Hey guys i wanted to build an outdoor pond as i have 3 water turtles right now with the idea of expanding to 5. All right now are babies and are in small tanks or tubs of water, but as they get older id love for them to have the freedom of the outdoors ( I live in miami ) and a nice huge pond for them to roam around in. Do you guys have any experience with building an outdoor pond, and besides a water filter what would be the other necessary mechanics to make a pond the perfect habitat for my water turtles. (Painted, Mississippi Map, Spotted, RES) Thanks for any help
Building an outdoor pond
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I had a small pre-formed pond for an EPT and a SPT. It had a flat rock in the middle which I suspended on a stick stuck in a plant. It had a biological filter that would accommodate a pond twice it's size, which was 60 gal.
I also have a 1,000 gal pond that I used to use for RES. It has a submergible pump with a biological filter with a ultra violet light used to kill algae. It has a pond liner ...not a preformed. On one side of the pond I have a land area that I loosened the soil and mixed it with peat moss and leaf litter...about 4 feet deep, where they hibernated.
Any size turtle pond would need a very strong filtration system.
I also have a 1,000 gal pond that I used to use for RES. It has a submergible pump with a biological filter with a ultra violet light used to kill algae. It has a pond liner ...not a preformed. On one side of the pond I have a land area that I loosened the soil and mixed it with peat moss and leaf litter...about 4 feet deep, where they hibernated.
Any size turtle pond would need a very strong filtration system.
Cute, looks just like my EPT.
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Xastur said:Hey guys i wanted to build an outdoor pond ......
Well as you can see Terry has the " perfect setup "WOW .. Just check out her pics!!!! Along with all the correct filters... and the light is a must . My pond is not as " sweet" .. as hers .. but the turtles that reside in there along with some small koi and one BIG Bullfrog ... seem to like it . I have 3-4 clutches a year from the big female who lives there.... some incubated by me ...and some natural she will nest in the garden 20 yards from the pond .. and produce " natural incubated in ground babies"
Sitting next to the pond is very relaxing ! you will enjoy it mucho~
Happy building"
JD~
My pond has no filter. Just a hole in the ground with lots of plants.
I have had a outdoor pond as well..
My advance, dont go cheap! Buy a good liner and make it big. The bigger the easier for them to maintain.
I suggest going to a local pond store and talking with them, they will know about that, OR a nursery.
I failed on mine, so i can tell you lots of what not to do!
My advance, dont go cheap! Buy a good liner and make it big. The bigger the easier for them to maintain.
I suggest going to a local pond store and talking with them, they will know about that, OR a nursery.
I failed on mine, so i can tell you lots of what not to do!
Years ago when my daughter and her family lived in the house I now live in, my son-in-law had one of his friends bring over a back hoe and dig a big hole in the ground. My son-in-law used cement stakes and put 2x6's all around the upper edge of the hole, where the water line would eventually be, then he filled it with water. The only bad part about not having any liner or cement bottom is that the movement of the earth and animals in the water cause the dirt to level itself. The original pond was 6' deep in the center, tapering up to about 2' around the edges. I have dug it out several times in the 12 years I've lived here, and right now it is again level all the way across at about a foot deep.
Looking north from the south end:
Looking east from the west side:
Male pond turtle that had extensive shell damage...but healed up pretty good now:
This female pond turtle had a 50 cent piece sized hole in her carapace. After months of treatment, she is now quite tame:
And of course, no pond picture is complete without the token RES:
Looking north from the south end:
Looking east from the west side:
Male pond turtle that had extensive shell damage...but healed up pretty good now:
This female pond turtle had a 50 cent piece sized hole in her carapace. After months of treatment, she is now quite tame:
And of course, no pond picture is complete without the token RES:
Thanks for the replies guys! Sorry to be a pain but where did you guys purchase your filters would a lowes or home depot suffice? and is only the biological filter needed or are there any other accesories needed. I'm not sure of any garden stores in miami, ill have to look them up but ill take pics of my little babies and hopefully in a couple years theyll have a beautiful habitat to live in just like all of yours.
I got the whole set up for the little pond from http://www.drsfostersmith.com/general.cfm?gid=1064 and for the big pond I just got the filter from the same place, but the big pump from Home Depot.
emysemys said:
Your pond is awesome, but how does it hold water without a liner or cement?
(PS. We need a pond forum!)
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emysemys said:Years ago when my daughter and her family lived in the house I now live in, my son-in-law had one of his friends bring over a back hoe and dig a big hole in the ground. My son-in-law used cement stakes and put 2x6's all around the upper edge of the hole, where the water line would eventually be, then he filled it with water. The only bad part about not having any liner or cement bottom is that the movement of the earth and animals in the water cause the dirt to level itself. The original pond was 6' deep in the center, tapering up to about 2' around the edges. I have dug it out several times in the 12 years I've lived here, and right now it is again level all the way across at about a foot deep.
Looking north from the south end:
Looking east from the west side:
Male pond turtle that had extensive shell damage...but healed up pretty good now:
This female pond turtle had a 50 cent piece sized hole in her carapace. After months of treatment, she is now quite tame:
Is that a gator" staring at me.. in that pond?
=:>)
terryo said:
How on earth do your water habitats look so good when your winters are SO harsh? We just have slightly frosty nights and my papyrus and elephant ear die back and it takes almost all summer to grow back full height.
Shelly said:
It doesn't. There used to be a pvc pipe from the faucet (underground) to the pond, but a big limb from the eucalyptus tree fell on a fir tree that was over the pipe, causing the fir to topple over and break the pipe. Now I have a garden hose dedicated to the pond. Its on trickle almost all the time.
N2TORTS said:
I believe that is dinogator that you are seeing!
(There are three LARGE soft shell turtles in there and their heads do remind one of gators!)
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emysemys said:terryo said:
How on earth do your water habitats look so good when your winters are SO harsh? We just have slightly frosty nights and my papyrus and elephant ear die back and it takes almost all summer to grow back full height.
Shelly said:
It doesn't. There used to be a pvc pipe from the faucet (underground) to the pond, but a big limb from the eucalyptus tree fell on a fir tree that was over the pipe, causing the fir to topple over and break the pipe. Now I have a garden hose dedicated to the pond. Its on trickle almost all the time.
N2TORTS said:
I believe that is dinogator that you are seeing!
(There are three LARGE soft shell turtles in there and their heads do remind one of gators!)
SOOOOOOOOOO Kewl .... !
Couple things... first, go as big as you can the first time. Three feet deep is a recommended depth for many climates to allow plants/fish to winter in them. You may need to go deeper depending on where you are.
Second, stock tanks sold by various companies (including r u b b e r m a i d) are cheaper than preformed ponds from "pond companies" 9 times out of 10. "Ponds" will usually run you at least $1 a gallon, usually more. I bought my 300 gallon stock tank for a little over $200. Liners are usually cheaper than either, but try to go with an EPDM liner. They're about $0.40 a square foot and totally worth it. PVC doesn't last as long, isn't as durable, doesn't hold up as well to UV, and is just as expensive. To do a pond like Yvonne's with no liner, you can thoroughly tamp clay to seal the ground effectively. Sorry, I don't remember how thick your compacted layer of clay needs to be for optimal performance. Automated tamping machines can be rented from home improvement stores and construction supply places, and you'd probably want to use a machine rather than try to do it by hand. I kinda doubt you can seal it using hand tamping. I would also advise adding back a healthy amount of dirt above the clay lining for your turtles to dig into so they don't ruin your clay seal right away.
Third, check your groundwater situation! Ponds will float in their holes if the groundwater rises too much. This is annoying with pre-formed ponds, but can cause a complete collapse of a liner pond. If your groundwater/drainage system isn't good, build the pond mostly above the current ground level (just sink it as deep as your groundwater usually rises to in a decent sized storm). You may have to heat your pond to allow critters and plants to winter in there if you build it mostly above ground. Hauling in a ton of dirt/rocks to "bury" your pond will still allow turtles to come and go as they please.
Fourth, if you want fish to survive in the pond, aeration. You can use bubble stones with an aerator, or install a water fall. I think I've seen that water needs to fall 6" to adequately aerate your pond. You can also use plants to help, but remember, plants only add oxygen to the water when the sun is shining. When the sun goes down, they consume oxygen and release CO2 into the water.
Fifth, filtration... I think that every pond requires biological "filtration." This can be accomplished by either installing a bio-filter, or just filling a pond-plant-basket (or a couple) with lava rocks, pond soil, etc and placing it on the bottom of the pond. Add in some store-bought pond bacteria and you're probably set-just leave the muck in the container(s) alone. Plants like water-lettuce and water hyacinth also help clean up the biologicals in your water. Aside from that, ponds should have some variety of mechanical filtration, if only to protect your animals and prolong the life of your pump. If you are using an external pump, a skimmer is pretty much a necessity. Plans to make your own out of square cat litter boxes are available online, just make sure to make it turtle safe. If you are using an in-pond pump, you should have an Adam's filter. My Adam's filter is a small plastic watebasket with my pump set in the bottom and filled to the brim with lava rock (outlet pipes leave out the top of the basket, and small holes are drilled into the side of the bucket just in case the water level drops below the level of the top of the basket). Water enters the pump through the rock, and can't enter the pump except by through the rock. This prevents my small koi from getting killed by being suctioned to and through the pump, and will prevent your turtles from getting similarly stuck and drowning. Lastly, there are additional commercial water filters than can be added... chambers that water is pumped through and exposed to UV light, bead filters, etc.
Finally, water circulation. You need to turn over your pond's water volume at least once an hour. That means a 100 gallon pond needs a 100gph pump. Beyond that, the worse your filtration is, the more water flow you need. If you install a fancy bead filter system, turning over the pond once an hour is all you need. If you just have an Adam's filter and buckets of muck, you need to turn it over much more frequently. I have a 300 gallon pond and a 1300gph pump (a dirty-water sump pump with auto-off feature if the water level drops too low from h a r b o r f r e i g h t - cost me $30 on sale and works like a champ). I don't have turtles, but I've never lost a koi, and I have a healthy population of wild frogs living in the pond. (Frogs and other amphibians are usually pretty sensitive to water conditions. They're kinda like canaries in mines. If wild frogs live, breed, and flourish in your pond, you're probably doing something right. It isn't a hard an fast rule, but a decent rule of thumb.)
Hope this helps!
Second, stock tanks sold by various companies (including r u b b e r m a i d) are cheaper than preformed ponds from "pond companies" 9 times out of 10. "Ponds" will usually run you at least $1 a gallon, usually more. I bought my 300 gallon stock tank for a little over $200. Liners are usually cheaper than either, but try to go with an EPDM liner. They're about $0.40 a square foot and totally worth it. PVC doesn't last as long, isn't as durable, doesn't hold up as well to UV, and is just as expensive. To do a pond like Yvonne's with no liner, you can thoroughly tamp clay to seal the ground effectively. Sorry, I don't remember how thick your compacted layer of clay needs to be for optimal performance. Automated tamping machines can be rented from home improvement stores and construction supply places, and you'd probably want to use a machine rather than try to do it by hand. I kinda doubt you can seal it using hand tamping. I would also advise adding back a healthy amount of dirt above the clay lining for your turtles to dig into so they don't ruin your clay seal right away.
Third, check your groundwater situation! Ponds will float in their holes if the groundwater rises too much. This is annoying with pre-formed ponds, but can cause a complete collapse of a liner pond. If your groundwater/drainage system isn't good, build the pond mostly above the current ground level (just sink it as deep as your groundwater usually rises to in a decent sized storm). You may have to heat your pond to allow critters and plants to winter in there if you build it mostly above ground. Hauling in a ton of dirt/rocks to "bury" your pond will still allow turtles to come and go as they please.
Fourth, if you want fish to survive in the pond, aeration. You can use bubble stones with an aerator, or install a water fall. I think I've seen that water needs to fall 6" to adequately aerate your pond. You can also use plants to help, but remember, plants only add oxygen to the water when the sun is shining. When the sun goes down, they consume oxygen and release CO2 into the water.
Fifth, filtration... I think that every pond requires biological "filtration." This can be accomplished by either installing a bio-filter, or just filling a pond-plant-basket (or a couple) with lava rocks, pond soil, etc and placing it on the bottom of the pond. Add in some store-bought pond bacteria and you're probably set-just leave the muck in the container(s) alone. Plants like water-lettuce and water hyacinth also help clean up the biologicals in your water. Aside from that, ponds should have some variety of mechanical filtration, if only to protect your animals and prolong the life of your pump. If you are using an external pump, a skimmer is pretty much a necessity. Plans to make your own out of square cat litter boxes are available online, just make sure to make it turtle safe. If you are using an in-pond pump, you should have an Adam's filter. My Adam's filter is a small plastic watebasket with my pump set in the bottom and filled to the brim with lava rock (outlet pipes leave out the top of the basket, and small holes are drilled into the side of the bucket just in case the water level drops below the level of the top of the basket). Water enters the pump through the rock, and can't enter the pump except by through the rock. This prevents my small koi from getting killed by being suctioned to and through the pump, and will prevent your turtles from getting similarly stuck and drowning. Lastly, there are additional commercial water filters than can be added... chambers that water is pumped through and exposed to UV light, bead filters, etc.
Finally, water circulation. You need to turn over your pond's water volume at least once an hour. That means a 100 gallon pond needs a 100gph pump. Beyond that, the worse your filtration is, the more water flow you need. If you install a fancy bead filter system, turning over the pond once an hour is all you need. If you just have an Adam's filter and buckets of muck, you need to turn it over much more frequently. I have a 300 gallon pond and a 1300gph pump (a dirty-water sump pump with auto-off feature if the water level drops too low from h a r b o r f r e i g h t - cost me $30 on sale and works like a champ). I don't have turtles, but I've never lost a koi, and I have a healthy population of wild frogs living in the pond. (Frogs and other amphibians are usually pretty sensitive to water conditions. They're kinda like canaries in mines. If wild frogs live, breed, and flourish in your pond, you're probably doing something right. It isn't a hard an fast rule, but a decent rule of thumb.)
Hope this helps!
Wow thanks for all the help guys i still have some time before i get started on it but ill save this information and when i finish ill show you guys the end result. I also will have pictures of my little guys later today or tommorrow.
chairman said:
Mike that was the greatest post, covering eveything for a new pond owner.
Every year my frogs lay thousands of eggs, and I try to scoop out some before the Koi get them, but lots do survive on their own. The Koi also lay eggs like crazy and those I don't take out, so only a few babies make it even with all the plants I have. My pond is 1,000 gal's and I don't have any more turtles in it and now, so I only have to clean out the filter once in the Spring. When I had the turtles, I had to clean it out about two times during the summer. I'm in NY and now the Koi are starting to look for food, so yesterday I gave them just a little of the Spring food.
Here's some more pictures.
Abby (EPT) in the little pond
Again...thank you for that great post Mike.
Thanks Terry... I happen to be on pond number 3, so I thought I'd try and help someone else only have a number 1! After all, moving a couple hundred gallons of dirt is hard enough to do once!
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