae promoting debris and impurities from the water, and is easy for you to clean and maintain.
From a quick and simple Google Search:
Aquascape pondless waterfall kit with
its only design option
Rock and gravel covered water reservoir with matrix blocks and slotted pump vault must be installed at the base of the waterfall and/or stream.
No backwashable filter. No easy to clean pre-filter.
The rock and gravel covering the water reservoir acts as the pre-filter that captures wind-blown debris. The only way to remove debris from the rock and gravel is by hand.
Easy Pro pondless waterfall kit with
its only design option
Rock and gravel covered water reservoir with matrix blocks and slotted pump vault must be installed at the base of the waterfall and/or stream.
No backwashable filter. No easy to clean pre-filter.
The rock and gravel covering the water reservoir acts as the pre-filter that captures wind-blown debris. The only way to remove debris from the rock and gravel is by hand.
Savio pondless waterfall kit with
its only design option
Rock and gravel covered water reservoir with slotted pump vault must be installed at the base of the waterfall and/or stream.
No backwashable filter. No easy to clean pre-filter.
The rock and gravel covering the water reservoir acts as the pre-filter that captures wind-blown debris. The only way to remove debris from the rock and gravel is by hand.
Atlantic Oase pondless waterfall kit with
its only design option
Rock and gravel covered water reservoir with matrix blocks and slotted pump vault must be installed at the base of the waterfall and/or stream.
No backwashable filter. No easy to clean pre-filter.
The rock and gravel covering the water reservoir acts as the pre-filter that captures wind-blown debris. The only way to remove debris from the rock and gravel is by hand.
Blue Thumb Anjon pondless waterfall kit with
its only design option
Rock and gravel covered water reservoir with matrix blocks and slotted pump vault must be installed at the base of the waterfall and/or stream.
No backwashable filter. No easy to clean pre-filter.
The rock and gravel covering the water reservoir acts as the pre-filter that captures wind-blown debris. The only way to remove debris from the rock and gravel is by hand.
Little Giant pondless waterfall kit with
its only design option
Rock and gravel covered water reservoir with matrix blocks and slotted pump vault must be installed at the base of the waterfall and/or stream.
No backwashable filter. No easy to clean pre-filter.
The rock and gravel covering the water reservoir acts as the pre-filter that captures wind-blown debris. The only way to remove debris from the rock and gravel is by hand.
Every rock and gravel basin style
pondless waterfall kit
gets installed exactly the same
Look around online and you will find these pondless waterfall design drawings, that is where I found them.
When I look at every single rock and gravel basin style pondless waterfall kit, I notice that they all get installed and maintained in the exact same way.
Every brand of rock and gravel basin style pondless waterfall kit features a large excavation with underlayment, liner, one or more matrix blocks, and a slotted pump vault. The pump then pushes the water to a waterfall spillway that really isn't a water filter. Every brand of rock and gravel basin based pondless waterfall kit functions the same! None of them actually "filter" the water, and all of them require cleaning the rock and gravel basin by hand.
I am not asking you to trust me, or believe what I am telling about all the rock and gravel basin type pondless waterfall kits. I am asking you to do your own research, ask a few questions about design options and the maintenance requirements and you will come to your own conclusions. I am asking you to be an informed buyer - know what you're getting before you make a rather large purchasing decision. I ask that you enjoy your pondless waterfall, and to not find it to be a maintenance nightmare that you will regret later.
Pondless Waterfall Design Ideas
As you can clearly see, every brand of rock and gravel covered water reservoir basin type pondless waterfall kit gets installed the exact same way. I have included many here for you to see, but there are many more identical rock and gravel basin pondless waterfall kits online as well.
All rock and gravel covered reservoir basin type pondless waterfall kits, no matter the brand, have only one design option - the rock and gravel covered water reservoir must always be installed at the base of the waterfalls and/or stream. You have no choice on where to install the pondless waterfall water storage reservoir.
It is true that I built the "Original" pondless waterfall that started the entire trend around the turn of the century with a rock and gravel covered water reservoir basin. I created the Original pondless waterfall with its rock and gravel covered water reservoir using Aquascape's bog filter products and their mini bio-fall filter at the head of the waterfalls. My photo of the Original pondless waterfall is how the entire pondless waterfall industry got started in the early 2000's.
Who am I? I am the Founder of Russell Watergardens and Koi. At the time, my company was one of Aquascape's largest customers in north America.
Aquascape had just developed their 'Snorkel and Centipede' products for creating bog filters for natural lake filtration. Wanting to create something different for my customers, I had the innovative idea of reversing Aquascape's bog filter concept and turned it into the Original pondless waterfall that kicked off the industry.
I showed the now famous photo of my Original pondless waterfall to Greg Wittstock, the Founder of Aquascape. I showed him how I repurposed his bog filter products for something new and different. Greg was so impressed with what I had created and photographed, that he used my photo on the cover of Aquascape's product catalog introducing pondless waterfalls to the world based on their bog filter concept, and the rest is history.
My famous photo of the Original pondless waterfall with the pink flowers has been seen all around the world. It was used by Aquascape on the cover of their product catalog to introduce the brand new pondless waterfall concept to the world. Aquascape, to their credit, gave me and my company proper credit for creating the Original pondless waterfall on their magazine and catalog covers, as well as inside their catalogs.
Aquascape had so much success selling my repurposed bog filter pondless waterfall concept that they spawned countless copycatters in the industry. That is why every brand of rock and gravel basin pondless waterfall kit functions the same, they all are copying what I had created using Aquascape's bog filter. Aquascape's competitors then simply try to undercut Aquascape by making similar parts cheaper and cheaper, but none of them ask the simple question: "How do I clean it?"
While the Original pondless waterfall was pretty to behold, and sounded spectacular, the problem I discovered was that the rock and gravel water reservoir was a huge pain in the butt to clean! The mini bio-fall waterfall filter at the top was also a giant pain in the butt to clean. "Annually-cleaned" waterfall filters are not easy to clean. That is why I invented the family of backwashable, easy to clean Hydro Vortex™ waterfall filters.
The rock and gravel covering the slotted pump vault and reservoir did a good job of pre-filtering debris from the water and trapped all sorts of wind blown leaves and debris. The problem I faced was trying to keep the rock and gravel reservoir basin clean and free of algae causing debris.
For comparison, ponds have pond skimmers for easy removal of leaves and debris that blow into the water. The Original pondless waterfall didn't have an easy to clean pre-filter like a pond skimmer for a pond, and I got tired of trying to remove the debris from the rock and gravel reservoir basin!
To clean the rock and gravel reservoir basin I tried leaf blowers, and vacuums, but nothing worked. The force of the waterfall was driving debris deep down into the rock and gravel! The only way I could find to get the debris out was if I picked it out by hand!
Through experience I found that I had to move each rock individually by hand and then hand remove bits of leaves and tree needles from the gaps between the rocks. To do the required maintenance, I had to be on my hands and knees. There simply was no easy way for me to clean the rock and gravel reservoir basin in the Original pondless waterfall.
I loved the Original pondless waterfall but I absolutely hated cleaning the work or art that I had created. Something needed to change for my own sanity. The debris that I couldn't remove by hand, rotted and became a huge food source for algae. Plus, I got tired of all the algae growing on the waterfall rocks and the rock and gravel reservoir basin. Algae grows when it has a food source, and the debris stuck deep in the rock and gravel reservoir became a huge food source for algae growth.
The Original pondless waterfall was beautiful, but I got tired of hand-picking debris from the rock and gravel reservoir basin - so I invented a better way - an easier way to clean a pondless waterfall. I learned from my Original pondless waterfall that it will only remain as beautiful as it can be maintained, so I invented the Ultimate pondless waterfall kit so I could easily clean and maintain it, while giving myself, as a pondless waterfall designer, more design options to offer my customers.
Ultimate Pondless Waterfall Kits Provide
Unlimited Design Options and are
Easy to Clean and Maintain
Ultimate pondless waterfall kits allow you to have your waterfalls and/or stream in one location in your landscape, and the pre-filter an the combination water storage tank/pump chamber installed elsewhere in the landscape.
Imagine a waterfall and stream next to your patio for you to see, hear, and enjoy with the pre-filter installed on the other side of the patio out of view, with the water storage tank with pump installed in yet another hidden location.
All Ultimate pondless waterfall components are modular and connect to each other underground by way of 4" PVC pipe. The modular design concept of Ultimate pondless waterfall kits give landscape architects and designers unlimited design options while being easy to clean and maintain.
The most IMPORTANT thing to consider when purchasing any type or brand of pondless waterfall kit is: "How Do I Clean It?". If you don't, or can't keep your pondless waterfall clean and free of debris and dissolved organics, you will have an algae growing nightmare instead of a beautiful pondless waterfall. A pondless waterfall is only as beautiful as it can be maintained. Period. Clean and pristine waterfalls are simply prettier than algae covered waterfalls.
Ultimate pondless waterfall kits feature a backwashable Hydro Vortex™ waterfall filter for filtering out dissolved organics from the water, a HydroSieve™ pre-filter for filtering out leaves and debris that blow into the water, and a Hydro Chamber™ that is an 'All-in-One' pump vault and water storage tank.
The easy to clean, backwashable Hydro Vortex™ waterfall filter gets installed at the head of your waterfalls or stream and becomes virtually 'invisible'. The HydroSieve™ pre-filter can be installed directly at the end of your waterfall or stream, or installed many feet away and hidden from view!
The HydroSieve™ and Hydro Chamber™ can be installed at the end of the waterfalls like all other pondless waterfall kits, or completely away from the pondless waterfall and/or stream.
Ultimate pondless waterfalls actually filter the water and DO NOT REQUIRE a rock and gravel reservoir basin!
The HydroChamber™ can be installed adjacent to, or away from the HydroSieve™ pre-filter. For example, you can install the HydroChamber™ near to where you have electrical power. The HydroChamber™ is connected to the HydroSieve™ underground via 4" PVC piping.
Every Ultimate pondless waterfall kit comes with a HydroSieve™ pre-filter with an easy to clean stainless steel debris basket, a Hydro Chamber™ 'All-in-One' pump vault and water storage tank, and a backwashable Hydro Vortex™ waterfall filter working together.
The HydroSieve™ prefilter traps leaves and other windblown debris into a stainless steel filter basket. To clean the HydroSieve™, simply open the lid, remove the filter basket and hose it out. Super simple!
The Hydro Vortex™ waterfall filter removes dissolved organics and polishes the water. With the HydroFlush™ backwash system, cleaning the Hydro Vortex™ filter is as easy as turning two valves!
Pondless Waterfall Design Ideas
Ultimate pondless waterfall kits let you get as creative as you wish with your waterfall and/or stream ideas. Have your easy to clean backwashable waterfall filter in one location within your landscape, an easy to clean pre-filter in another, and the water storage tank with pump in another.
Have a stream or small pool next to a patio, have the pre-filter on the other side, and have the water storage tank somewhere else. The pre-filter and water tank can be installed adjacent to each other, or separated - whichever your design calls for.
