Hi! Introduce yourselves here. :: New to the Forum; Indoor Pond Build *Pics Attached*

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Post Posted: Sun Jun 05, 2016 8:47 pm   New to the Forum; Indoor Pond Build *Pics Attached*

Hey everyone,

Just over a year ago my GF was given a baby RES as a parting gift from her job at the time. She and I weren't living together yet, and her mother didn't want a turtle in the house :lol: So I said that the turtle could stay at my apartment (even though I knew nothing about caring for them), and that we could probably just keep it in a plastic bucket and give it some water and... (no idea about food). Well, after doing some research, I quickly realized that if we were going to care for this little thing, a small basin of water wasn't going to do. Right at that point, I became a turtle dad. He was about the size of a quarter when we got him, and already I could tell how intelligent this little creature was. He was more like a puppy than a gold fish, and he was going to be part of the family right away.

So from there, I hit up Craigslist and found a cheap 30 gallon tank. I read all about their diets and had a bit of trial and error for what types of juvenile pellets, lettuce, etc he liked. Then I read that he needed a basking area with a UVB lamp (wth is a UVB lamp?, I said). Researched it and bought a clamp lamp. So fast forward and even further forward, he is a creature that we never imagined would be so important to us living in a city like NYC. I can't imagine not having him, and we're currently in the process of trying to add to the family. *See attached photos below, because we went from a 30 gallon aquarium to a full-blown indoor pond, haha.*

I'd just like to add that whenever I would google questions about RES turtles, I was led to this forum more often than not, and so much that I just got used to certain usernames here and their great advice. If it wasn't for all of you and this community, who knows what road I'd have gone down while trying to care for this little guy. So I thank all of you for your love of turtles, and going so far to give your expertise and experience to the rest of us looking for urgent info to keep our pets as healthy as possible. This is why I wanted to sign up and say hello, and also contribute whenever I can, even though I'm still quite a noob!

So here's our current setup:

-Chris


First I had to acquire the basin. This is a non-toxic 35 gallon basin that I got from Home Depot for about $30.
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Then I built the frame.
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Next I covered the top layer in thick plastic. I don't recall the exact thickness of the plastic, but I doubled it in case there were tears while putting together.
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Then i added the faux grass and outside paneling.
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Moved it into place. This was designed as a corner piece next to the TV. Looks kinda awkward in this pic, but finishes nicely.
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I happened to luck into finding some beautiful fence post that was on the curb, and I used that for the outside of the pond. Free is always better!
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Theres a lot to tweak including his basking area and vegetation, but so far, he/we are loving it. I had to remove the waterfall for the time being because it was splashing on the wall and peeling the paint and creating a pocket of moisture underneath the pond. So my current issue is aeration, but I'm looking into different spouts to solve that problem.

Thank you for looking! Can't wait to become a part of this community :)
Last edited by sansbacon on Mon Jun 06, 2016 2:49 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Post Posted: Mon Jun 06, 2016 10:48 am   Re: New to the Forum; Indoor Pond Build *Pics Attached*

Welcome to forum Chris! I really like what you've done, it's something I think I would eventually want to do as well! What kind of filter are you running?
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Post Posted: Mon Jun 06, 2016 2:08 pm   Re: New to the Forum; Indoor Pond Build *Pics Attached*

Thank you! It took a lot of convincing my GF to buy into the idea, so I had to follow through, lol.

The pump is a Pond Boss, rated at I believe 300 GPH. It's kinda big for this basin, but I've already gone through like 4 other filters and this is the first one that's actually worked. I also plan on building another pond in the future when he outgrows this one, so I should be able to use it for quite a while.

And omg, I just realized I never introduced my turtle to the forum! Haha, I'm a bad turtle Dad.


EDIT- This is Khaleeso. Originally named Khaleesi until he showed us that he is no lady, haha. He's a little over a year old.

This was shortly after we got him. He's just barely larger than a quarter right here.
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He's a Korg fanatic.
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And a happy little basker.
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This is a more recent photo, and as you can see, he's beginning to outgrow his basking rock, haha
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Post Posted: Tue Jun 07, 2016 8:54 am   Re: New to the Forum; Indoor Pond Build *Pics Attached*

I really like the shark picture :) I'd cut down on his pellets/protein, and he's definitely a boy. Expect those claws to start growing.
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Post Posted: Wed Jun 08, 2016 6:31 pm   Re: New to the Forum; Indoor Pond Build *Pics Attached*

We've been alternating between lettuce and pellets, but it's hit or miss whether or not he eats the lettuce. I suspect he's been pecking at the snails that have started hatching since adding hyacinth and water lettuce. Those plants lasted for about 2 weeks ;)
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Post Posted: Wed Jun 08, 2016 8:18 pm   Re: New to the Forum; Indoor Pond Build *Pics Attached*

Keep the lettuce on a veggie clip and offer a small amount of pellets, and skip a day now and then. He'll get the message.
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Post Posted: Thu Jun 09, 2016 7:58 pm   Re: New to the Forum; Indoor Pond Build *Pics Attached*

His feeding area is on the left side of the pond next to the TV. We put him in there with some food once a day, but sometimes he's not interested and crawls back to the pond without eating. If I notice that he hasn't touched his food, I'll try again. Love the veggie clip idea, but I like to keep it separate from his living habitat. Ultimately, I'd like for him to start entering the feeding pan on his own, but we're not there yet.
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Post Posted: Fri Jun 10, 2016 6:02 pm   Re: New to the Forum; Indoor Pond Build *Pics Attached*

They normally don't eat in that type of arrangement, I'm not surprised he's a bit reluctant.
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Post Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2016 2:25 pm   Re: New to the Forum; Indoor Pond Build *Pics Attached*

Maybe wishful thinking on my part, but he likes to get out and wander around. Maybe one day he'll recognize that's his feeding dish :D As for right now, we just grab him and manually place him in there to eat. It took him a little while to get it, but now he's used to it. After he's done eating, he climbs out and dives back into the pond. It's a proud moment every time I watch it happen.
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Post Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2016 3:04 pm   Re: New to the Forum; Indoor Pond Build *Pics Attached*

Oh, many do like to wander and explore but it's really not the best for them in a house.
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Post Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2016 3:07 pm   Re: New to the Forum; Indoor Pond Build *Pics Attached*

Oh no, I meant within the confines of his pond area. In the pics you can see a plexiglass wall surrounding the perimeter of the pond.
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Post Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2016 3:07 pm   Re: New to the Forum; Indoor Pond Build *Pics Attached*

Oh, my mistake. :)
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Post Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2016 3:14 pm   Re: New to the Forum; Indoor Pond Build *Pics Attached*

No worries :) We've let him walk around our apt a few times, but only under really close supervision. Way too many nooks and crannies for him to get lost in, and he's super fast. That was when he was in his aquarium though, and didn't really have anywhere to get out and "stretch his legs", so to speak, lol.
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Post Posted: Tue Jun 28, 2016 12:46 am   Re: New to the Forum; Indoor Pond Build *Pics Attached*

Getting lost is one thing, but picking up crumbs, dust and hair can be a problem. He could also poop/pee where you don't want and even walk over it making a particularly bad mess. Always do a separate rinse before he goes back into the tank.
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Post Posted: Thu Jun 30, 2016 10:39 pm   Re: New to the Forum; Indoor Pond Build *Pics Attached*

Welcome to the forum, and wow! Your indoor pond looks grand. What I would do to invest the time and effort to be able to make something like you did for your turtles. :evil:

Just seeing how well it fits into the corner of your living room makes it appear so convenient and easy to access. Plus it doesn't look to be obstructing anything and is safely away from any possible hazards (such as chemicals, tools and equipment, etc). I really like it!
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