Habitat - Outdoor :: GENIUS!

[jasmiester]

I just thought of this idea literally 2.5 seconds ago and quickly wanted to post it while looking through some Outdoor Pond pictures.. Ive always wanted an out door pond but i live in Toronto Ontario, which gets pretty cold.. So this was my idea

I dig a hole in the ground, and i have a big glass, plastic, whatever to block out animals and the snow/rain. Then, inside i have the pond and this is ALL underground.. Ill have two heaters if needed, and maybe an actual heater under ground to keep the area of the pond warm. Like those small heaters you can find in offices !! I wonder if this'll work, feed back anyone? Thanks! :D:D



Picture of heater.. but finding a socket for the heater will also be a problem.

[SpotsMama]

I don't know jasmeister. I think it would be difficult. It would have to have a liner, there would be problems with light getting through a glass/plexiglass cover, I think temperature control in your environment would be a real challenge. If the pond were flush with the ground or below ground level, rain water and snow melt would run into it. Were you think of letting your turtles live outside in this pond all year round?

What are your summertime temperatures like? If your summertime daily highs are normally in the 80s (fahrenheit) or higher you could build a regular pond and let your turtles stay outside in it at least some of the time in the summer then bring them in for the cooler months. That's what most of us do - we can't let our turtles overwinter in our outdoor ponds even in Texas.

[jasmiester]

Hahha, its just an idea Ill expand on it sooner or later haha, but you're right, the rain water and the soil, but then theres a base to this glass / plastic box too! Oh well it was fun .. imagining it? haha..

[SpotsMama]

Ohhh yes! Great things come from people with imagination!

[N4784N R4613]

Well, the water running into it is a simple fix. Hook up a sump pump to pump the water somewhere away from the pond. Sump pumps only turn on when the water level reaches a certain point, and it shuts off when the water is pumped to a lower level. I don't know about the other problems though.

[SpotsMama]

Nathan you could probably control the water level with a sump pump but I'd worry too about what's in the runoff - fertilizer, pesticides, oil - contaminating the water.

[N4784N R4613]

This is true...

[moonlighter]

Just had to chime in because this is an interesting idea. The water run-off can be controlled by a perimeter berm or curb and the cover, if the pond is small, could be fitted to the curb. This would be similar to a garden hot box. If the idea is to have a larger "room" that one can walk into below ground then the technical problems are much more expensive to overcome and you may want to consider just building a green house over the pond. This would be really cool attached to the south side of your home.
I really know how to spend money:)

[SpotsMama]

Yes moonlighter - I agree - you really know how to spend money$$$$$

[wezeles]

in the colder temps its hard because even if you have a heated room covering it what if the power goes out? its not like inside your home were your insulated and it would take a few hours to acctually cool down...

Keeping a green house warm enough in the winter would be a challenge. let alone how quick the temp would drop if you lost power you would have to be at home when it happens and rush them inside...

I live in michigan and have seen some fancy ponds setup ot be active all year round. The only real way to make it work would be to still have it connected to the inside.
you might have seen this sometime with fancy office building displays where they have a large indoor/outdoor pond right through the wall and usually above the frost level.
for the most part the animals are inside in the winter time and would be in both areas in the warmer months, even then this requires constant cost of heating and monitoring the water temps to keep them safe...

Way more expensive though.. Got a sledge hammer and a couple grand handy? lol ill help
how much did you really like that wall? and hello electric bill...

[flyjawn]

lol... you're crazy!

i'm in t.o. as well so i know just how cold it is here! i'd love for your idea to work though. keep thinking about it.