Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I'm looking at converting a few small/medium sized Garden Ponds into Turtle enclosures. I know I can buy Waterland Tubs, but want something more custom. My problem is going to be the water feature. I was thinking of molding foam ( where I could actually mold the shape of the water feature ), and coating it with silicone/coco fiber & peat. At one time I found a recipe for making moldable foam in a 5 or 10 gallon bucket,( same consistancy as expanding foam, but doesn't expand and takes longer to harden. ) but have since lost it. I was also thinking something like a acrylic or PVC divider, but I would prefer something that will hold a seal for a good while. The fact that the pond walls aren't flat, more concave, means alot of work would have to go into the actual cut. I have a few ideas floating around in my head, but nothing concrete

I know you said no concrete... why not?? Just cuirous is all...

Too abrasive, and will adsorb water. Also the weight factor. I've been reasearching various epoxies, and it does look promising, provided I can find soemone local that sells Foam blocks. Basically carve the foam, pour the epoxy, let it set, and put on your silicone/peat mixture. If I do have the exta money I'm going to see how well it works.

Not trying to change you mind with using concrete... but you can form and finish concrete to look and feel exactly like rock, takes some pratice but it's worth it I think. As far as the water absorption... Behr and a couple of other companys make a waterproof sealant for concrete... I've made several waterfalls and pools for enclousres using this technique... on that I found on here actually... works great and after the recommnded 30 day cycling of the water... no leaching of any kind!! You right on the weight though... but... on the flip side... how big of a pond are you building?? I'm not sure how much water your planning on puttig inside this pond... the hydrodynamics of it all.. will foam and epoxy hold 50, 100, 200 gallons? and how thick will you have to make the epoxy... Food for thought... Can't wait to see it though...

The water feature isn't going to be big at all. Think of something like a medium sized cat litter box. The pond liners I'm looking at aren't all that big. Basically for the Turtles I'm keeping, 1/4 water to 3/4 land works well. If these turn out well, I may try to do something like 3/4 water to 1/4 land for more aquatic turtles