Habitat - Outdoor :: The Pond for Timmy (all the Timmys) (PICS)

Ponds and other outdoor enclosures.

Post Posted: Tue Oct 09, 2012 10:06 pm   Re: The Pond for Timmy (all the Timmys) (PICS)

Well I am only experienced with a 3" turt but I would be more than happy to help.
1 YBS ~ Squirtle
4 Mini Doxies ~ Pebbles, Sam, Donut & Rosco
2 Snails ~ Bluey and Jerry
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sweety10189110
 
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Post Posted: Thu Oct 11, 2012 7:35 pm   Re: The Pond for Timmy (all the Timmys) (PICS)

I did a lot of calculations and diagramming today. A lot. My wrist even hurts.

I had this awesome, awesome idea for two ponds, side-by-side in an L shape, one rectangle and one square, like aquariums that fit the layout of the stuff in my garage. One 6x4x3, one 3x3x3. They would share a basking area but would still be separately enclosed. One would be 500+ gallons, one would be 200ish gallons. I even had the turtles' gallons-per-turtle needs calculated and a list of turtles that would fit into each pond. And I was on my way to building a waterproof container for my webcam.

I did all the layout, the structural designing, the price-checking / list-making on Home Depot's website, and all the calculations for the pond liner and found someone on Craigslist that was selling the pond liner thickness I needed.
Total price for a DIY set of tanks for all turtles in my pond, totaling about 700 gallons: A bit over $500 and a whole lot of weekend work and likely some injury.



Now, there was someone on Craigslist that I found that was selling his 4x5x2.5 300ish gallon above-ground koi pond with liner and pump and filter for $350. And I found a place online who would sell me a 300 gallon Rubbermaid stock tank for $250 with free shipping (PM me and I'll tell you where).
Total price for a buy-it-now-no-assembly-required-don't-even-touch-a-hammer-immediate-gratification 600-ish-gallon setup: $600


... so it looks like the DIY Super Garage Aquarium of Doom Project is on hold for now, but my turtles will be safe and healthy inside for about the same amount of money. Heck, even less money when you factor in the extra cost for broken parts, redoing of things, bandaids, new tools that I would need, and a whole assortment of other things. AND there's no chance of a sudden, explosive leak / drain ruining everything on the floor in my garage, either.
Outside Pond Boys: :mrgreen:Timmy & Chewy & Ike
Outside Pond Girls: :msgreen:Betty & Frick & Frack & Tina & Nyrtle-Sweetpea
Inside Tank: :mrgreen:Sheldon :msgreen: Mork :msgreen: Mindy
Nursery: :?: Baby Timmy & Ranger
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Post Posted: Thu Oct 11, 2012 11:04 pm   Re: The Pond for Timmy (all the Timmys) (PICS)

Sounds like you have a lot of work ahead of you, keep us updated with the progress :)
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Post Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2012 1:54 pm   Re: The Pond for Timmy (all the Timmys) (PICS)

Bought the 300 gallon Rubbermaid tank ahead of my timeframe because I don't know how long it'll take to get here and I want to have everything set up ASAP.

Oh, and I saw one of my plecos today! ENORMOUS. I might have to keep the two of them in totally separate tanks if they're both as big as this one is.
Outside Pond Boys: :mrgreen:Timmy & Chewy & Ike
Outside Pond Girls: :msgreen:Betty & Frick & Frack & Tina & Nyrtle-Sweetpea
Inside Tank: :mrgreen:Sheldon :msgreen: Mork :msgreen: Mindy
Nursery: :?: Baby Timmy & Ranger
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Post Posted: Wed Oct 17, 2012 11:48 pm   Re: The Pond for Timmy (all the Timmys) (PICS)

HOORAY! I got both my 300 gallon and my wooden 250 gallon pond in the garage!

Image

I also got a call this morning from $petstore saying, "Hey Jenny, this is Mindy. We just got a drop-off a large pleco, maybe eight or so inches, so call me back if you want to come get him!"

I was down there in under 10 minutes.

He's so pretty. I was going to hold him in my quarantine tank (10 gallon observation tank) for a day or three, but... then I cracked one of the walls of the aquarium. I'm grateful it happened while I was cleaning it out rather than while it was in my living room, but still, it was a huge bummer. He's currently in a large bucket with double air stones and algae and a tablet, so I figure he'll be ok for tonight. The temperature in the pond / spa was way too low to put him into, and inside the garage is pretty warm by comparison.

Tomorrow, though... tomorrow I have to fill those ponds and get him into something reasonable. I'm out of money so I have to make it work with what I have.

... I do have the 55-ish (?) gallon tank that Baby Timmy is in, but I worry that an eight-inch pleco might try to clean him and end up doing some damage. I also worry that little Timmy the Terror will take a snap at one of the fins and end up skewering himself in the mouth. Any suggestions besides maybe getting some of that mesh / eggcrate / light diffusing plastic stuff and walling off a section of the tank for Captain Plecostomus? I might have to do just that. I don't want Captain to sit in a bucket for long and he can't go into the indoor turtle ponds because ... well, that'd be like easy-peasy snack time for the turtles. I think that's where Accidental Pleco went.
Outside Pond Boys: :mrgreen:Timmy & Chewy & Ike
Outside Pond Girls: :msgreen:Betty & Frick & Frack & Tina & Nyrtle-Sweetpea
Inside Tank: :mrgreen:Sheldon :msgreen: Mork :msgreen: Mindy
Nursery: :?: Baby Timmy & Ranger
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apondfortimmy
 
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Post Posted: Fri Oct 19, 2012 1:28 am   Re: The Pond for Timmy (all the Timmys) (PICS)

They look great! I can't wait to see it filled up with happy turtles. Thanks for sharing the excitement.
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Post Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2012 1:13 pm   Re: The Pond for Timmy (all the Timmys) (PICS)

I have some left over eggcrate if you want it?
1 YBS ~ Squirtle
4 Mini Doxies ~ Pebbles, Sam, Donut & Rosco
2 Snails ~ Bluey and Jerry
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sweety10189110
 
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Post Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2012 1:24 pm   Re: The Pond for Timmy (all the Timmys) (PICS)

sweety10189110 wrote:I have some left over eggcrate if you want it?


Oooohhh... Yes, yes please. I've been changing most of his water daily (that thing POOPS like RIDICULOUS) and I have the bubbler in his new holding cell right now, but I'll bet he's not happy.

Eee, a local turtle friend who gets it. :D
Outside Pond Boys: :mrgreen:Timmy & Chewy & Ike
Outside Pond Girls: :msgreen:Betty & Frick & Frack & Tina & Nyrtle-Sweetpea
Inside Tank: :mrgreen:Sheldon :msgreen: Mork :msgreen: Mindy
Nursery: :?: Baby Timmy & Ranger
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apondfortimmy
 
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Post Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2012 2:30 pm   Re: The Pond for Timmy (all the Timmys) (PICS)

apondfortimmy wrote:
sweety10189110 wrote:I have some left over eggcrate if you want it?


Eee, a local turtle friend who gets it. :D


I totally get that LOL. I'm not sure I have one piece big enough to make a wall but I have enough pieces you can wire tie them together to make it big enough.
1 YBS ~ Squirtle
4 Mini Doxies ~ Pebbles, Sam, Donut & Rosco
2 Snails ~ Bluey and Jerry
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sweety10189110
 
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Location: Las Vegas, NV
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Post Posted: Fri Nov 02, 2012 3:41 pm   Re: The Pond for Timmy (all the Timmys) (PICS)

This is really something absolutely cool!
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Besk
 
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Post Posted: Fri Nov 02, 2012 3:54 pm   Re: The Pond for Timmy (all the Timmys) (PICS)

Besk wrote:This is really something absolutely cool!


:D
Thank you!
The neighborhood kids just love it. We discovered the neighbors to the left have two kids the same age as my kids, and the new neighbors that moved in on the right have four kids about my kids' age. Neighborhood turtles!

I tried building an external basking area for the big ones but failed. I haven't given up yet, though! Just ... put it to the side for now.

Betty has been basking and hogging the brick I have up there. I didn't mean for them to climb on it because I thought it would be too tall or hurt their shell or something, but there she is.
She was out there when I left for the store last night at 9pm, and was still there when I came back two hours later, so I left the lights on during the night. (When we have the kids around, nobody basks so this gave them one night of uninterrupted basking time.) She was still on the brick at 7am when my husband left for work, and she's been there every time I've checked today. It's almost 1pm now. I'm ok with leaving her there (because I do checks to make sure she's still alive) for as long as she wants to be there, since she has the worst retained scutes out of all of them. I should put more bricks up there and move the ramp up.

Betty is really mellow and unafraid. The only thing she does when I go near her on the basking rock is to look at me and wiggle her legs a little. I know she can get off because I've seen her do it before, so I'm not worried.

I'll put a picture up when I'm not in the middle of boiling pumpkin for pies.

OH, I'm going to make the turtles some "pumpkin pie" - plain, boiled pumpkin in a "shell" made of some lettuce leaves. Tiny turtle pumpkin pies! :D (Though I wanted to run that by y'all here before I tried it. I also have some raw pumpkin I could use instead if that's better.)
Outside Pond Boys: :mrgreen:Timmy & Chewy & Ike
Outside Pond Girls: :msgreen:Betty & Frick & Frack & Tina & Nyrtle-Sweetpea
Inside Tank: :mrgreen:Sheldon :msgreen: Mork :msgreen: Mindy
Nursery: :?: Baby Timmy & Ranger
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apondfortimmy
 
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Post Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2013 2:15 pm   Re: The Pond for Timmy (all the Timmys) (PICS)

You are my hero... This is very awesome!
MR DIY./ AKA Redneck Plastic Surgeon.
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Post Posted: Sun Mar 31, 2013 4:19 pm   Re: The Pond for Timmy (all the Timmys) (PICS)

I forgot to update this thread with the link to the next thread in the series:
The Winter Pond for Timmy (not all are Timmy now) (PICS)
http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=33544
Outside Pond Boys: :mrgreen:Timmy & Chewy & Ike
Outside Pond Girls: :msgreen:Betty & Frick & Frack & Tina & Nyrtle-Sweetpea
Inside Tank: :mrgreen:Sheldon :msgreen: Mork :msgreen: Mindy
Nursery: :?: Baby Timmy & Ranger
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apondfortimmy
 
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