Hi Everyone, I recently completed my indoor stock pond for my 5” Western Painted Turtle using 2x4, osb wood, vinyl stick on flooring, and a handful of magnets. I’m not sure on the full cost estimate since I used a lot of left over wood we had but I think the whole setup would cost around $200-300 if you were to build it buying all of your materials.
I started by purchasing a Rubbermaid 100 Gallon stock tank from my local tractor supply. I decided not to touch the drain at the bottom out of fear of leaks and I use a python system with a water hose for water changes anyway. I used 2x4s to make a box frame around the pond and used 2” decking screws to easily attach them together.
You can see my old setup in the corner where the new pond will be set up, big upgrades!
I then cut some OSB panels for the sides and cut a few stabilizers on the top to keep the frame in place and to have something for the vinyl to sit on
I used cabinet door magnet catches to keep the osb wood attached to the frame, this makes it easy to remove the sides to access the area underneath the frame.
Here’s a picture of the frame in its final resting location. I placed some leftover foam mats under the tank to not damage the hardwood.
I used this stick on vinyl flooring to cover the sides of the OSB to make it prettier. I made the mistake of using a special glue made for vinyl flooring called Stick-N-Stay. In theory it sounds great but it ended up warping the OSB which made my life a lot harder. I would recommend using hot glue or something less volatile.
Placing the vinyl on top was a little tricky since there were so many empty holes. We ran out of OSB and didnt want to buy any more but I would definitely recommend getting a sheet and cutting a hole out of the top to fit the pond through. You’ll have to cut a few holes for electrical cords but it’ll make your life a lot easier.
The corners were a little messy so I purchased some PVC corner molding from Home Depot and attached it to the side panels using blue sticky putty. And here’s the final product!
I bought a plant stand to hold up my DIY Wendy filter and reused my zoomed floating basking area. I also purchased a clamp lamp from Lowes which has been working wonderfully. I plan on stocking the pond with some water lettuce and water lillies and might look into rescuing another turtle from my local reptile shelter. Ill also get some potted plants to fill out the top area so the Pothos isnt the only thing wrapping around the pond.
I need to look into finding a better basking area but at the moment I cant figure out what would look good while accomplishing the job. Any other tips for stocking the pond would helpful!
I started by purchasing a Rubbermaid 100 Gallon stock tank from my local tractor supply. I decided not to touch the drain at the bottom out of fear of leaks and I use a python system with a water hose for water changes anyway. I used 2x4s to make a box frame around the pond and used 2” decking screws to easily attach them together.
You can see my old setup in the corner where the new pond will be set up, big upgrades!
I then cut some OSB panels for the sides and cut a few stabilizers on the top to keep the frame in place and to have something for the vinyl to sit on
I used cabinet door magnet catches to keep the osb wood attached to the frame, this makes it easy to remove the sides to access the area underneath the frame.
Here’s a picture of the frame in its final resting location. I placed some leftover foam mats under the tank to not damage the hardwood.
I used this stick on vinyl flooring to cover the sides of the OSB to make it prettier. I made the mistake of using a special glue made for vinyl flooring called Stick-N-Stay. In theory it sounds great but it ended up warping the OSB which made my life a lot harder. I would recommend using hot glue or something less volatile.
Placing the vinyl on top was a little tricky since there were so many empty holes. We ran out of OSB and didnt want to buy any more but I would definitely recommend getting a sheet and cutting a hole out of the top to fit the pond through. You’ll have to cut a few holes for electrical cords but it’ll make your life a lot easier.
The corners were a little messy so I purchased some PVC corner molding from Home Depot and attached it to the side panels using blue sticky putty. And here’s the final product!
I bought a plant stand to hold up my DIY Wendy filter and reused my zoomed floating basking area. I also purchased a clamp lamp from Lowes which has been working wonderfully. I plan on stocking the pond with some water lettuce and water lillies and might look into rescuing another turtle from my local reptile shelter. Ill also get some potted plants to fill out the top area so the Pothos isnt the only thing wrapping around the pond.
I need to look into finding a better basking area but at the moment I cant figure out what would look good while accomplishing the job. Any other tips for stocking the pond would helpful!
