Im far from done with this setup and all its cosmetics. A lot of stuff is incomplete and temporary like the pvc. I just threw it together as fast as possible to get the turtles out of the small tank they were in.
The pvc is a temp setup, its close to the surface so only the pillars are blocking swimming space.
Eventullay id like a collection of dirftwood in the middle of the pond for basking and a wooden bridge for them to climb to the top area. (the top area will have a food area, area to breed/lay eggs, and whatver else)
The pvc and driftwood is what i had laying around, better then nothing. Untill i have the money/resources to design a better baskin area and bridge it will have to do. I plan to use real/fake plants and vines to hide the pvc. Add more rocks, paint pvc with krylon, etc, untill i design something better.
Since the setup is mostly wood work, i was plannig to build the baskin area and bridge out of wood as well. I was going to do a bamboo roof, so maybe ill use bamboo to support the driftwood and build a bridge. Depends on what materials i get my hands on.
Once the filter was complete i just threw in some stuff real quick and added the turtles just to get them out of the tiny tank they were in. I still have a ton of cosmetic work to do. The roof and sides, the deck area for the turtles, substrate, live plants, fix the water slide and spray bars, hide the pvc fittings and pre filters best i can, hide/block the piping and pump, add lights, etc etc etc.
Ive have so many types of substrate... Small gravel, big gravel, sand, smooth roocks. Atlest ten choices in different amounts. Thinking if i should go with one style or mix it up around the tank. I was thinking of using mostly my white gravel in different sizes (maybe some sand too) and then adding some colored rocks/gravel in diffferent portions. Hopefully the white gravel will help it stand out.
As i was epoxying the filter boxes i used the excess epoxy to paint the pipes cause it looked good and i had extra epoxy. Im still deciding how to cover/hide all the piping and pumps under the filter. I may use panels, or put plants, or a mix of both... not sure yet.
The pvc drains and overflows in the pond are temp, when i finish those off i plan to paint them all the same/hide the best i can. The "robotic blue" epoxy looks good, i may paint all visiable pvc and bulkheads that color.
Thanks for the help everyone.
