Habitat - Indoor :: Wood Frame and Pond liner.

Turtle tank setups and other indoor configurations.

Post Posted: Fri Apr 17, 2020 9:23 am   Wood Frame and Pond liner.

So I've been looking at solutions for my turtle tank. The first solution was purchasing a custom glass tank which was gunna cost me 2000CAD+. Then I would just build the base myself. Second option was to buy a plastic container, Rubber made. Or some preformed plastic ponds. But the plastic containers have chance to crack and alot of them have a drainage port on the bottom which I dont want. And the preformed ponds arent sold near me, I'd have to go to the border to pick it up at american homedepot... now my THIRD option is building a sturdy wood frame. And pick up a 14.5mil pond liner with 800gal capacity and stick it inside the frame. My only concern is will 14.5 be enough to prevent my Female red eared sliders nails from puncturing it? Anyone have any experiance with any of these options that can suggest which would work the best? Thanks in advance.
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Post Posted: Fri Apr 17, 2020 10:37 am   Re: Wood Frame and Pond liner.

I agree customs tanks just cost too much for the size you want (800 gal ). In the thousands… 2000CAD is cheap but a very lite weight tank , more like $4000 and up for a good one ! Then the shipping…

Myself have been using for over 27 years Rubbermaid polyethylene stock tanks indoors and in the past also outdoors. Not one ever leaked.
Wood type are good if done correct. Better like DIY projects , lots of homework needed , time and good plans. Must read SDS’s on materials used for safety.
Those cheap preformed plastic at big box stores like home depot are just too thin and yes will crack even with a frame built. Many manufactures have different types , do homework. Some are polyethylene , fiberglass , structural foam and then some seamless then others not.
Note on liner’s. Your 14.5 is very thin to me for the pressure of an 800 gallon tank. I would not use a 14.5 mil for a pond liner. The way turtles like to dig around then the decorations , rocks even rooted plant could cause puncturing. Most good pond liners are 45 mil. Then they have different materials used. Like ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM ). Some Polyvinylchloride and other a high density polyethylene (HDPE ) then some a butyl rubber type.
Canada is one of the largest agricultural producers around. Check farm supply stores , tractor stores … in Ontario for heavy duty farm stock tanks like Rubbermaid ones. The seamless polyethylene type. Some supply stores have very large sizes for cattle. Several hundred gallons and some in the thousands of gallons. Use several price trackers for sales and some even offer free shipping with a sale. A little creativity on the outside of them can make the look great and they have a much wider footprint than a glass 12” or 18” wide glass tank , more can be offered for a turtle. I use a clearance bamboo window shade for Piggley stock tank on the outside of it in my home.
Yes most comes with a drain bulkhead ( high quality type ) just use the plug given with most all instead of adding a drain , I use teflon tape on the plug and never had a leak.
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Post Posted: Fri Apr 17, 2020 9:27 pm   Re: Wood Frame and Pond liner.

I've never heard of a RES ripping though pond liner but you can easily double the layer for a preventative measure and add a sealer. A determined enough RES might be able to bite through a liner over time, but you will probably notice somethings up before any leakage occurs. I've contemplated a wood frame/pond liner tank before, I think it could look great since you can really customize it to however you want.

Stock tanks are great too... if they have the size you want. Mine never leaks and you can glue the drain shut if you wanted. My favorite thing about them is they are easy to move. When they're empty, they are light and you can easily drag them from one location to another.
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Post Posted: Sat Apr 18, 2020 1:38 pm   Re: Wood Frame and Pond liner.

I was just looking at a 800gal liner probably cut it up for 300gall if I go that way. But i guess I'm leaning towards that 300gal rubbermaid because its cylindrical mainly. Just need to make sure itll fit around a corner and through a door into basement apt.. Is there any flex on the container when its empty? Just an inch or 2?
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Post Posted: Sat Apr 18, 2020 2:22 pm   Re: Wood Frame and Pond liner.

No flex in it , pretty solid. Make a template out of card board to test the 25x69x63.3 size. Stand the 69" side vertical , may be a better chance around your corner. If doorway ('s) at that corner you can take door ('s) off hinges for a little better angle.
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