Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey all,
I'm currently making a custom pond for my RES, and I was wondering if 4'x3'x3' (LxWxD) would be good, with about 2' for water depth or so. Also, does anyone know good materials to use for the coating? So far I have a nice wood structure and a pond liner to water proof the base. Great stuff polyurethane foam to make the shape...now I'm stuck at what to coat it with. Any ideas would be good...Oh yeah, Speedy the Wonder Turtle is about 8-9" long in the shell. And he just got some new feeder fish friends...following some advice from the forum...

I will eventually have to consider making an indoor pond. Curious as to how you are heating the pond. I can envision building parts for the filter, basking area, etc.
Also, if indoors, how are you planning to attach the UV light? Some sort of homemade shelf? Thanks.

The UV light is going to be mounted above the pond about 6" or so on a custom metal tube frame I made. It also has the ability to hold the basking light and all the wiring will be internal. The Heating element is the next problem. I was thinking of having it submerged somewhere..but our turtle thinks of heating elements as toys and loves to claw at them. The only other part I'm worried about is making sure this thing is absolutely waterproof. And able to fit into the apartment with ease...cuz with a layer of spackle and all the wood, its gonna be semi-permanent. If anyone has tips on what to do, let me know...

A couple of years ago when I was in college I had one of those black preformed ponds that Sams Club has been selling. It worked excellent for an indoor pond. The plant shelves that were formed into the pond worked excellent for basking areas. I had 11 turltes in it. They loved it! I found a great way to ensure the UV lighting was hung over head and at the right height. I got a shop light and put the UVB/UVA bulb in and then hung it from the ceiling with small linked chain. It worked very well! Good luck in your ventures. I would love to see a picture.