turtle pond

[C-Dog]

hey guys,
this is just an idea of using the laguna simcoe pond kits as my new turtle tank rather than using a new 36 gal aquarium.
the pond kit is 32gal.

lemme know what u think and if u like the idea of the pond what kind of plants and stuff should i use so that the water can stay clear.
I'm also thinking of putting in some white gravel so when u look in u can see the bottom which will help u see Brutus(the turtle) and some fish.
I might also use one of the prefab water walls instead of a fountain it comes with.

thanks lemme know!

[Mettle]

Weird. I'm planning on setting up a pond for my turtles this summer as well. Except mine's going to be in the neighbourhood of 100+ gallons and will be in the backyard, haha.   

That begs the question though... Is this going to be inside or outside?

[C-Dog]

outside lol actually i'm thinkin of going for a 50gal pond now lol i unno what u think? how we gonna keep predators out?

[plecoL83]

Home depot sells 90g ponds for a really good price 

[Mettle]

Are those 90 gallon ponds in ground? I'm doing an above ground.

I plan to keep predators out by building a fine mesh structure around it. Something made of metal, wood and lots of nails. Gotta make it look pretty though. Will probably grow some vines on part of it, etc etc. Make a door or two for access in and out.

I'm also probably going to be building something for my beardie as well. Just gotta figure out where in the backyard would make the best spot for these things and how much all the lumber and other things are going to cost.

[beowulf]

New to Ottawa and all but is there no bylaws against having turtles outside?  Will the fine mesh fence be enough to keep them in?  I would be worried about them jsut walking away.

[Mettle]

It would be more than enough so long as you grab a sturdy grade. I personally am planning on an above-ground setup with no land bordering the edges, anyway. So they'd have no way of 'just walking away'. This is mainly for their protection against predators (lots of birds and cats in my area) and to keep the dogs out (when you have three it's hard sometimes, lol).

If the pond was at ground level, meaning dug into the ground, then it may be more of a concern as burrowing and such may become an issue.

Also as far as I know there are no bylaws against having turtles outside in a pond. Simply on the type of turtles you can own and keep. Seeing as I now have RES I don't think it'll be much of an issue there as they're for sale all over the city.

[Fishnut]

hey guys,
this is just an idea of using the laguna simcoe pond kits as my new turtle tank rather than using a new 36 gal aquarium.
the pond kit is 32gal.

lemme know what u think and if u like the idea of the pond what kind of plants and stuff should i use so that the water can stay clear.
I'm also thinking of putting in some white gravel so when u look in u can see the bottom which will help u see Brutus(the turtle) and some fish.
I might also use one of the prefab water walls instead of a fountain it comes with.

thanks lemme know!

I used to take turtles from people who no longer wanted them and ended up with 10 adult turtles.  At the time I was living outside sudbury and got my hands on a fiberglass pond that measured 10 feet in diameter and 5 feet deep.  I piled old smoothed cinder blocks (large concrete blocks) in the centre so the turtles would have a large enough surface to sun on.  This was an above ground pond and there was really nothing overhanging the edge or covering the edge, but since the turtles had so much space in the middle to sun themselves, they quickly figured out that it was much easier to climb up there than to try to get out.  The water was 6 inches from the top and the sides of the pond were finished to avoid splinters and very slippery!  I also partially covered the top by criss crossing strips of wood so that predatory birds wouldn't have a clear shot at swooping down at them.

I'll assume that Brutus is a red eared slider, as these are the most common turtle available to consumers in pet shops.  If Brutus is a Male, he will grow to be 8 - 10 inches long (shell only).  If Brutus ends up to be a female, she'll grow to 12 - 14 inches long.  My 3 larges females were all that size.  A tank or pond less that 40 gallons is going to be too small in a very short period of time.  If you want to put your turtle in a pond or aquarium, get a nice big one.  Something closer to 100 gallons would be great.  If all goes well, you should be able to have Brutus as a pet for 15 years, so you might as well get something good now.

I would also advise against putting the white rocks in the bottom.  Yes, they will let you see your pets much better, but so will any predatory creatures.  Brutus will feel much more secure in something with a substrate that he camouflages with.  Don't worry, you'll still be able to see him sun bathe, which is one of the most interesting aspects of owning these critters. 

Adding fish may not be a good idea.  Turtles eat fish.  If they're too big to swallow, you'll likely notice chunks missing in their fins and maybe some bites on them in other places.  I used to buy small feeder fish for my turtles.  Despite the fact that they were well fed, they would relish a good fish chase and swim after the fish with extreme speed and excitement.  They eventually learned the layout of the tank and where to chase the fish in order to corner them.  Turtles are truly fascinating creatures!

Filtration is going to be a HUGE challenge.  Go as big as you can with filtration.  Plants alone aren't going to do anything for you.  Infact plants without filtration will likely die from ammonia exposure.  Turtles are really dirty creatures!  I gave up on trying to filter a pond with 10 adult turtles.  Instead, their summer pond and winter aquarium (which was also made out of fiberglass with a glass pane on the front) were both equipped with a valve on the bottom to simply drain all the water out, then I would refill it with the hose.  Thank goodness I was on well water with that huge pond!  My father's lawn grew exceptionally well while the turtles were outside also!

My turtles were eventually given to a woman who runs a turtle sanctuary when I started college and moved away.  These guys were so interesting and I loved keeping them as pets.  Anyone who buys a turtle should do extensive research because people who see them as cute little things in pet shops buy them not knowing how dirty they are and how large they get.  That's why I ended up with 10 and had to start refusing people's pets. 

[Mettle]

Great advice Fishnut!

Per the fish... Good observation. I find that turtles do develop a good knowledge of their surroundings and how to corner their prey. I had the same experience with one of mine while he was in a 55 gal tank. I had some cork bark wedged across the top (front to back) so that he could climb out and bask. There were some small divets in it, however, and he used to chase the guppies that I tossed in for him into this divets, trap them and eat them.

If putting fish out in the pond I'd recommend something along the lines of guppies. Especially if you have some pond plants in there. They'll be able to hide and a bit and likely will breed a lot. Though any livebearer would probably realistically do the trick. Just try and nab them when they're 5 for $5 or something to that effect at one of the local pet shops. Save money that way.

[Jesse]

C-Dog actually has a musk turtle, we spoke about it yesterday! I cant remember the exact name but its a male full grown at 4-6".

[C-Dog]

actually we did talka bout it but he is a mississippi map turtle!!! oh yea! right now hes in a 31 gal aquarium doing quite well actually and with tons of other fish who are looking really healthy. I haven't had any fish loss since i introduced himto the tanka bout 6 months ago and i don't think he will even bother goin for them because i bought some bAby platties a while ago for food and now hes got 5 full grown freinds! anyways iof i do i'm probably gonna go for the pond at home depot for 72gal. 80$ with a pump. all u need is a filter!.

it is going to be an above ground pond, dunno exacvtly how i;'m gonna keep predators out but any suggestions will make it alot easier.
thanks,
Corey
p.s. jesse my cresties have breed!!!

[Fishnut]

If you get get some of the mesh material that fisherman's nets are made of (kinda looks like chicken wire, but made of a nylon material), you should be able to find a way to put that over his pond.  I'm not too sure where you'de get it though.  Criss crossing the wood served it's purpose when I had my turtles, but I also didn't have to worry about making it pretty .  Maybe get some bamboo and put it over the pond...kinda like housewives used to weave the strips of pie crust to make the top of the pie.

[Mettle]

C - You should think about doing it like I am. I am going to build a small structure around the pond itself and secure the netting to that. I'm also going to make one or two doors so I can access the turtles easily. This way birds and other predators are kept out and the turtles don't get any reduced sunshine or anything like that.

That fishing net idea sounds great. I bet you could get that at a fishing supply store in larger quantities. Though it would be easier if I was still living in BC, haha.

[C-Dog]

yea like a box frame arround the pond with a door on top and a door on the side for access to like pump or filter and s***..... hmm i was also thinkin of making jsut a flatt piece of chicken wire with wood arround it so its heavy and just lying down on top of the tank so i can just lift it up when i want to access it.

i unno lol still lookin for a good deal on pond and stuff,, lemme know what ur doin

[Mettle]

I'm waiting to hear back from that mutual friend of ours who is selling off all of his pond stuff. But I heard it's too big for you and that you're looking for something smaller since you just have the one smaller turtle.

Realistically you could probably build something out of a large rubbermaid bin fortefeid with some 2x4s. Run some lattice around it, some vine plants and voila looks great. Easy to build a top for too. And would accomodate your turtle just fine.

[sas]

yea like a box frame around the pond with a door on top and a door on the side for access to like pump or filter and s***..... hmm i was also thinkin of making just a flat piece of chicken wire with wood around it so its heavy and just lying down on top of the tank so i can just lift it up when i want to access it.

i unno lol still looking for a good deal on pond and stuff,, lemme know what ur doing

Hope you don't mind me butting in , but if you've got raccoons in the area they'll remove that lid quicker than  .

[Mettle]

And we do have raccoons in our area, C. I've seen one in my backyard before and I saw them ALL the time when I was a supervisor down at the Subway across the street from SP (same strip mall as the Independent). There was a large abandoned barn back there and a few dozen lived in it.

[KLKelly]

At the wildlife sanctuary the raccoon enclosures are built out of a steel mesh.  Its not very thick but very strong.  The squares are about a half inch in diameter.  We buy it in 100 feet rolls but I think you can buy it in the fencing section of home depot in smaller quantities.  We use these jclips or small steel strips and use pliers to wrap the steel strips around the mesh to join two sections (takes a bit of practice).  We use a staple gun to fasten the mesh to the 2x4s.

Raccoons are very smart creatures.  We also have key lock padlocks and spring-clips on all the enclosures. 

[kennyman]

that wire mesh is often called "Welded Wire" and comes in a couple of sizes, 1/4x1/4 / 1/2x1/2 / 1x1/2 etc. Also available at country depots and co-ops. I just used a bunch to line the inside of Peacock enclosure to protect them from predators. The bigger the hole size the cheaper the cost of a roll.

[murgus]

I think the mesh also goes by the name "hardware cloth" at some building material places.

HTH,
Andrew

[Mettle]

Thanks for the FYI on that steel mesh, folks!

Was wondering - is it only offered in the standard metal finish or are there carieties with plastic coating/colours on them? Because I'd likely have to end up painting it or doing something so that it doesn't look so industrial.

[sas]

Thanks for the FYI on that steel mesh, folks!

Was wondering - is it only offered in the standard metal finish or are there carieties with plastic coating/colours on them? Because I'd likely have to end up painting it or doing something so that it doesn't look so industrial.

I've never seen it in any colours other than that silver finish? Can't see why you couldn't use a Tremclad paint and get the color you're after? Not sure though if the paint may flake off the wires. It's an agricultural product so pretty doesn't really factor in usually just function. I'm assuming you could take this cover off during the day and replace at night, and since raccoons and other varmints are nocturnal your turtles/fish would be safe?

[Mettle]

I'd be leaving it on 24/7. Helps keeps the birds out as well.

[murgus]

Just throwing another idea out there...what about egg crate for an enclosure?  At least for the non-main-viewing sections.  It can be painted as well if the white/silver looks does not fit with the outdoor decor   Plus it it lightweight, relatively cheap and easy attached/hinged using zip ties.

Andrew

[C-Dog]

mabe i will the the rubbermaid container lol its prob gonna be cheaper that way. how big do they come tho? and since most are square, its easy to build a frame arround lol. so if i built a 2x4 frame with that wire mesh stuff, and some crazy locks that would be pretty good?

[sas]

C-dog check out your local feedstores, ag. suppliers,greenhouse etc. in your area. They should have what you are looking for. Rubbermaid makes some really strong water toughs that are ideal possibly for what you are planning. They are a bit pricey but they are very durable, lasting for years. We have a 150g that serves as a horse waterer in the winter and a goldfish pond in the summer . HTH

[C-Dog]

kool thanks
how much was ur 150gal?
that would let me guestimate about cost/size i'll need
thanks for teh tip

[sas]

kool thanks
how much was ur 150gal?
that would let me guestimate about cost/size i'll need
thanks for teh tip

I paid  just under $200. and the troughs are heavy duty plastic...........used to water cattle, horses etc.. I'm pretty sure you can get bigger but depending on where you go it would probably be a special order?

[Mettle]

Sas -I think C is probably going to be looking or slightly smaller.

[C-Dog]

yea depending on the prices and the dimensions they have.
thanks.

Corey