Design Questions

[Wally Russell]

Okay so I am a new member but have been lurking for a while. I am going to be building my first pond and want to run my design by the, cough cough, experts here LoL. Please remember while i may have stayed at a Holiday Inn last night I am still not an artist. I am open to suggestions and recommendations. First this pond is going to be for my daughters yellow belly slider turtles and also a couple of fish. They are currently in a 155 gallon bow front fish tank and I want my tank back. They are about 6"-8" long and there is also 2 Oscars in with them, that will be going in the pond, that are about 6"-10" long and of coarse my pleco that is a solid 12" long. There is going to be a retaining wall, about 18"-24" tall, around the entire pond, to keep dad out of hot water with the daughter, so the turtles don't escape.

Can anyone see something i am missing?

Thanxs

 

[dieselplower]

I would skip most of the ledges and install a skimmer on the opposite side of the waterfall.

 

[Wally Russell]

The thoughts i had for all the extra ledges where for plants, hiding spots, anchor points for driftwood and some rocks, is this to much? With a skimmer i am concerned that the turtles will get sucked in to it. I would rather spend an hour a day out there with the pool net then to have even the smallest chance one my daughters turtles get killed.

 

[tbendl]

Maybe @Mmathis will see this and respond as she has a turtle pond. Welcome to the forum Wally.

 

[Wally Russell]

Thanxs

 

[dieselplower]

If you want the ledges, go for it. A few reasons I would skip some or make them more uniform: steps are a great place for a predator to stand and hunt, steps reduce the gallons of water in the pond, steps make laying the liner smoothly much more difficult.

 

[Mmathis]

Maybe @Mmathis will see this and respond as she has a turtle pond. Welcome to the forum Wally.

Well, that's not the case in this case.... I have box turtles, which are land turtles rather than aquatics. I've built a special bog area for them inside their habitat -- it's not connected yet, but it will feed from and flow back to the pond like a regular bog. Boxies only need a few inches of water for soaking (and pooping).

Maybe @Mucky_Waters will take over from here...

Oh, and BTW, welcome! When I designed my pond, I was advised against having it curve around as that would give odd shaped places where you could have poor circulation and dead spots. But as long as you plan for that, it shouldn't be an issue.

 

[tbendl]

Shows you how much I know about those hard shelled animals...

 

[Mmathis]

Shows you how much I know about those hard shelled animals...

Hey, that's OK. I know very little about aquatic turtles, but I learn a little more every time someone posts.

 

[Mucky_Waters]

The thoughts i had for all the extra ledges where for plants, hiding spots, anchor points for driftwood and some rocks, is this to much? With a skimmer i am concerned that the turtles will get sucked in to it. I would rather spend an hour a day out there with the pool net then to have even the smallest chance one my daughters turtles get killed.

I'm with DP on this one, I would install a skimmer. First of all; it doesn't take a very big or powerful skimmer to keep the pond surface clean, second; unless you have very tiny turtles they aren't likely to get sucked in to the skimmer, and finally; even if you do have some tiny turtles and the get sucked in they can survive for a long time in the skimmer before expiring, so as long as you check the skimmer once a day you won't likely have any deaths. Also once they do get sucked in there and realize they can't get out (again, this only happens with tiny turtles), they quickly learn to stay away from there.
In case you are wondering, I do have some experience with turtles and skimmers.

 

[tbendl]

So pretty Mucky_Waters. I just love it.

 

[Wally Russell]

@Mucky_Waters , I have seen both of those videos of your pond already, did not realize they where yours, and drool over them. I can only hope mine turns out as nice as that. Thank you for sharing. Do you think i need the quantity of ledges i have on the layout? I do still plan on putting in a little beach area for my female so she can lay eggs. What type of plants do you have in yours? I am also planning on using the RO System, with a 250 gallon storage tank, that I originally bought for my fish tanks for this pond as an auto top off system. Now I only have a million questions bouncing around my head now.

 

[Lisaebetten]

I put a 12" shelf on one side and a 20" shelf on the other side to accommodate different types of plants that require different depths. I also have a 2' landing area in front of my skimmer then a 3' deep hole to winter and a safe tunnel. I also made it that way so I could get into my pond with at least 3 points of contact so I don't fall. I am so thankful I put a step type in!! I have an oval shape and the liner is difficult to lay but I did it with folds and I put large rock foamed to the walls of my pond bottom to top, No gravel thou. I have some construction pics out there somewhere. I'm new also. I will put my pond pics out this weekend I hope.

 

[Dave 54]

@Mucky_Waters , I have seen both of those videos of your pond already, did not realize they where yours, and drool over them. I can only hope mine turns out as nice as that. Thank you for sharing. Do you think i need the quantity of ledges i have on the layout? I do still plan on putting in a little beach area for my female so she can lay eggs. What type of plants do you have in yours? I am also planning on using the RO System, with a 250 gallon storage tank, that I originally bought for my fish tanks for this pond as an auto top off system. Now I only have a million questions bouncing around my head now.

Wally though turtles arent my area of expertise so to speak, I know your in the best hands with @Mucky_Waters and @Mmathis
We'd just like to say Hi from Plymouth UK and say welcome to the forum please enjoy

Dave

 

[Mucky_Waters]

@Mucky_Waters , I have seen both of those videos of your pond already, did not realize they where yours, and drool over them. I can only hope mine turns out as nice as that. Thank you for sharing. Do you think i need the quantity of ledges i have on the layout? I do still plan on putting in a little beach area for my female so she can lay eggs. What type of plants do you have in yours? I am also planning on using the RO System, with a 250 gallon storage tank, that I originally bought for my fish tanks for this pond as an auto top off system. Now I only have a million questions bouncing around my head now.

Thanks
I went with ledges and shelves in my pond because I wanted the various levels for planting and diversity in my pond. Predators are not a serious problem with my pond because it is enclosed in the courtyard and has a small enough water surface area to not be a big target for herons. I got lots of wrinkles in my liner, but they don't seem to be a problem. You'll have to decide whether or not you think those things will be a problem to you.
Plants include water lilies, bulrushes, yellow irises, mash marigolds. water hyacinth, and at least a half a dozen other wild and store bough marginal plants that I don't know or remember the name of. Some came growing on the driftwood we brought from the wild.