# Turtle pond build



## bluedragon (May 12, 2018)

This is my other recent project is a outdoor turtle pond i just wanted some suggestions on plants. Not finshed yet will post progress pics


















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## Flaviemys purvisi (May 12, 2018)

The pond itself is way too small... how deep is that (cm) and many litres?


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## bluedragon (May 12, 2018)

Flaviemys purvisi said:


> The pond itself is way too small... how deep is that (cm) and many litres?


No its not too small its a metre long and a foot deep i only have 1 small turtle

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## Flaviemys purvisi (May 12, 2018)

bluedragon said:


> No its not too small its a metre long and a foot deep i only have 1 small turtle
> 
> Sent from my SM-G920I using Tapatalk


That's way too small man. Any outdoor turtle pond needs to be at least 3ft deep at the shallowest point. The reason for this is to prevent rapid and drastic temperature fluctuations. That little plastic tub will go from 30°+ during the day to below 20° at night. Way too unstable. Your turtle will experience 4 seasons in 24 hours. 

Ideally the *minimum* dimensions of the pond should be 2.5m long × 1m wide × 0.9m deep. They're aquatic... they need A large water area to swim freely otherwise they will suffer muscle deterioration and skeletal deformities.


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## bluedragon (May 12, 2018)

Flaviemys purvisi said:


> That's way too small man. Any outdoor turtle pond needs to be at least 3ft deep at the shallowest point. The reason for this is to prevent rapid and drastic temperature fluctuations. That little plastic tub will go from 30°+ during the day to below 20° at night. Way too unstable. Your turtle will experience 4 seasons in 24 hours.
> 
> Ideally the *minimum* dimensions of the pond should be 2.5m long × 1m wide × 0.9m deep. They're aquatic... they need A large water area to swim freely otherwise they will suffer muscle deterioration and skeletal deformities.


Should be fine he was in a small tank for years

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## Flaviemys purvisi (May 12, 2018)

"Should be fine"... hmm OK.
However, safe aquatic plants for your turtle include:

*Aquatic Mint Mentha aquatica*
*Duckweed Lemna spp*
*Dwarf Ambulia Limnophila sessiliflora*
*Eel grass or Ribbon weed/Ribbon grass) Vallisneria*
*Fairy Moss Azolla spp*
*Foxtail/Hornwort Ceratophyllum demersum*
*Frogbit Hydrocharis morsus-ranae*
*Hornwort/Foxtail Ceratophyllum demersum*
*Hydrilla Hydrilla verticillata*
*Lotus Nelumbo*
*Tropical and Hardy Waterlilies Nymphaea spp.*
*Water Chestnut Trapa natans*
*Watercress Nasturtium officinale*
*Water Plantain Alisma plantago aquatica*
*Water Ribbons Triglochin procerum*
*Water Snowflake Nymphoides indica*


Here's a list of safe Terrestrial plants for around the pond:
*
Australian Native Violet Viola hederacea
Cyprus grass/Papyrus sedge/Paper reed Cyperus papyrus
Dianella/Flax lily Dianella spp. Turtles will eat the berries that fall from this plant/safe for humans too
Lilli Pilli/Brush Cherries Syzigium spp. Many species produce edible fruit known as roseapple 
Lomandra Lomandra spp.
Midgen Berry/Midyim Austromyrtus dulcis Turtles will eat the berries that fall from this plant/safe for humans too
Pandanus/Marita
Swamp Banksia
Swamp Bottlebrush
*
You'll also want to cover all those rocks with soil mixed with river sand. 
[doublepost=1526114679,1526113472][/doublepost]These Aquaculture ponds make the best turtle ponds mate and they're really affordable. I'm busy building a new 10,000 litre one now.
http://www.blueheelertanks.com.au/aquaculture-poly-tanks

Here's AFT's 10,000 litre Macleay River turtle breeding pond.


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## bluedragon (May 12, 2018)

Im sorry if i took it the wrong way but that pond is all i got and we got it cheap i can under stand all your info you gave me thanks


Flaviemys purvisi said:


> "Should be fine"... hmm OK.
> However, safe aquatic plants for your turtle include:
> 
> *Aquatic Mint Mentha aquatica*
> ...



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## Flaviemys purvisi (May 12, 2018)

All good man... if actually digging a hole is an option, you'd be better off not using that pond but rather digging a much bigger hole and lining it with pond liner. Instant pond.


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## bluedragon (May 13, 2018)

Can i use bromeliads?

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## cris (May 13, 2018)

Flaviemys purvisi said:


> All good man... if actually digging a hole is an option, you'd be better off not using that pond but rather digging a much bigger hole and lining it with pond liner. Instant pond.



Using it in addition to a good size pond works well, it can be used as a filter or just another area for the turtles to explore.

Those aquaculture tanks look like a good deal, I might have to get a 5000L one.


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## Flaviemys purvisi (May 13, 2018)

bluedragon said:


> Can i use bromeliads?


Yeah man, they're fine.


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## bluedragon (May 13, 2018)

Almost done he loves it more than his smaller tank











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## Flaviemys purvisi (May 13, 2018)

How are you going to filter that??


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## cris (May 13, 2018)

This is way too small. Also pretty borderline as far as preventing the turtle from escaping. You would be better off keeping the turtle in a large fish tank eg. 6'x2'x2'.


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## bluedragon (May 13, 2018)

Flaviemys purvisi said:


> How are you going to filter that??


Working on that at the moment 

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## Flaviemys purvisi (May 13, 2018)

cris said:


> This is way too small. Also pretty borderline as far as preventing the turtle from escaping. You would be better off keeping the turtle in a large fish tank eg. 6'x2'x2'.


Agreed 100% On a cold winter's night, that turtle WILL freeze to death. Literally. Have seen many keepers lose turtles in tubs like that during summer and winter. The water volume is just insufficient for an aquatic reptile, especially a Murray River turtle which is one of Australia's largest species.


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## Bluetongue1 (May 13, 2018)

In terms of what plants you should not use, check out the following web page list compiled Craig Latta of AFT. The hazard from toxic plants comes from seeds, leaves and possibly bark ending up in the pond, rather than the turtle eating plant material out of water. https://www.australianfreshwaterturtles.com.au/threads/safe-and-toxic-unsafe-plant-list.14468/

Your existing broms are fine. If you were looking to add something, consider the likes of likes of Dianella ‘Silver Streak’ or one of the smaller weeping grey or bluish forms of Lomandra or the traditional Blue Fescue (_Festuca glauca_), which are great foils to bring out the colours in your broms.

As said, the pre-fab pond is not adequate. It would make an excellent frog pond if positioned correctly. My biggest concern would be maintaining water quality rather than temperatures. You don’t get frosts where you live and the shade provided plus watering of a surrounding garden would keep the effects of summer extremes minimised. Having constructed a few in-ground ponds with different materials I am happy to provide some advice on options (according to your budget).

@Flaviemys purvisi, I have some serious concerns about the list of turtle-safe plants AFT is recommending for use. It clearly needs to be reviewed and revised.


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