Habitat - Outdoor :: Transitioning from indoors to outdoors

[texasreb]

I've glanced through this section looking for information on transitioning my turtle from indoors to out. I have questions that have probably been answered ad naseum, but I'm not finding them.

What is the ideal set up for an outdoor turtle? What kind of tank, filter, heater, lighting, basking spot, etc, etc, etc. is best? Do they need all of this stuff in an outdoor setup?

What is the best time of year to make the move? I live in Texas.

Where is the best place to locate the tank? Next to a building or out in the open? N,S,E or W side of a building? Shady, sunny, mixed? Morning or afternoon sun?

If this is all answered in one spot or several...and you don't feel like typing it out again, kindly post the link(s).

Thanks.

[austinl01]

Good questions. I'm going to follow this post too.

[Linus]

Ok well first, you're going to have to wait till next summer to bring your turtle outside. They need to aclimate before winter.

So here's my Pond: viewtopic.php?f=14&t=22816&hilit=+pond

You're going to need a strong filter. Also, morning to midday sun is the best. The cage is used to keep raccoons out.

[texasreb]

Thanks Linus

Is that pond still up and running? Has it worked out for you? What major changes have you made to it since thread? What about climate control?

As I said, I live in Texas. We just had 90 days of 100-degree or hotter weather this year. Last Feb we had an ice storm that lasted over a week. My horse's water trough (which is roughly the same size as my turtle tank: 100 gallons) froze solid at least a foot deep. How would I keep my turtle comfortable <alive>?

Thanks again for your help!

[Linus]

Yes, the pond is still up and running, really no changes have been made. Except we got an exact copy of the bucket for a new filter because it became frail.

Well I have 2 turtles out there. My Belize Slider is tropical so she has to come in soon, in fact I filled up her tank today. My other turtle is a large female RES. She stays out all year long. Ive been hibernating her for at least 6 years now. It is dangerous to hibernate turtles in captivity, unless they're full size and have the right conditions.

A turtle would die under ice. Also if the Horse Trough is metal, you really need to watch the water temp.

[austinl01]

Can you sink the trough in the ground? It would help insulate it. The deeper the pond, the better especially to regulate water temps. I built my koi pond almost 6 feet deep just for that reason.

[texasreb]

The turtle tank (and horse trough) are both Rubber Maid-type black plastic tanks. I have to completely empty, scrub out and bleach my horse trough once a week to keep the algae under control. I imagine it would be the same for the turtle tank? I think I'm talking/typing myself out of an outdoor setup...unless there are ways around completely breaking down the set-up once a week for cleaning.

I'm not sure how old my turtle is. It's shell from head to tail is about 8". From side to side it's probably 6.5" These are rough estimates. I've never actually sticked it. I'm nearly positive it was once wild.

[austinl01]

If you can get a bottom drain in there, it would be easy to change the water. Is there any way for that? A bulk head and some PVC would be easy to add to your plastic tanks.

[steve]

The black rubbermaid tanks have a drain opening.

[texasreb]

Yes. The turtle tank does have a brass fitting at the bottom. This one is an off-brand, not an actual Rubbermaid. Also, the sides are not contoured at all but rather perfectly smooth, both inside and out. The base is marginally narrower than the top, so the walls angle out slightly. If I keep it above ground, I can definitely fit it with a bottom drain.

This is probably wishful thinking...but would a turtle kill a pleco?

[Linus]

To tell you the truth, I almost never do a water change in my pond. All of the plants keep everything under control. Algae in a pond is not bad, goldfish love to eat it. I assume you're talking about green water though. I get this about once a year right at the beginning of summer. you just need to find a spot that gets the perfect amount of sun. Not too much, not too little.

[texasreb]

I bought some of the supplies to make the filter: a pond pump (284gph); a 5gal bucket; and a piece of hose. I also have a cattle panel that I'm going to use to cover the top. It should be heavy enough that I can just set my filter/bucket over the top and drill holes into the bottom of it. The cattle panel is heavy-duty and galvanized. My plan is for a gravity-fed filtration system. In my mind this is going to work. Stop me now if I'm way wrong. I'm going to put the pump on an elevated platform inside the tank--like an inverted clay flower pot. I'm going to pump the water up into the filter/bucket soon to be filled with filter media. I'm going to use a fountain head to disperse the water. It will then flow down through the media and drain out the bottom of the bucket. No fitting hardware into the bucket. I'll just drill holes in the bottom of it.... Also I'm using flexible hosing to go from the pump to the bucket. It's actually some washing machine hose.

Good plan?

[Linus]

Sounds like it would work, but that pump is not going to be strong enough. My pond is only 125G, and we have a 600GPH pump. Ponds get very dirty fast, and since the filter will be above the water level, your going to need a lot more GPH....like 600.

[texasreb]

That would be a simple fix--I'll just return the pump and get a bigger one. Harbor Freight has a multitude of sizes--this one was the largest of the small pumps and only $10.00. The mid and large sized ones are pricey-er but not unreasonable.

One more question--maybe way off target... I'm thinking of inexpensive media material. I was searching through my sheds for something useable and came across some <used> floor buffing pads. Too bad they are used, but they look ideal. One is coarse and one is fine. If I bought clean ones--do you know if they are inert? They aren't impregnanated with anything are they? They seem perfect.

Thanks for your continued input on this thread.

[Linus]

I don't know about that. You can use kitchen sponges and such if you want. But this is how I thought of it. All the media in my filter was new. That was over 2 years ago. I haven't replaced any of it, except for the carbon. Once you buy this stuff, you really shouldn't have to do it again.