Box Turtle Enclosure: Progression Thread

[Nanci]

Blah...Welcome to the turtle patio. At least I got the pavers (quartzite!) to fit, sort of. Next comes a ton of leveling and filling. Not today. Next weekend. Those pavers will hold down the liner, so the water level can come up as high as the top of the bricks, to hide the liner down in the hole.

 

[Monger]

Coming along nicely! I'm sure your boxies will love it.

 

[Nanci]

Day Eleven

Ok, I'm starting to level the pavers that hold down the liner. As you can see, even though I chose as level a spot as possible for placement of the pen, I still have a lot of leveling to do. I am supporting the stones with leveling sand, and then leveling the ground with topsoil. This is the lowest corner.

 

[Nanci]

The corners are the worst parts to deal with, because the liner overlaps itself, and has to be neatly folded so the stones can lay smoothly on top.

 

[Nanci]

It's not as hard as I thought it would be, and the two sides that you can see are all level and stable- I can walk on them and they don't move. But, of course, I have to make another trip to Home Depot since it took four bags of leveling sand to do not quite half. Need more.

 

[Nanci]

Done! It wasn't as bad as I thought. I'm not so happy with the look- so square and unnatural, but I think after I plant it that will soften things up.

 

[Nanci]

Here are some plants I bought to go around the pond: Blue-Eyed Grass, Creeping Fig, St. Bernard's Lily.

Next step is to go buy concrete blocks to make the piers that support the grid.

 

[tricksterpup]

So Nancy, what are you going to put in your pond for mosquito control? Koi? (personally I think the pond is to tiny for adult Koi) or Are you going to get some local Mosquito Fish and put in there? Nice little native live bearers that would gobble up any mosquito larva. Are you planning to put some water lilies in there as well? It looks like a really nice open area and they would do really well in there.

 

[Nanci]

So Nancy, what are you going to put in your pond for mosquito control?

Moving water! I _might_ be able to put fish in this one, but it's only going to be 3-4" deep at the max. I guess it depends on if they would be able to escape down into the deeper reservoir. I have the big plastic grids which will make the "bottom" of the pond, then 1/4" hardware cloth, then a layer of pond stones that form the surface the turtles will walk on. (Which will incidentally be strong enough for a person to walk on!) There will be a fountain head somewhere in the pond- the middle probably, not a high fountain but a bubbling fountain, which will keep the water moving and sound relaxing.

But for the other pond...Maybe mosquito fish, maybe one or two goldfish, maybe mollies. That for sure will have lilles and other plants. All garden stores down here sell pond plants, and you can mail-order them too. (I have to build another pond thanks to accidentally ordering two pond liners, but I think it's going to be really cool, and it will be mostly above ground, so no where near as much work!! _And_ I have the benefit of knowing what the liner is like to work with, so that will help me decide on the dimensions better.)

 

[tricksterpup]

Moving water! I _might_ be able to put fish in this one, but it's only going to be 3-4" deep at the max. I guess it depends on if they would be able to escape down into the deeper reservoir. I have the big plastic grids which will make the "bottom" of the pond, then 1/4" hardware cloth, then a layer of pond stones that form the surface the turtles will walk on. (Which will incidentally be strong enough for a person to walk on!) There will be a fountain head somewhere in the pond- the middle probably, not a high fountain but a bubbling fountain, which will keep the water moving and sound relaxing.

Nanci,
There is a small fish native to Florida that might live well in this pond that doesn't require alot of room. I keep them and raise them here but you can find them aplenty in your state, the least Killi aka the Dwarf Live Bearer or Heterandria formosa.

But for the other pond...Maybe mosquito fish, maybe one or two goldfish, maybe mollies. That for sure will have lilles and other plants. All garden stores down here sell pond plants, and you can mail-order them too. (I have to build another pond thanks to accidentally ordering two pond liners, but I think it's going to be really cool, and it will be mostly above ground, so no where near as much work!! _And_ I have the benefit of knowing what the liner is like to work with, so that will help me decide on the dimensions better.)

I like this idea, a few goldfish or just mollies and maybe a pair of American Flag Fish (another florida native along with the Mollies)

A guy I recommend down there in St. Augustine is Paul Sachs, I have dealt with him in the past.
http://www.aquaculturestore.com

 

[Nanci]

Thanks, ooh, I love Killis! I've never had them, but I've read a lot about them.

I set out some plants and trees tonight- thinking about the final destination of the trees.

 

[Nanci]

It's starting to look like home!

 

[Monger]

All I can say is - wow!

 

[Nanci]

Day Twelve

All I can say is I hope most of this, or at least the grey heavy stuff, is underground by the end of the day...

 

[Nanci]

Yes I can walk on it!!! Next step: WATER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[NFS07]

Wow, Nanci. That looks great!!! All that hard work will pay off once it's all done and you can sit there and watch them play.

 

[Nanci]

Nearly full, one third planted. (The easy third!) That open empty hole in the pond is the pump access. I haven't received the pump yet...

 

[Snake Dave]

That's looking amazing Nanci!

Will they be spending all their time in there? And will all those plants act as their hides, or do they burrow like your torts? Or both?

 

[Nanci]

This is the plastic hardware cloth that goes over the grid. Next thing to add is stones- the pond substrate.

 

[Nanci]

I don't know if there will be a second wind today or not. It's 84F and sunny, and I've been out in it all day. I only have one side left to plant, but that includes the big tree...Maybe I'll feel better after a mango smoothie!

Dave, they dig just deep enough to hide themselves. They like to hide under dead vegetation- I have some nice dead lemon grass saved for them- it's about two feet long! They also like to hide under live grass plants. They are very hard on plants, actually- if they want to go somewhere and there's a plant in the way, they just bulldoze over it. So I have to pick pretty sturdy plants. This will be their year 'round home. There is still a ton of planting and landscaping to do in there- I'm just getting the major things in. And it all has to be connected to the drip irrigation system.