Habitat - Outdoor :: New Pond Coming Soon

[Turtle_Turtle]

well my dad is going to build me a pond in our backyard and i was wondering does anyone have any ideas for my pond because i am trying to get some. As far as i know my dad said about a 500 gallon pond but it may be lower. Also i was wondering how deep it should be and what should i use as a substrate on the bottom. And i think he is going to build it in 4-5 weeks or later

[marisa]

Do you intend to keep your turtle in it year round?

[Turtle_Turtle]

i think i might have to because i wouldnt have a big enough tank for them indoors and my houses floors are weak so i couldnt get a big one either

[marisa]

How cold does it get in the winter months where you are?

[Turtle_Turtle]

umm it averages about 50 but the coldest that is has gotten since i have been here is in the high 30's

[Turtle_Turtle]

idk if this would matter or not but my dad said he could build like a little cabin next to the pond which i could put there heat lamp in there but i dont think it will do to much. But anyway wouldnt the turtles just hibernate?

[marisa]

If you were in an area where you had winter cold enough to freeze, you'd want the pond to be at least 2 feet deep (below the frost line) with mud and leaves on the bottom for turtles to burrow in. If it got cold enough to freeze over, you'd need a deicer to keep part of it open to allow oxygen in. I'd pretty much make a pond that depth or a bit more. Greater depth would also help keep the water from getting really warm in the summer.

Make sure your turtles are healthy enough to stay out in cooler months (you might consider a water heater as well). If they're the size you say they are in your sig, I'd take them in if the weather got really cool.

[Turtle_Turtle]

well i was going to get a heater for them but it doesnt really get too cold and the only time i saw ice was on the grass from the dew and at my school because they always had puddles everywhere but i never saw anything really freeze over. Also how cold would u consider too cold for them (and yes they are still about that size)

[Terryo]

My big pond is 3 1\2 feet deep at one end, and the other side is only 2 feet deep. The first year I put a double long planter on the bottom filled with aqua soil. There were also pots with dirt in them. The frogs went in there to hibernate. Any time I tried to hibernate my turtles, they always ended up sick. I don't leave them out any more. I always bring them in as soon as it starts to get dark early. I am in New York, and it is starting to get dark here at 7. It is still warm, but the turtles usually go by how many hours of light there is. I am going to put an indoor pond in the basement now. I gave my big sliders to my sister who has a much bigger pond, and has better luck with them outside. Now I only have Painted's that are a little smaller, and still young. I have found that It either has to get cold enough for them to hibernate, or stay hot all year. When it is in the middle...say like 50 degrees, the turtles don't do as well. They just slow down, and don't eat properly, and then get sick. I am certainly not an expert, so this is just my opinion from trial and error.

[Terryo]

This is the little 60 gal. It does really great for the Eastern Painted that is in there. The floating plants on the top keep the water cool when it gets too hot outside.

[sillyleisl]

Your water lettuce is beautiful! I got some for my girl but she promptly nibbled them to death.

[SpotsMama]

Here's our 500 gallon pond:

[img][img]http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r302/ewalley1/Pond/DSC00212.jpg[/img][/img]

The water is 6' in diameter. There's felt and a plastic liner on the bottom and sides. The water is nearly 2 1/2 feet deep. It extends below ground level a little more than a foot, then there's a little more than a foot of water above ground. The depth below ground level helps stabilize temperatures. There's an overflow drain pipe on the side at the height of the water. There's a 500 gph pondmaster pump and a UV steralizer. There are lights too but I don't use them. There's a tower of flagstones in the middle covered with a piece of cork bark that Spot uses for basking. I tried growing a water lily in there but Spot mowed it down.

I won't leave Spot in it over winter - he'll come inside to an aquarium. Like TerryO, I feel there's too much risk. If I didn't have the big aquarium inside, I'd get him a big rubbermaid container for overwintering.

[Turtle_Turtle]

thanks for the pics spotsmama and Terryo i hope to start planning the pond still in a couple of months but my dad says we may not start till next year now because we need to reroof our roof cuz winter is our rainy season

[Turtle_Turtle]

ok just for a little update

it looks like our backyard is going to be completly under constrution next year. Bad part is it looks like the turtles are going to have to wait awhile because our backyard is going to be almost all concrete (except for our side yard which will be connected to our backyard will be all grass) and it will be awhile to layout all of it. And the turtles pond is going to be a turtle reflection pool now but it will still be about 500 gals and 3 feet deep with some koi fish my dad says