Thank you! The clear water is thanks to a filter system I designed and built that has UV, bio & sludge/solid waste removal functions. There is also a skimmer I made but I only use it every now and then when things get really dirty.Great turtle habitat and turtles would be crazy to leave there and your water is crystal clear
Yes they love their turtle resort lol. One of the blocks in the wall got broken a while back and the gap was open for 2 days before I realized it and none of the turtles even tried to leave lolFantastic photos! Those little guys sure seem to like their home
Thank you! They enjoy the feeding island and like to hide under it cause it has just enough space for them to come up for air while remaining hid. They have never used the island for basking but I think that's because they like the rocks around the pond cause they are much warmer.
Thank you, and yes they are very spoiled. I built that entire pond and enclosure exclusively for them so everything about it was designed with them in mind. The thing that they are really spoiled by is the food they get. I have regular pellet food but usually buy them the fresh food cubes, dried red shrimp & fresh greens which they absolutely love and it is also much more healthy for them and keeps them strong and their colors stay vibrant.
Have you ever thought aout buying some pond paint and painting the feeding Island in black from top to bottom with this special pond paint.? .
I thought about painting it when I first built it but ended up weather sealing it with a water sealer made for marine animal habitats and it still gets warm enough to provide an extra basking post but if it absorbs too much heat the food will become hot and the turtles will refuse to take it. If there was an island built exclusively for basking though then yes the black paint would be a great idea as long as there are other basking spots because a basking spot can become too hot for the turtles and if the water is warm then they will prefer a basking spot that is not too much warmer than the option of getting back in the water especially if they sense a threat and have to make a quick escape back into the pond.Have you ever thought aout buying some pond paint and painting the feeding Island in black from top to bottom with this special pond paint.? .
Believe me Marshall when I say this as it does work, we had a problem with our retro-fitted bottom drain.
Every time we turned the air up would float out of its mounting , which as you can imagine is a bit of a problem to say the cery least isnt it ?.
Then one sunday morning I was coming down from the garage after buying some extra milk because we were having friends stay over.
When I happened across a traffic come that was only a few inches in height because at some stage in its life been torn in half. [the poor thing].
I had the brain wave of removing the weighted bottom of the cone throwing the top half in the bin ,then pressure washing it once.
Then painting it black with not one but four coats of pond paint ***note [very important] !!!!!......
Importantantly allowing each coat to dry a day in the sun before applying the next coat of paint.
It was then safe to use as a counter weight to the bottom drain allowing the bubbler to be turned up without it popping out again with the centre hole of the weight being just the right circumference for the bubbler.
It would a) prolong the life of the island , b**note)it stops anything nasty or toxic to your Turtles, from seeping out of he wood and into the ponds water, c **note) because your island it is now painted "black", it will soak up the suns heat and retain it "allowing it to become not only a feeding station but a basking island as well".
With the added extra of allowing them a quick escape into the water then under it
Your thoughts on this idea please Marshall ?
Dave
Dave, you forget that my turtles are not aquatic turtles, but land turtles. They do bask, but not like aquatic varieties do. But I do appreciate that you thought of them!
I know what you mean -- they have us well trained, don't they, LOL!
what pond paint???Have you ever thought aout buying some pond paint and painting the feeding Island in black from top to bottom with this special pond paint.? .
Believe me Marshall when I say this as it does work, we had a problem with our retro-fitted bottom drain.
Every time we turned the air up would float out of its mounting , which as you can imagine is a bit of a problem to say the cery least isnt it ?.
Then one sunday morning I was coming down from the garage after buying some extra milk because we were having friends stay over.
When I happened across a traffic come that was only a few inches in height because at some stage in its life been torn in half. [the poor thing].
I had the brain wave of removing the weighted bottom of the cone throwing the top half in the bin ,then pressure washing it once.
Then painting it black with not one but four coats of pond paint ***note [very important] !!!!!......
Importantantly allowing each coat to dry a day in the sun before applying the next coat of paint.
It was then safe to use as a counter weight to the bottom drain allowing the bubbler to be turned up without it popping out again with the centre hole of the weight being just the right circumference for the bubbler.
It would a) prolong the life of the island , b**note)it stops anything nasty or toxic to your Turtles, from seeping out of he wood and into the ponds water, c **note) because your island it is now painted "black", it will soak up the suns heat and retain it "allowing it to become not only a feeding station but a basking island as well".
With the added extra of allowing them a quick escape into the water then under it
Your thoughts on this idea please Marshall ?
Dave