vale : a valley, often coursed by a stream
tale : a story
I would like to get the turtles back outside this year, and possibly just keep them there all year (with exceptions as they come up). Since our pool leaks, we're turning that into a greenhouse / garden area, and I'm getting the entire corner behind the pool.
Here it is, marked off by yarn.
I weeded this morning.
Here are the measurements:
I figure I'll have two feet on all sides around the pond, except the very front, which would be one foot, and directly next to the pump area, because then it'll cut down on the amount of pipe I'll have to have.
There'll be an inlet along the straight side for the waterfall pump.
The deepest part will be right in front of the waterfall. I suppose it could be a half circle with a radius of three feet and a three foot depth. That right there would give me over 315 gallons at the calculation of
((( (pi)r2 ) / 2) x 3) x 7.48 (this is gallons per cubed foot))
The total surface area is 91.75sqft, which, even if I were to make it only one foot deep, that would equal (91x7.48) 680 gallons.
At a range of three feet to a few inches of depth, with a 90 sq ft surface area, I can easily pull off close to 1000 gallons. (It's actually over but I round down because I know how I am and I might not make it to the full three feet.)
The idea for the fence is to start with plywood and 2x4s at a height of two feet (with a foot underground), but I'd love to change it to an 18 inch tall planter where I can let my mint plants grow. I have to keep it simple at first though, because this is a lot of work. Get it done, get them out there, improve as necessary.
I have one regular pond pump, one UV filter pump, and I plan on making an external biofilter that'll handle the 1000 estimate.
The plan is to scrape the rocks off (and put them into the old pool, actually), dig the shape, get a 10x15 pond liner ($136, Lowe's), lay it all out, put stone and bricks all around it to hold it, then do the basking areas and pipes for the filters.
I want to do some grass around the edges, and there will definitely be dandelions planted. I was thinking flagstone for the places where they can come out to the land and bask (like ramps), but at almost $10 a piece (2'x1' piece, though), they are probably only going to have two basking ramps to the outside. The sides that aren't ramps will be soft (maybe grass) and built up with bricks so they can definitely slide back in without hurting their shells, but they won't be able to climb out that way. And bricks next to the waterfall too.
Once I sketch more, I'll post more pictures.
One thing I'm worried about is if I put grass out there, how will it stay watered? Maybe just from the mist from the waterfall or something.
Oh, and there'll be a sandy egg area. I suppose I'll just dig up the eggs when I see the sand disturbed. It might be way too hot in the sand for them to hatch anyway.
SHADE, I forgot the shade. I'll make sure there are some shady areas once I get it all set up.
Timmy & Chewy & Ike 
Betty & Frick & Frack & Tina & Nyrtle-Sweetpea
Baby Timmy & Ranger
