8-Foot Diameter Stock Tank Pond

[rshockr3]

This is my first post on Turtle Forum. I'm not exactly sure if this should go in the Habitat forum or the habitat gallery. I plan to include a fair amount of pictures, but I hope to describe and diagram some of the building aspects as well… so….?

This is a thread about an 8-foot diameter, 2-foot tall, galvanized stock tank turned into a turtle pond. The brand name for this particular stock tank is "Applegate's IDEAL". The link below takes you to essentially the same tank.

http://shop.mccoys.c...essories/p.3467

While I'm not sure how much a new tank like this would cost today, I got it, barely used, for $100 about 8 years ago. I've seen similar tanks on my local craiglist every now and then for ~$100-150.

Here is a picture of the tank several summers ago when I first set it up.

The stock tank is resting on an approximately 12'x8.5' concrete foundation that had previously been the base of an old yarn barn/tool shed. I got lucky with how perfectly it worked out for the new plans I had for its use.

I used this tank to breed red-ears. I set up a nesting box that sat outside of the tank and had a basking portion that stuck out over the side of the tank (covered in outdoor carpet) and also had a ramp leading up to it and then soon built a "dock" that led from the nest box out over the tank, above the water, as well. Before anyone jumps on me about the irresponsibility of breeding red-ears,

1) I was a freshman in high school when I started keeping and breeding them

2) They were a good "starter turtle" and I have learned a lot about breeding and keeping turtles from those experiences and I have been able to apply them to less common species

3) After "Getting my feet wet" in turtle breeding with the red ears, I eventually dismantled my breeding group and now the stock tank pond is a bachelors pad for a lucky group of male red-ears

4) All of the red-ear offspring I produced were placed into loving homes where they get the care they need and deserve

In addition, I have also used this same tub to produce several clutches of Texas Map offspring.

Inside the tank, I experimented with various logs for climbing and basking. At one point I had a long multi branched log/driftwood that I anchored to the bottom as it floated giving multiple areas as various water depths where the turtles could rest – unfortunately, I couldn't find a picture of when I had this set up). I'll get around to showing pictures of other examples of what I had for them to rest on.

[rshockr3]

After experimenting with various "pre-filters" from Lowes, I decided to attempt to build my own filter systems using ideas I found online and in books I read.

My original filter was built from a large (sorry, but I'm not sure of the exact measurements – maybe 32 gallon? that's what it looks like it says on the label ) Rubbermaid Trash can. A garden pond pump, fitted with a prefilter was used to pump water out of the stock tank and into the filter. The water then returned to the stock tank via gravity.

I also used another pump and prefilter located in another area of the tank for additional circulation/filtration.

Here are some pictures I whipped up on Paintbrush to show you better how the filter worked. After I installed the drain, I was able to empty the filter quickly and backwash the filter media.

Notice the two cords going into the tank in this picture. One for each pump/prefilter within the tank

While the cord is moved in this picture, I circled the areas where the two pumps were located. The blue circle shows the pump that pumps water into the trashcan filter and the red circle shows the other pump for additional circulation/minor filtration.

I often put a lot of floating pond plants in the tank such as duckweed, water hyacinth, and water lettuce, but of course, they never lasted long. (The trick I learned was to grow it in other tanks/ponds and then just add it to the RES tank every now and then, because you could never count on it to grow in the same tank as the hungry RES.)

(you'll notice the nesting box (i.e. what's in it or on top of it changes from picture to picture.) That's because these are all old pictures I found and then tried to scan/upload to give the best idea of what I'm talking about and how the tank evolved over the years.)

[IceCream]

Wow! I think that's awesome and wish I had something like this!

Others on this site may give you problems regarding the breeding or set up but I think this is a fantastic set up for plenty of turtles and I bet they were all very happy to live there!

It would be AWESOME if you could somehow have windows on the sides of the tank to see underwater, but that's just wishful thinking and practically impossible

[rshockr3]

Then, a few years ago, like any other good DIY project, it can never be finished, so I had to change it again. This time, the idea was to run the trash can filter as well as an overflow sump. (However, shortly after finishing the sump, I realize I had somehow managed to make an unwanted hole in the trashcan and it sprung a leak and has therefore been out of commission in the 3 years I've had the sump set up.)

The sump can be seen in the left hand side of this photo.

In addition, I added a frame over the top of the tank, made out of pvc, and then (although it really doesn't show up well in the photos) covered it with a netting to prevent too many leaves from falling in the tank.

I also added a single level of a plastic shelving unit to create a resting area just a few inches below the water level. Rocks placed on top of it, weigh it down, and present additional places for the turtles to crawl out and bask. Although hard to see in the picture, there is also an approximately 7 foot long, 3-4 inch diameter log, sloped from the plastic shelve down to the bottom of the tank.

I used a drill and saw to make a hole in the side of the stock tank but then had to make sure to seal the ungalvanized areas now exposed. The hole was rectangular in shape and a few inches from the top of the tank. I then made a plexiglass overflow "spill way" that allowed the water to flow into the sump. The overflow box was siliconed into place.

Again, here are several pictures I drew up on Paintbrush to give you a better understanding of the filter designs.

Here are more pictures of the setup and sump. (note, the pictures with really clear water were taken not that long after a thorough cleaning and water change – so the clearness is not entirely attributed to the sump. Haha. Unfortunately, it's hard to an outdoor pond that clear. The best way to keep your water very clear though, is to add a great deal of water plants that will use of a lot of the nutrients in the water so that algae can't grow and dirty it up. Also, obviously any driftwood leaves etc. in the tank will often lead to a brown discoloration. Also in these pictures you can see a guard I built that prevented turtles and larger fish from escaping through the overflow. Also in some of the pictures, you'll notice there are two tubes coming from the sump – for a while, I had two return pumps in the sump to up the gallons per hour that flowed through it. You'll also notice a wooden thing sitting on top of the sump in some pictures with a sort of "Flag" hanging on it. Because this tank is sitting in the middle of my backyard, it is hard to see the water level in the sump from my backdoor. What this flag does is notify me, quickly, from looking out the door, if the water level in the sump gets too low – whether it be from evaporation or whatever. When the water level drops, a toilet bowl floater with weights inside drops as well, and the lever arm with the flag on it pulls up, alerting me that the water level is too low and needs topped off.

You can see this batch of water hyacinth is already close to being destroyed….

Underwater shelf

You'll notice the trashcan filter is still there, however, like I said, due to a leak in it, it hasn't been used for a while.

Let me know if you guys have any questions about how I built anything or about something you see in the pictures. Or let me know if you have any other comments about the setup. Hopefully, in the near future, I'll start some threads about some of my other tanks, enclosures, and habitats. Hope you guys enjoy.

-Robbie

[rshockr3]

Wow! I think that's awesome and wish I had something like this!

Others on this site may give you problems regarding the breeding or set up but I think this is a fantastic set up for plenty of turtles and I bet they were all very happy to live there!

It would be AWESOME if you could somehow have windows on the sides of the tank to see underwater, but that's just wishful thinking and practically impossible

Thanks! I wish there was a way I could have an underwater viewing window put in... that would be awesome, but unfortunately I don't think my budget at this point in my life would ever be able to accomplish anything like that... haha.

I always keep the tank stocked with dozens of minnows that I get from the bait store as well as a handful of (less nutritional) feeders comets from the pet store. The turtles love em and it always gives them something to do. The funniest part is when one catches a slightly bigger fish, the others do everything they can to steal it, instead of trying to catch their own. so then, after a turtle catches a fish, he has to play five minutes of keep away to enjoy the treat he just caught. haha. I've also found they love crayfish and tadpoles and small frogs, so I often keep several of those in there as well. (I have another pond that I built in a box turtle/painted turtle enclosure where the frogs breed so I always scoop some out and give em to the redears.)

[robyn5678]

wow!!! awesome. I want one in my backyard

[Parkeri1313]

best post ever (comic book guy from the Simpsons)!!!! love the photos and detailed drawings. I will surely use your designs on my own filters in the spring.

[Jake L]

Wow very nice! That is one nice stock tank! Also I love the DIY sump and filter

[rshockr3]

Thanks guys! I appreciate the compliments and I'm glad I could possibly inspire some of you.

best post ever (comic book guy from the Simpsons)!!!! love the photos and detailed drawings. I will surely use your designs on my own filters in the spring.

Thanks haha, I've always found that drawings/diagrams go miles when trying to explain stuff like this. It can be really hard to understand what someone is talking about when you can only see a couple pictures - that may or may not be the best angle to see what they are referring to in the first place. I would definitely recommend the black vinyl tubing if you're making filters for outdoor use (you can see I used it with the sump). They prevent, at the very least remarkably reduce, algae growth with in the tubes. If you've ever used the clear vinyl tubing for outdoor filters, you know what I'm talking about.

Wow very nice! That is one nice stock tank! Also I love the DIY sump and filter

Thanks dude! I'm a DIY junkie. Part of the reason I love keeping turtles as a hobby. So many possibilities! haha

[LukeM]

Very nice!!

[Mike R]

I definitely have my eyes set on one of these guys! That's awesome!

[wax32]

Great post thanks for sharing! I wish I could do something like that.

[Skeebo]

My 75 and 40 gallon setups seem rather inadequate right now....

[b fabian]

wow! awesome setup, wish i could find a stock tank that big around where i live

[rshockr3]

Thanks guys. Glad you like it.

Just keep your eye out on craigslist, cause every now and then you'll see tanks this size for sale. Also just look every now and then at your hardware or tractor supply stores to see if they're ever having any sales.

I've heard some people say that they have had problems with these galvanized tanks rusting, after 3-5 years or so, but I've had this tank set up for about 8 years now, and I have had no problems with rusting at all.

Also, I forgot to mention but you probably already figured out, that the green outdoor carpet portion was meant to cut back on the amount of dirt and nesting material that the turtles dragged back with them in to the water. I got to say it has worked really well. I still get some sand that falls into the tank obviously, but it really is reduced I think from what it would have been without this part. It also makes a smooth transition from the rectangular nesting box which can obviously only be tangentially placed up against the rounded surface of the tank. This layout has seemed to work fairly well for me.

Here's another old pic I found on an old phone that shows the tank one summer when I grew a particularly large amount of water hyacinth - at least enough that the turtles couldn't devour/destroy it all in one sitting. (p.s. that's one of my largest females on the ramp - right about 13 inches)

[Polly H]

WAy tooo cool. I wish I had the space and money to do the same haha.

[MAC's Morphs]

I really like the set-up, I actually have a blue poly stock tank the same size I purchased last year and was planning on setting it up exactly the same(even the garbage can filter and in the same style and building a basking/nexting box just like that) and keeping some of my albino red ear slider breeders in there.

I was wondering where you are located and if you keep your turtles outside all year?? I am curious as I would like to keep mine in the set up all year if possiable but figured i'd ask what you do.

[rshockr3]

I really like the set-up, I actually have a blue poly stock tank the same size I purchased last year and was planning on setting it up exactly the same(even the garbage can filter and in the same style and building a basking/nexting box just like that) and keeping some of my albino red ear slider breeders in there.

I was wondering where you are located and if you keep your turtles outside all year?? I am curious as I would like to keep mine in the set up all year if possiable but figured i'd ask what you do.

I'm located in the Midwest, so I actually bring the inhabitants of this pond indoors every winter. If your winters get very cold like mine, it would not be a good idea to keep them outside year round in this type of setup. The fact that the tank is above ground means almost no insulation. I empty the tank every winter , but if I didnt, I imagine the ice would get extremely thick because of this. Definitely not suitable for trying to hibernate any turtles. Hope that doesn't spoil your plans too much... if you are further south it can probably be done. Where are you located and what are your winters like? I've also heard of cases where individuals dug holes and buried their stock tanks somewhat to provide more insulation against cold weather - but I don't have any experience in this so I'm not a very good resource. If you do set your tank up, I know I (and I'm guessing a lot of other forum members) would love to see the pictures!

-Robbie

[MAC's Morphs]

I really like the set-up, I actually have a blue poly stock tank the same size I purchased last year and was planning on setting it up exactly the same(even the garbage can filter and in the same style and building a basking/nexting box just like that) and keeping some of my albino red ear slider breeders in there.

I was wondering where you are located and if you keep your turtles outside all year?? I am curious as I would like to keep mine in the set up all year if possiable but figured i'd ask what you do.

I'm located in the Midwest, so I actually bring the inhabitants of this pond indoors every winter. If your winters get very cold like mine, it would not be a good idea to keep them outside year round in this type of setup. The fact that the tank is above ground means almost no insulation. I empty the tank every winter , but if I didnt, I imagine the ice would get extremely thick because of this. Definitely not suitable for trying to hibernate any turtles. Hope that doesn't spoil your plans too much... if you are further south it can probably be done. Where are you located and what are your winters like? I've also heard of cases where individuals dug holes and buried their stock tanks somewhat to provide more insulation against cold weather - but I don't have any experience in this so I'm not a very good resource. If you do set your tank up, I know I (and I'm guessing a lot of other forum members) would love to see the pictures!

-Robbie

I am in the northeast in Michigan so my winters are very cold as well. Thats why I asked as some people said it should be fine and others said it wouldnt. I think when I put it together I might just build a small greenhouse around it for the winters so it still gets cold but wont freeze. I do currently have a 2000g or so pond housing some turtles and that was the reason for the stock tank, I needed to put the other turtles somewhere while I built then a new outdoor pond. The 2000g pond is finished but still need to make it "look nice" by adding some nice stones around the edge and putting something to hide the filter(either a nice stone like wall or a "modern" wood sytle wall. Here is a link to my 2000g or so pond(its between 1700g and 2100g)

http://www.turtletimes.com/forums/topic/73526-1800g-outdoor-pond-was-been-finished/

http://www.turtletimes.com/forums/topic/72681-outdoor-pond-1500-gallons/

I do wish I made it just a few hunderd gallons bigger(between 2500 and 3000 gallons) just because the bigger the better and it wouldnt have been to much more work.

[rshockr3]

Your pond looks really nice right now, but yea, unfortunately with the Michigan weathers, I am not sure it would be the best setup to overwinter the turtles. If you did choose to hibernate them outside in that pond, you wouldnt certainly want a de-icer like farm-style stock tank heater to prevent the entire surface of the pond from freezing and you probably would want to check up on the turtles quite often. - in my opinion, it would be easier and safer - especially with such a gorgeous and expensive group of turtles - to try to hibernate them on your own, indoors, in much more controlled circumstances under which you could easily continually monitor them. However, the small greenhouse idea sounds like a fantastic one to me. If you set up some sort of temperature controlled greenhouse structure around the pond you have now or the pond you create from the poly stock tank, it sounds like you could probably keep the turtles year round in that no problem. I am not a greenhouse expert, but if it had some sort of removable or opening top to allow for extra sunlight to go through to reach the pond in the summer months, that sounds like it would be a great idea to me (i'm not sure if UV rays could penetrate all greenhouse glasses to cover the turtles needs without providing additional sources of UV light from within the greenhouse). Otherwise, if the tank is insulated enough and you have found that the greenhouse provides some pretty steady temperatures, it sounds like a great idea for year-round turtle keeping - in fact I'd love to do something like that in the future. Keep us posted! I'd love to see something like that set up. but your pond definitely looks really good so far!

-Robbie

[carolinagirl]

I love the habitat you have created! I have a question for you though. I notice it's only a few inches from the water level to the edge of the tank. they can't get over that? The reason I am asking is I am setting up a pond now for a pair of 10 year old Florida redbellies and I need to know how much vertical space above the water I need to allow for so they can't climb out where I don't want them too. I plan to have flagstones capping this top edge, with about a 1 1/2" over hang. I just don't know how high this lip needs to be above the water though.

[rshockr3]

I love the habitat you have created! I have a question for you though. I notice it's only a few inches from the water level to the edge of the tank. they can't get over that? The reason I am asking is I am setting up a pond now for a pair of 10 year old Florida redbellies and I need to know how much vertical space above the water I need to allow for so they can't climb out where I don't want them too. I plan to have flagstones capping this top edge, with about a 1 1/2" over hang. I just don't know how high this lip needs to be above the water though.

Thanks!

I keep the water level a few inches below the rim (probably 2-3, I can't remember exactly though) but no, they can not get over that. As long as there are no logs or anything near the sides that they could use to hoist themselves up, they are not capable of jumping out of the water or swimming with that much of their bodies out of the water so there's nothing to worry about. As long as the depth of the water is taller than the turtle itself with its back legs stretched out, it is not strong enough to swim "dolphin style" and allow their body to breach the water enough to reach the ledge (at least I have never seen any turtle come close). I would suggest the same, 2-3 inches, if you are able to, just to be sure. But the overhang sounds like it should do a pretty good job of preventing any of them from escaping. I hope that helps!

Robbie

[carolinagirl]

Thank you Robbie....that does help a lot. I sort of thought that they were not capable of pulling themselves out of the water with just their front legs. I can easily do a couple of inches plus the overhang. that should keep them where they belong! And I suspect if one did escape, it would just end up in one of my other ponds anyway.

[cycygrace]

i am getting a snapping turtle and plan on getting one of these for the spring to fall period, i live in massachusetts so i would need to get something for my basement for the wintertime. how long did it take you to get this usable?

[bigmak1987]

i am getting a snapping turtle and plan on getting one of these for the spring to fall period, i live in massachusetts so i would need to get something for my basement for the wintertime. how long did it take you to get this usable?

ask him how long it took to fill it lol.

love the setup i know ive seen it somewhere before im guessing from one of my many google images surches lol