sorry there's text in this one, promise

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Posted by NOLA on May 07, 2003 at 14:47:12:

In Reply to: sorry there's text in this one, promise posted by bloomindaedalus on May 07, 2003 at 14:12:43:

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: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:

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: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

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: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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Wow lots of great info...thanks! I was going to do a liner above ground at first...something around 5-600 gal and filter it with a home made bio filter consisting of a 5 gal bucket...a UV sterilizer to cut down on parasites,alga,and I would guess mosquitoes and some live plants and stuff. Also I plan to have a little current in the pond because I don't think the mosquito like that to much (but could be wrong). But I saw a few pre-formed at the local lowes and liked the shape of them and the idea of the pond being ground level so I can see the turts well from my swing. I planned on just putting the pond down and then building a "fence" around the pond with some landscaping 2x4's so they can get out of the pond but not out of the "pen". I don't think there are raccoon and such around my house so no worries there and it gets morning shade and afternoon sun so I think that will suffice as well. As for winter...we don't get to cold here over the winter so I was just going to leave them out since they are from similar climates as here and then if it got cold enough I would cover it at night with a tarp to keep the cold air out and maybe a heater as well. As for cleaning I was not sure yet...I have had koi/goldfish ponds and know they are not to demanding as far as water changes but I do have these turtles that are all about shedding and making a mess. So I guess I would rely on some mechanical filtration from the filter I would build with the 5 gal bucket and then frequent passes with a big pool type net to grab some of the lose junk...then I can drain and fill a few times to get some fresh water in there. I can still use a liner and drop into the ground as well. This will still be a little while off due to the fact I have no freaking fence yet ( cant believe the previous owners didn't have one) so once I get that I will start looking it more. Im just getting ideas now. So how does this sound so far?? The 5 gal setup is one that I ahve done before for fish. It is a bucket with a snap on lid and a small hole cut in the top and one on the side of the bucket. In the bucket is egg crate about 1/4 the way down from the top. This would hold some of that filter pad that is blue and white to trap junk. Then under the egg crate there will be a bunch of bio balls for the bio media and then it would be fed back into the pond out the hole on the side of the bucket.

Follow Ups:

sorry there's text in this one, promise Turtlemh 05/07/03 (0)
ponds bloomindaedalus 05/07/03 (1)
- ponds NOLA 05/08/03 (0)