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w00t, i'm planning to make a pond for the turts . I'm getting a pond liner 10'x13', making my own filter and probably buying a waterfall or making my own, so

my dad is going to help me as long as i do the planning and such....this is pretty much my chance to get the turtles out of the 50 gallon for good

That's good. Be sure to take plenty of pics along the way so you can share your progress with us and the finished project of course.

http://www.homedepot.com/prel80/HDUS/EN ... ?pn=162029

any idea if thats worth a shot?

What you have to take into consideration is if the pump/filter will be strong enough for the turtles. I'm not great at estimating all the technical stuff but doesn't the GPH on a filter need to be something like 10x the gallons of the tank/habitat. So for 30 gallons, a filter rated 300 GPH would be good. Not sure if that's right but I think I read something like that before.

Just research it all out before spending any money.

Any reason for pond liner over a preformed pond or a stock tank?

no, just was looking at pond liners, stock tanks and preformed ponds are around the same price, and i want to make sure i can put it in the ground, otherwise i have to clear out somewhere downstairs for the stock tank to be located.

EDIT: any idea how much an preformed pond would be....i'm guessing 200-250 gallons since i have 2 male turtles

You're not going to find many preformed ponds that large, though there are a few. This is the manufacturer of some and worth checking out: http://www.maccourt.com/products/ponds.html

Setting up a custom pond would give you a lot of control over the design, though it will be a lot more work. I've seen some pics of a custom tank inside a house with a large square design with pond liner.

Still, you may want to think about where this is going and how you want it to function. That way everyone will be more happy once this is put together.

i'm thinking about this(that is a link), but i know shipping on those is close to $100. They don't even say the price ...


i think last time i was at lowes and went to look at the pond, they had one 200 gallons which is what i was thinking of, it was $150 i think, so i'll be saving up for this for a little bit :/

Yea, MacCourt makes them so you won't be able to buy direct (not that I know of). Have you checked a local garden center? They might be able to order it for you, or at least have some suggestions. Also, make sure you can check it out before you buy because that is huge.

Check my latest post in outdoor habitats. I made a pond for very cheap. My pond cost $245 total. It holds almost 150 gallons, so it's a good size for 2 male RES.

How do you plan to keep your turtles confined to the pond/pond area? If your pond is in-ground, they will easily climb out and possibly get injured, unless they are carefully confined. Remember, they can climb trees and fences.

The general rule for a pond filter is that it should circulate AT LEAST the volume of your pond, per hour. (Not 10x, as someone suggested; that would be too fast for the biofilter to work, and it would create a lot of turbulence.) Since turtles create more waste than fish, you would want the pump to circulate TWICE the volume of your pond, per hour.

Stock tanks are generally cheaper than preformed pond liners. Tractor Supply co. is the cheapest source I have found for a stock tank. Stock tanks are also thicker and therefore more durable than a pond liner.

MacCourt seems to be popular with garden centers here. So is Becket.

I could see a pond liner being good, because you could make the pond the shape you wanted. A preformed pond or stock tank would definately be more durable, though.

i saw a 270 pond liner kit w/ everything...only problem is the pump, i'de have to get a bigger size, but thats not much of a hassle. I'm planning on making sure to the last bit that the turtles cannot get out, fencing w/ wood in front so the turtles can't crawl under and can't climb over.

The 270 pond liner w/ that pump and tubing is $75, + a different pump...maybe $125 or so. I don't think the turtles would be able to rip it...