Large waterland tub vs stock tank or dug pond with liner.
- Thread starter CharlieM
- Start date
If it were me, I would dig a pond. Oh, I did, a few years ago. I first started with a prefabbed pond. Thrn of course wanted it bigger and different shape, so dug one. Should have dug one to begin with and go as big as you can the first time.
What do you plan to keep? I would dig one out personally. BIgger is always better. Just depends though. 900 gallon stock tanks huge, but you can dig a bigger pond easy, and make it natural.
I assume, due to the size, that these are for turtles? If you have the room, I would dig it yourself and use a liner. It may be cheaper, and you'll be able to shape it the way you want. That's what I did for my red-foots, although its not a very big pond.
I went with the dig it myself method and used a pond liner. I dug it much deeper than needed for now, and then filled up with rocks to bring the bottom up. I'm also switching to this filter (non-pressure based so you can open and clean while it is running, and have to clean less often - a little more expensive but with my current filter, I was having to clean too often - if you have time and don't mind there are some cheaper options):
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003JVR1VS/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20
I just connected a standard pond pump, and also got a pond pump barrier bag which does a good job keeping the big stuff out.
I added some water lettuce, 10 small minnows and a pleco to help keep it cleanish (and to eat the mosquito larvae)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003JVR1VS/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20
I just connected a standard pond pump, and also got a pond pump barrier bag which does a good job keeping the big stuff out.
I added some water lettuce, 10 small minnows and a pleco to help keep it cleanish (and to eat the mosquito larvae)
The Waterland tubs are nice and I wouldn't mind having them, however, they're just so darned expensive. I bought a 600 gallon metal water trough for a couple hundred bucks (it's been quite a few years and I'm not quite sure on that price), then because I didn't like the idea of a turtle living next to galvanized metal, I lined it with pond liner, added an upturned plant pot with a door cut out, a Skippy filter and it's good to go. Not nearly as pretty as richosullivan's pond, but it works for me:
My turtles are hatchlings, except for the flavomarginata which have enclosures, so I have lots of time. I'm thinking of a deep 600 or 900 gallon round stock tank/tub with a basking island for the albino RES. The 4 Mauremys Nigricans could possibly be split in to twolarge waterland tubs by gender and the Clemmys Guttata could get a shallow sprawling pond using a liner or a few prefab liners.
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