Ponds.

Yellow Turtle01

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Okay, pond people! The new year is arriving, and I have some big renovations coming up for the turts and torts!
Here are some questions about TURTLE PONDS! Yay! :D
Can I get away with not filtering my turtle pond? (containing three large sliders:confused: )
I'm planning maybe 4-5 feet deep, 6-7 feet wide, it'll have a big waterfall, which will help circulation and oxygen...
It'll also have plants... (best thoughts on what kind would be great, 'cause I'm just stuck at A LOT of water hyacinth:p )
Fish? YES, the old tale, turtle vs fish, but are small fish possible? If there's spots to shelter and hide? How about algae suckers? (I've had AMAZING luck with turtles vs these)
Bottom? What do I put on the bottom? I'm thinking a big 'ole stock tank, so do I cover it up with rocks and stones?
Other areas... like maybe a stream into the waterfall, grassy area... so on. Pics would be AWESOME.:D
Fencing and covering! How heavy duty am I looking at here? There are racoons here on an almost nightly bases. :confused:
Heating. Light? Water heater? Average summer (summer pond ONLY) temps are 80' range... and that's a lot of water...
Thanks guys! I know I'll up some other stuff :rolleyes:
 

kathyth

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I have a 300 G Rubbermaid tub for a pond. We made a ( DYI) Wendy Filter, which I think is a good idea.
Our temps are much warmer than yours, but I don't know that the RES would need summer heating.
I don't have anything on the bottom, however, life puts some dirt on the bottom, which I'm sure is good.
There would need to be raccoon proof fencing, for sure :)
I have mosquito fish in mine. Other fish could be very interesting.
If you have a filter, make sure your turtles don't get caught up in the suction and drown. It can happen.
Watching your turtles swim in a pond is super cool.


image.jpg image.jpg
 

Yellow Turtle01

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Wow, that is so nice!
I read about wendy filters before, they're cheap and effective. How long does yours keep clean? Such nice growth!
Do the basking spots as rocks scrape their shells/nails?
 

ZEROPILOT

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You'll need filters. Plants will help. Why can't you incorporate a filter into your waterfall pickup? Also, plecos will make more waste than they are worth. Tiny guppies will work and they will also control mosquitos. I use Becket pumps and filter units. The filters that use five sponge filters and a pump work great! I use a fountain as a return but you could run a hose for a waterfall. I rinse out 4 of the 5 sponges as needed to keep some bacteria and the pumps last a couple years each. A replacement pump is $45-$85. Swaps out in a minute or two. Search Becket GPH 400 5X filter. It's about $100 but it's all you'll ever need. I fill the boxes with bio blocks. You could also use lava rocks, etc. Or leave the box empty. (Empty will want to float.) A one time expense on a filter system that hides 100% under water out if sight. One handles my 360 gallon pond with Koi and one does my 170+ gallon goldfish pond. I can't say anything bad about them!
 
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kathyth

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We change the green scrub pads that are cheap, every few months. It's quite easy.
Terry Kilgore told me to get the rock out, as a basking platform and I did. He said the rock would certainly scratch the shell. I replaced it with a similar looking platform from Home Depot. It's made out of some kind of rubber. Was in the garden section, outside.
 

Yellow Turtle01

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We change the green scrub pads that are cheap, every few months. It's quite easy.
Terry Kilgore told me to get the rock out, as a basking platform and I did. He said the rock would certainly scratch the shell. I replaced it with a similar looking platform from Home Depot. It's made out of some kind of rubber. Was in the garden section, outside.
Nice! I know you can bulk sponges for filters for cheap. :D
Yes, that's why I asked, had some evil encounters with rocks vs turtle keratin. :)
 

Yellow Turtle01

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You'll need filters. Plants will help. Why can't you incorporate a filter into your waterfall pickup? Also, plecos will make more waste than they are worth. Tiny guppies will work and they will also control mosquitos. I use Becket pumps and filter units. The filters that use five sponge filters and a pump work great! I use a fountain as a return but you could run a hose for a waterfall. I rinse out 4 of the 5 sponges as needed to keep some bacteria and the pumps last a couple years each. A replacement pump is $45-$85. Swaps out in a minute or two. Search Becket GPH 400 5X filter. It's about $100 but it's all you'll ever need. I fill the boxes with bio blocks. You could also use lava rocks, etc. Or leave the box empty. (Empty will want to float.) A one time expense on a filter system that hides 100% under water out if sight. One handles my 360 gallon pond with Koi and one does my 170+ gallon goldfish pond. I can't say anything bad about them!
Yep, lots of plants :D Hmm, hadn't thought of that...
So the filter would suck the water out of the pond, but the output would instead be connected to a pump under the waterfall? Handy. :D
Would the guppies clean anything up? Haven't looked into them yet.
I'm liking the sound of having a nice, effective filter and just buying it ONCE! :D Submersible is important, I'll have to look those up! :D
 

Yellow Turtle01

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Oo, just emerged from that world, and it's such a nice filter! Very small. I like how small it is. I read a review that it's very easy to use hooked into a waterfall, the flow is controllable, and that it keeps water 100% see through! :D
Thanks for the recommendation, man!
 

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Yep. Crystal clear. You'd be pleased. The guppies I've used at times just as I said to control mosquitos. They wouldn't require feeding in an established pond. There is a lot of biological activity....
 

Anthony P

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If you can keep a ton of water plants alive in the water, like hyacinth and/or water lettuce, AND make a built in drain or overflow to allow for frequent/easy water changes, you won't NEED filtration.
 

Yellow Turtle01

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If you can keep a ton of water plants alive in the water, like hyacinth and/or water lettuce, AND make a built in drain or overflow to allow for frequent/easy water changes, you won't NEED filtration.
Hmm, I know I'd need to change a bit of the water at least yearly when they go back out in the summer, but that's a lot of water to be doing it often!
Do you use filters? (if you have ponds!)
 

Yellow Turtle01

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I have a 300 G Rubbermaid tub for a pond. We made a ( DYI) Wendy Filter, which I think is a good idea.
Our temps are much warmer than yours, but I don't know that the RES would need summer heating.
I don't have anything on the bottom, however, life puts some dirt on the bottom, which I'm sure is good.
There would need to be raccoon proof fencing, for sure :)
I have mosquito fish in mine. Other fish could be very interesting.
If you have a filter, make sure your turtles don't get caught up in the suction and drown. It can happen.
Watching your turtles swim in a pond is super cool.


View attachment 112263 View attachment 112264
Do you know what kind of grass that is? Look for marginal's now :D
 

Yellow Turtle01

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Keep in mind that Koi will eat away most plants unless they are potted and protected. Plants are also good at filtering light and stop algae from turning the water green.
:D I think Koi are a little big for turtles...they are pretty, but so messy! :(
 

ETTB1314

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You can try to put suckerfish (idk what its called in usa but here we call suckerfish) it really helps to clean the tank a lot. I have koi pond at home but no plants. I have maybe 20 koi and 5 suckerfish.

But one bad thing is that if the suckerfish feels like it does somehow attack the koi in the pond. Its scary. I have lost 3-4 koi because of that and have to remove the suckerfish into an inside pond to separate them.
 

Momof4

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I wish I could keep plants in mine! My turtle destroys them in a day or two! He goes to town on them! I try every spring! I also use fake plants. image.jpg
 

Momof4

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Kathy's pond is beautiful!!! I'm so glad I came over! It has inspired me to spruce up my stock tank this spring!
 

Jacqui

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My best pond (a buried hot tub) never had filtration and it did fine. I used it for the adult RES rescues I would take in. I would do water exchanges ever so often.These guys ate plants like they were candy, so I grew the plants in another tank and only tossed them in as needed. As for fish, my turtles were too lazy to chase the live fish, but a dead one was quickly eaten. In the smaller pools I had in different enclosures, I always make sure I have a goldfish or two to eat the 'skeeters, but you can also use those donuts. Moving water helps 'skeeters to not be an issue. Some of my turtles will kill any fish I place in with them, but most of mine leave them alone.
 

terryo

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We had a 1,000 gal pond on the side of the house, which is now my Box turtle garden. There were only 3 turtles in there when we didn't have a filter. No matter how many plants we had after a while it needed cleaning. We had fish, frogs, and any other visitor that came by. Eventually my son made a biological filter and it cleared0015.jpg up really nice. We had a floating island with plants on it that the turtles came up to bask on. I miss that pond so much, but it was too much work, so now I have the Box turtle garden, which I love too.
 
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