New Intex Pool set up ????? looking for help.

[stigmeister]

First of all let me say Hi to every one as i have just signed up today....

HI!!!!

I recently liberated 6 terrapins from WallMart of Death in Shekou China.
The place where all things living are nothing but a commodity.
So I took the liberty of liberating 6 of them before the inevitable happened.
I took them home and now they are living in a plastic storage box.

SO....

I have ordered an Intex pool 120 x 120 x 60cm and pond liner.
A pond filteration system complete with UV lamp filter pump,
I have air filters and I have made a Bio ceramic filter to go in the pond.
The pool itself will be situated on my balcony and as I live in southern china (Shenzhen)
I feel that I don't need a heater nor a heat lamp. The turtles will have a place to bask
but I also want fish in there.
I have fish that are getting too big for their tank.
4 Bala sharks, 2 plecs, 1 I haven't identified yet but is a local Chinese river fish (again saved from the market.
I also want to introduce a gar and catfish (species unknown as yet but again liberated from the Chinese market) and maybe a ray....

Pleas advise....

I want advice on filtration, pumps etc...
Do i have enough or do I need extra.
Also I would like advice on cleaning, water changing, can I do something to end water changing ??? and cleaning the bottom of the pool.
I will have a pebble and gravel bottom....
So how can i keep it clean?
Bearing in mind that i can't syphon as the pond system will be at ground level...

Sorry if I seem to have so many problems on my first post lol...

Thanx in advance

Stig....

 

[shenzhenluohan]

First off, welcome to MFK! Sounds like you are jumping in with both feet.
Nice to actually meet someone on here I know personally.
First, the 4'x4' footprint of your pond is big but not huge so personally I would forget about the ray as they don't mix well with plecs. What type of turtles did you get? It might be a good idea to post some pics in the reptile section to get an idea of what you have so as to make a better informed decision ad to tank mates etc...
As for filtration, turtles are mad waste producers so water changes are inevitable, and lots of them. I recommend lots of mechanical filtration to catch a good portion of the solid waste. Another thing to look into is plant filtration. Look at the stickies in the filtration section, there is a good one there about using pothos, a quick growing vine to help pull out. Nitrates.


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