Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hello what would be a good filter and pump for an outdoor pen for ebt im in the process of constructing a new pen. also what could i plant (and water plants) in it too that wont be harmful for the turtles to eat maybe , i mainly want to use it for shade and cover .thanks

There are a ton of different pond filters available. Pondmaster is a reputable and reasonably priced company. I would recommend an external cannister filter that has biological filtration and a built in UV sterilizer. Make sure the "gallon per hour" capacity closely matches the size of your pond. There are some pond building books that help you calculate your gallons based on pond dimensions. Lowes, Home Depot, or the library have some that you can leaf through. Basically, you have a lot of options in filter choice, but it all depends on the size and construction of your pond.

The type of filter I recommended is very expensive, but it will save you a lot of time(and possibly money) in the long run. When you see that clear water, and measure little or no waste chemicals on your test strips it will really make you feel good about the investment.

I've recently built some home-made biological filters. There are a ton of different designs. For all of them you basically need a strong pond pump and a few other inexpensive items. An internet search of "homemade pond filter" should yield you several designs. If you want, you can even incorporate an "in-line" UV sterilizer into your design.

Good advice. I would add a couple of points: err on the side of exceeding your needs. In other words, if you have a 100gal pond, I would suggest you go with a 150gph pump (or even more), because the pond will be used as a toilet and a tub as well as a source of drinking water.

Also, make sure you get a pump with a magnetic impeller: they have no oil that could leak to cause other serious problems.

large rubbermaid container or trash can filled with lava rock, hard to beat for cost effective.
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You got your regius's to the wall, man!
1.0 pastel Python regius
0.1 mojave Python regius
0.1 normal Python regius
0.2 Terrapene carolina thriunguis
2.3 Terrapene carolina carolina
4.1 Kinosternon baurii
1.1 Malaclemys terrapin terrapin
2.1 Ambystoma tigrinum
1.1 Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis
1.0 anerythristic Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis
1.1 Iowa snow Thamnophis radix
1.1 heterozygous for amelanistic,carmel, and stripe Pantherophis guttatus
0.1 anerythristic motley Pantherophis guttatus

thanks everyone ill will be sure to get the right calculations for what i need