Pond For Emys Part 4

A few pics to show basking area.........they also use the decking surround.

The barrier is made from plastic roofing flashing which can be obtained from any diy store.

Pond for Emys Part 3

Before planting up the pond a couple of rubber mats are placed on the slope between deep and shallow water. This is again to aid the turtles during cold water conditions, these will provide necessary grip on what is a smooth surface.

Baskets of various plants are then added which will help to use up nutriments, so keep the water clear and also attract insect life.

Masses of oxygenating pondweed are placed all over the pond floor, this i feel is key to a balanced healthy pond. It also creates good cover for the turtles and literally fizzes when the sun is out.

Lengths of decking panels are screwed around the edge to trap the liner and underlay, making a neat finish.

Floating plants, dwarf lillies and duckweed are put in to provide some surface cover/shade.

So, nearly finished, should be an ideal habitat to these intelligent turtles and nowhere for them to get stuck and drown.

Just a basking area to be made now and next year an adjacent land zone.

Water quality will be carefully monitored, to see if a pump and filter are needed, hope the Emys like it, they could go in the weekend.

Pond for Emys Part 2

With all the hard work done, from now on it starts to become exciting as the pond nears completion.
Firstly the underlay is carefully placed over and then pushed down into the cavity, keeping the surface as wrinkle free as possible.
.

Next the liner is unfolded out on top and again gently pulled out evenly.

A hose is placed in and the filling begins! a dechlorinator is added at this point.

As the water level rises, creases will start to appear, these are folded and will flatten out as the pond fills.

When the water is at the top, hopefully the level will be even all the way around.....that's why a spirit level is an important tool in the early stages of construction.

Finally excess liner and underlay is trimmed, leaving about a foot of material all the way around.

Now comes the best bit......getting it ready for turtles!

Pond For Emys Part 1

Having recently obtained a group of Emys orbicularis, i needed to build a pond to keep them in.
Unfortunately where i live the ground is full of stones and boulders, so a raised pond was the only/easy option.
To save building walls etc, some concrete fencing posts were cut down to 18" long. They were then concreted into the ground and gravel boards dropped in, making sure all the top sides were as level as possible.




The dimensions are 9 ft long x 8ft wide, just big enough to enable various depths and a basking area to be created.

..

4" x 1" pressure treated wood was then screwed on to the gravel boards to give a good surface to attach the underlay and liner.
Some soil was then dug out to create a deeper area of 20" with a very gentle gradient up to the shallower area. This will help the turtles easily reach the surface when the water temperature is cold and especially after hibernation!



Damp building sand was added to help protect the liner, but also to profile and level the bottom of the pool .
Depths of 7" - 12" were made so, other than the deeper zone of 20", the rest of the pool is relatively shallow. This will help the water to warm up quickly, again a must in spring when turtles are at their most vunerable. It is at this time drowning can occur when cold lethargic animals struggle to reach the basking areas.



Loft insulation was then stuffed along the inside walls of the gravel boards to further help protect the liner.