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  • Anybody else have a container pond?

    I have a little container pond on my back patio. I got it for my little red-ear slider I caught earlier this year. I also have 2 common comets (feeders $.29 each!!) and 2 Shubunkins in there (skeeter patrol   ). I only have some little plants from bulbs (from Wal-Mart) for now, but I am getting some more plants very soon, for water aeration. This weekend I am setting up a container pond for my mom in my parents back-yard in Baytown. I think we've decided on the 300-gallon Rubbermaid stock container. That one is going to be a little more intensive because they want to put it 6 to 10 inches in the ground to help with temperature fluctuation. Hello shovel... When my fish get too big for my little pond, I'll be giving them to her for her pond or giving them to a family friend who has a big ol' pond. He's actually the one who gave me the little shubunkins.

    Also, does anybody have tips for taking pictures of the pond without getting such bad reflections?

    Here's some pics,
    Ellen

  • #2
    Re: Anybody else have a container pond?

    A 300 gallon Rubbermaid container? I didn't know they had any so big!

    I'd like to make a small pond in my yard with a waterfall and some koi in it, but the thought of all that digging wears me out.
    75gal heavy planted tank
    pea gravel on soil substrate
    DIY CO2
    3 zebra botias, 9 glowlights, 2 yoyo loachs, wild guppies

    55gal planted
    same substrate
    DIY CO2
    1 gold, 1 zebra, 4 koi, 2 dark zebra angels, ghost & amano shrimp

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Anybody else have a container pond?

      Yeah, made by Rubbermaid for livestock. I think they only sell them at farm supply-type stores, but I could be wrong about that. Actually the reason for getting the Rubbermaid one is the drain near the bottom, my dad liked that idea for being able drain some water if he wanted instead of using a siphon hose. (Don't ask me why, I just nod.) And now he wants it buried deep enough that you won't be able to use the drain...Whatever, I get to do a project and I don't have to pay for it...I'm a happy camper. :)

      Ellen

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      • #4
        Re: Anybody else have a container pond?

        Gosh, since you have so much fun doing the project...

        I don't live too far from Baytown. I'm in Huffman, and can have the supplies in a week or two.
        75gal heavy planted tank
        pea gravel on soil substrate
        DIY CO2
        3 zebra botias, 9 glowlights, 2 yoyo loachs, wild guppies

        55gal planted
        same substrate
        DIY CO2
        1 gold, 1 zebra, 4 koi, 2 dark zebra angels, ghost & amano shrimp

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Anybody else have a container pond?

          Haha, you project sounds a bit more time-consuming than my parents'. Waterfall, etc...   Besides, we'll see if I'm liking this project as much as I think I will on Monday.  

          Ellen

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Anybody else have a container pond?

            With a little bit of luck you should be able to locate a "polarized lense filter" of the same diameter and trhread as your camera lense.  
            It will do wonders reducing unwanted glare.
            'Dear Lord,' the minister began, with arms extended toward heaven and a rapturous look on his upturned face. 'Without you, we are but dust ...'
            He would have continued but at that moment my very obedient daughter who was listening leaned over to me and asked quite audibly in her shrill little four-year old girl voice, 'Mom, what is butt dust?'

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            • #7
              Re: Anybody else have a container pond?

              Jerry, you could do something like my cinder block ponds. Instead of putting the cinder blocks the wrong way like I did you could stack them the right way ( so you are looking at the sides ). Then you could use a layer of rock work around the outside. That would hide the liner. I bet the rocks would be expensive but they would look great.

              One of my friends uses bog filters in his ponds.

              max

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              • #8
                Re: Anybody else have a container pond?

                Thanks for the tip!

                Ellen

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Anybody else have a container pond?

                  I have a 150-gallon rubbermaid stock tank pond.  I built it to house my RES.  It also has a ton of plants and some mosquito fish.  I will be adding goldfish soon.

                  One thing about these tanks: they get very hot.  The black plastic soaks up the heat like crazy.  I am surrounding mine with lattice to deflect some of that.  I suggest that your parents paint the outside of theirs white, because in this summer heat mine gets crazy hot.  It gets to be about 95' every day, and I have it partially shaded.  I am going to start icing it tomorrow.

                  Ellen, your turtle needs to have a place to haul out of the water!  I don't see one.  He needs to be able to get out to bask and dry off.

                  Are you on the Houston Turtlers list?  The url is http://groups.yahoo.com/group/houstonturtlers .  It's a great place with friendly people.  We help each other out and newbies are welcome.
                  Zone 9
                  150G stock tank: one RES and a buncha mosquito fish.
                  2 half-barrels with mosquito fish & snails.
                  Seeking 2 small goldies!

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Anybody else have a container pond?

                    You might also likle the forums at redearslider.com ..  They have a lot of care sheets as well.   I forgot to say, that the gravel in your pond is very bad for RES- they can eat is and become impacted, and die very painfully.  :(
                    Zone 9
                    150G stock tank: one RES and a buncha mosquito fish.
                    2 half-barrels with mosquito fish & snails.
                    Seeking 2 small goldies!

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Anybody else have a container pond?

                      Hi reptilegrrl. Yes, she has a place to haul out on. That big white rock on one of the plant ledge (left side of bottom picture) always has enough dry land for her to get completely out of the water. I went inside to get the camera while I was filling the tank and it got a little high. I bailed it out some right after I took the pictures. You can tell its usually dry because the top's the only part without any algae.

                      I'm not new at keeping turtles, they have always been my brother's passion and as an older sibling you know who got stuck caring for them.  :wink: I didn't (don't) mind though, I love them anything you can name.    He has a Peninsula Cooter, a RES, a Mississippi Mud turtle, and an Eastern Paint. They are all huge, hence the need for the container pond.

                      I didn't think the substrate would be bad for her, because its just baked clay, not rocks. Also if its bad for them, how do they survive in the rivers in the wild where it is naturally on the bottom? I'm not trying to be rude or anything, I really want to know the theories on this before I take out the substrate that I took so long to pick.

                      My parents are going to sink the tub to help with the temperature fluctuation and plant plants around the outside to shade the tub from the sides. They're also talking about putting up a aluminum facade around the outside to make it look a little more like a galvanized stock tank instead of a big rubbermaid container. :wink: Its going to be in a place in the yard where it only gets direct full sun in the morning for about 3 hours. The reason we didn't get it done this weekend is because they are making it more and more complicated. This includes a recirculating trickle stream and a lower (flush with the ground) pond that will also (theoretically) help cool down the water in the summer. I'll tell them about painting the outside white, every little bit helps down here!  

                      Thanks for the tips,
                      Ellen

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Anybody else have a container pond?

                        I have a picture of her basking in the sun in my photo album at:
                        HoustonFishBox is an online community dedicated to bringing together people and their fish in Houston, Southeast Texas, and beyond.


                        Ellen

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                        • #13
                          Re: Anybody else have a container pond?

                          In the wild, turtles have a lot more going on in their environment. For instance, they spend most of the day browsing for food or interacting with one another.  In captivity, they get bored, and that is when they go nosing around and eat things they shouldn't.  Baked clay is just as likely to impact them as is gravel.  

                          Occasionally a wild turtle eats a piece of gravel and it passes through them unharmed- they are eating a lot of plant matter and fiber.  However, in the wild, RES tend to live in slow-moving bodies of water, and those usually have a lot of sediment on the bottom, not rocks and gravel.  The bottoms of natural ponds/rivers are full of decaying plant material.  Only fast-moving bodies of water have clean bottoms.

                          Recently a woman posted on the RES forum about her RES, who had eaten gravel and become terribly impacted.  It was quite gruesome.  

                          Also, that substrate will lessen your water quality- waste materials will get down into the substrate and decay there.  It will be hard for your filter to pick them up.  Without it, your water will be cleaner.  I used to have gravel in the bottom of my turtle's tub, because some sources said it was good for beneficial bacteria.  The water was SO MUCH cleaner once I took it out!  I keep a few fist-sized rocks in the bottom of my pond, for my turtle to play with- he likes to move them around.

                          Aluminum flashing around the tank is a great idea.  Mine gets SO HOT that it hurts to touch the rim.  I am erecting a shade structure this week so that the pond will be mostly shaded.  I really like the look of the galvanized stock tanks, but the rubbermaid was deeper, so I went with that.  I have some white plastic lattice curved around it now, and that might be deflecting some heat; I am going to grow some viny plants on the lattice to further deflect the heat.  

                          Love the pic!  Your turt is cute!  I've been rescuing herps for about ten years now.  I built my pond specifically for my RES, and he absolutely loves it.  It sounds like your brother needs a lot more than 300 gallons- I hope he has a really, really good filter.
                          Zone 9
                          150G stock tank: one RES and a buncha mosquito fish.
                          2 half-barrels with mosquito fish & snails.
                          Seeking 2 small goldies!

                          Comment

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