Turtle pond build

[bluedragon]

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]

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

 

[bluedragon]

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]

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

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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.

 

[bluedragon]

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]

"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.

 

[bluedragon]

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

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

Aquatic Mint Mentha aquatica
Cabomba Cabomba caroliniana
Cumbungi Typha latifolia
Duckweed Lemna spp
Dwarf Ambulia Limnophila sessiliflora
Eel grass or Ribbon weed/Ribbon grass) Vallisneria
Fairy Moss Azolla spp
Floating Fern Salvinia 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 Caltrop Trapa spp.
Water Chestnut Trapa natans
Watercress Nasturtium officinale
Water Hyacinth Eichhornia crassipes
Water Lettuce Pistia stratiotes
Water Meal Wolffia arhiza
Water Milfoil Myriophyllum
Water Plantain Alisma plantago aquatica
Water Ribbons Triglochin procerum
Water Snowflake Nymphoides indica
Water weed/Pond weed Elodea spp.

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.
View attachment 324160

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[Flaviemys purvisi]

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.

 

[bluedragon]

Can i use bromeliads?

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[cris]

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.

 

[Flaviemys purvisi]

Can i use bromeliads?

Yeah man, they're fine.

 

[bluedragon]

Almost done he loves it more than his smaller tank

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[Flaviemys purvisi]

How are you going to filter that??

 

[cris]

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'.

 

[bluedragon]

How are you going to filter that??

Working on that at the moment

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[Flaviemys purvisi]

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.

 

[Bluetongue1]

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.