Outdoor pond - sunlight and water prep questions

Helmet

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Jun 17, 2021
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Hi. I live in So Calif and I am setting up outdoor enclosures for 2 RES using 55 gallon storage tubs from Home Depot. The area in my yard where I'm planning to put them faces East and gets full sunlight from approx. 5:30am-12:30pm everyday. Is this too much sunlight? I'm worried about overheating. The tubs will be filled up about 2/3 with water, so water depth of approx. 12"-14". I'm not planning on using any bulbs for the basking area because of the natural lighting. I have canister filters and I'm not planning on using any substrate, although I did buy some aquarium plants at the .99 Store. I'm also wondering about water conditioners and bacteria starters that I should be adding beforehand. I read elsewhere about starting the nitrification cycle but only have about 24 hours lead time before I'll be putting the turtles into the tubs. What's the safest way to start that cycle in the tubs with such a short lead time? I'm worried about spikes in ammonia, nitrate, and nitrite levels and want to eliminate any potential harm. I also have Fluval E300 heaters for the water but have been reading about in-line external heaters and wondered if that is the way to go instead? My concern is that I can't seem to confirm if they are not meant for use outdoors or not. Thanks in advance for any help.
 
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Tom

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Only your thermometer can answer this. You need to learn what temperatures are needed, do a trial run with everything set up, check the temps, and make adjustments as needed. You'll have to do this all the time as temps change through the course of a year. Due to our cold nights most of the year, you will likely need a heater to maintain water temps most of the year.

You can use the drops to remove the chlorine, ammonia and chloramines, but you don't need anything other than that.

With the huge amount of waste generated by a turtle, there isn't much point in worrying about the nitrite cycle. They will quickly overload the system and you'll need large frequent water changes to maintain decent water quality.

55 gallons is too small for anything other than babies.
 

Helmet

New Member
Joined
Jun 17, 2021
Messages
4
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
Only your thermometer can answer this. You need to learn what temperatures are needed, do a trial run with everything set up, check the temps, and make adjustments as needed. You'll have to do this all the time as temps change through the course of a year. Due to our cold nights most of the year, you will likely need a heater to maintain water temps most of the year.

You can use the drops to remove the chlorine, ammonia and chloramines, but you don't need anything other than that.

With the huge amount of waste generated by a turtle, there isn't much point in worrying about the nitrite cycle. They will quickly overload the system and you'll need large frequent water changes to maintain decent water quality.

55 gallons is too small for anything other than babies.
Alright. I'll look into getting larger enclosures. Do you have any thoughts on in-line external heaters? I've read varying accounts, and also read that people have used them for outdoor enclosures but I'm not sure if that's safe because I can't seem to find any info on whether they are rated for that.
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
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Alright. I'll look into getting larger enclosures. Do you have any thoughts on in-line external heaters? I've read varying accounts, and also read that people have used them for outdoor enclosures but I'm not sure if that's safe because I can't seem to find any info on whether they are rated for that.
I've never used those so can't comment on them.
 

Helmet

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Location (City and/or State)
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Okay. Thank you for responding Tom. I appreciate all help and advice :) I'm upgrading enclosures to 110 gallons and will upgrade to filtration needed for that size. I also bought water testing strips and already have temp gauges. I'm determined to help these little guys live their best lives.
 
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