Building an Above Ground DIY Turtle Pond 

We actually think that’s how we lost him! At first we thought he was stolen but it’s more probable he climbed a fallen plant up and over. We’re more careful with our new turtles 😅

@@mitzymouse9106 how do you stop them from climbing out?

@@kermit9409 we keep the water level lower and keep the plants away from the edges

@@mitzymouse9106 how low do you keep the water, I want to make one for my turtle!

@@kermit9409 about 5 to 8 inches below the lip of the pond give or take. We especially keep an eye on it when it rains. But the water usually seeps out from between the top plank and the wooden beam beneath it where the liner meets.

Jeanuel Morillo im so glad we managed to find the GoPro 😂 they really came out cool!

Burnsland.com thanks so much! I will be posting the video of us at the keys too so keep an eye out for that next week 🏝

Thanks so much! It means a lot ❤️✌🏼

Thank you!

Thanks for commenting ❤️

sk8rat86 thank you! ❤️

We love them too!

That sounds wonderful! Good luck and enjoy your pond! ❤️ my respects to you as well

Thank you!

M H oh yes! We give them a variety of foods. Thank you for looking out! ❤️ we just filmed a video about how and what we feed them! So check in on Thursday to see 😍

@@mitzymouse9106 Brilliant!! Looking forward to it!

@@mitzymouse9106 yes but if red eared sliders or any turtles eat excess gold fish which have thaiminaise which can be deadly

@@AydenR417 yup! Thanks for looking out. So far, they’re still alive 😅 they enjoy the food we give them rather than chasing after the goldfish, who’ve gotten quite big now. 🧡

@@mitzymouse9106 thats awesome i was just making sure

Thank you!

Thank you!!! ✌🏼🤩

Sorry I'm just getting to your comment now! Thankfully, we haven't had any frogs get into our pond.

Jonathon Boehm we do have a filter, it’s the All in One UV sterilizer filter, it pumps over 600 gph, and our pond is about 300 gallons, so its turning the water over 2times per hours. The plants also keep the water chemistry in check by using its nitrates to grow ❤️✌🏼

This is SUCH a good question! Looking back, I wish I would have installed a drain of some sort, kind of how a bathtub has the overflow plate. Thankfully, we placed the liner just below the top seating board so water does seep out when it rains and the water rises. We haven't had any overflow from the very top but it does get a little too close for my liking. I hope this helps!

This is a great question! We don’t use heat bulbs because Florida is sunny and hot year round but I would definitely recommend heat bulbs added to the shelter if you have cloudy cold days. No need to take it out and show it, turtles usually look for warmth to bask in and should find the lamp on its own. But it doesn’t hurt if you want to show where it is! You sound like a great and caring pet owner! Cheers to you 🎉

Our pond has a lip near the top where water flows out from so it doesn’t overflow or reach the top. During the rainy season the pond fills with new clean water and spills out from the lip so most of the time we don’t have to do much. During the dry season we will manually take out about half of the water with a hose and we refill it with new water, treated with reptisafe.

Nope! Just made sure the pond was in a place that got enough sunlight ☀️

Carlos Jimenez cnz all in one pond filter we bought online for $64.99 but since then has gone up in price. All in all we spent about roughly $300 for materials. (Wood, liner, filter, screws, nails, reptisafe, fish, etc.)

it’s the All in One UV sterilizer filter, it pumps over 600 gph, and our pond is about 300 gallons, so it's turning the water over 2 times per hour.

Great question! The plants and fish tend to keep it clean enough but every few months or so we will clean out the filter and take out any debris in order to maintain it

@@mitzymouse9106 ah I see, that's pretty awesome, again nice job, looks great 😁

The water was treated with Reptisafe 2 hours before the turtle was introduced into the enclosure. Due to the size and the quantity of water, the nitrates & ammonia levels were non-existent, allowing the plants to cycle the water. Another way of controlling the water chemistry is reducing the amount of food the turtle & fish receive. I don't recommend this method with anything less than 200 gallons of water .

They do support the weight however due to the elements the wood has begun to rot but it is still holding. It may have lasted longer had it been treated.

We would clean it every once in a while but for the most part it was pretty self sustainable

Yes, we’ve added more wood and rocks for them to climb up on and bask. I love when they stick their back legs out and stretch in the sun ☀️

Super cool

Yes I see a rock for them to climb up on

Thank you!

Kellen Peel Peeler ~ 7X4X3 feet LWH

That is such a great idea! We have definitely considered it and may try in the future.

Great question! It’s a Beckett pond pvc pond liner 10 feet by 12 feet

angel villegas great question, the thickness is 14.5 mil pvc pond liner. We bought the liner at Home Depot, it’s 10ft by 13ft. Hope that helps!

Mitzy Mouse thank you 🙏🏾

Home Depot

What the hell

The pallets were free, the cnz all in one pond filter we bought online for $64.99 but since then has gone up in price. All in all, we spent about roughly $300 for materials. (Wood, liner, filter, screws, nails, reptisafe, fish, etc.)

They are 4X4 and the sitting plank on top where the plants sit are 2X6

I definitely had this same thought! Thank you for looking out. Right now they can fit their head through but can’t really get much of the shell in enough to get stuck (yet!). So we have plans in mind to change this set up soon as they grow so that it can closer resemble a more natural environment ❤️

Also I’m so sorry to hear you had a terrible experience like that. It’s always so hard to lose a pet.

Since this is a home we rent and do not own we went with the above ground pond but if we owned the home we would definitely do in ground. There are pros and cons to both for sure!

@@mitzymouse9106 Ah, got it! The only thing stopping us from digging in our preferred spot is some underground stuff like wires, but I think I'll have the "call before you dig" people come out and tell me where we can fit a little pond. I think we'll do a combo in -ground pond/above-ground basking area. I will make sure we treat the wood we use because I saw you mention that in another comment, so thank you so much for sharing that! I know so many times we have done the same thing, we build something, then keep telling ourselves "we'll stain/seal it soon" but life always seems to get in the way and then we're on to the next project. 🤷‍♀️ 😅

They thanks for the feedback! We’ve added more basking spots since this build. Thank you!

@@mitzymouse9106 your welcome

Oh! Thanks 👍🏼

We expected this 😂 but to our surprise he didn’t eat them all! Some fish got quite big.