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Posted by bloomindaedalus on May 07, 2003 at 14:12:43:
In Reply to: pro and cons of preforms and liners posted by bloomindaedalus on May 07, 2003 at 13:57:34:
i have used both (as i am sure many users of this foum have) and i can only tell you a few simple things i have observed.
PREFORMS:
nice and not so cheap
hard to transport if the need should ever arise
sturdy and really hard to break or tear
often too deep and lacking "shallows" which would suit many turtles well
can come with drains or have them added (a huge! plus) people underestimate how dirty their turtles are and most turtle ponds cannot be sustained the way koi or goldfish ponds are unless they are huge.....turtle ponds need frequnet draining and refilling even under the best of filtration and water planting conditions....again unless the are very very large.
can be re-used for other purposes like storage of stuff or a raised garden(i recentely fashioned one into the "land area" for an indoor semi-terrestrial turtle enclosure
the large ones are costly as i stated but better to get a slightly bigger one than you think you will need as you may underestimate space needed or somebody may brng you naother turtle (or ten!)
most are made to high standards so that they can withstand direct uv from the sun without breaking down completely
LINERS:
come in varying thickness; my advice is don't cheap out and get anything thin (less thna 45 mm thick is too "thin" by my definition, though others may tell you otherwise)
pricing varies. can get it cut to size you want for a high price, more often you have to buy standard precut sizes to save money
freedom of shape and depth; this can allow for making shallow areas so the turtles can get out easily or won't drown when fighting for food or during copulation.
if you get bored after a few years, you can change the shape.
yes sharp rocks Do tear them but ice and UV rays and turtle claws are not usually a problem
a little harder to stabilized "flat" areas if you are trying to contain plants or pottd plants or rocks to support basking sites
sometimes too smooth and turtles slip off and have trouble getting out of pond
harder to disguise if you want the pond to look "natural" ponds with stones all around always look sily and unnatural to me
if you do put them outdoors consider:
what you will do with them in the winter
how you will prevent attacks from predators
how you will clean/chnage the water
how much you are wiling to spend on water plants for food sources and bio-filtration
how hard it will be to create a shaded area
that you will attract mosquitos and possibly birds and raccoons
how you will make basking platforms or floats
how you will contain the animals once they get out of the pond
okay i think i have sid enough.
I like most people here, i imagine, think many turtles, sliders especially live a better life in an outdoor pond but the aforementioned warning must really be heeded, lest you end up with a "raccooned" turtle or an escaped pet or drowned pets or severely difficult water conditions,
good luck with whatever you decide. and please take pics if you can.
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