tortoise spa design

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REDFOOT WRANGLER
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Anyone wanting to ad a decorative and useful pool to their enclosures...I used cement to make a pool four times larger than my R\F but no taller than his body and sealed it with fiberglass resin. It's lightly brown. I also resined over some stones to aid in grip while entering and leaving. The border is 12" of smooth cement. He usually takes a poop on the ledge after a swim....not in the water. The ledge also helps in him not tracking dirt into the pool. Clean up is easy. Once a week, I drain and refill after a quick scrub. The fiberglass is smooth and tough. I have a fountain pump for movement. So far so good. My tortoise seems to love it, too! Total cost without pump is about $60 and $40 of that was the 'glass. Do not use fiberglass mat. Just the resin over mortar. Applied with a paint brush. If I had to do it over, I'd throw some pea sized gravel into the resin while wet to make the whole thing more rough. Less slick.
 

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tortadise

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Cool. Hope it holds up for you. Cement typically won't hold it's strength unless reinforced with wire or pea gravel. Which would make it concrete. But perhaps the resin will stabilize it and keep it together.
 

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REDFOOT WRANGLER
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The ponds foundation is sections of cut cement slab including the bottom and sides with mortar mix formed on the top. The skirt section is also cement slab with mortar for texture and shape. It's not just mortar. It is an update of the last pond that cracked and had water seepage issues with only cement sealer. This has been a four year "trial and error" pond.:)
 

tortadise

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The ponds foundation is sections of cut cement slab including the bottom and sides with mortar mix formed on the top. The skirt section is also cement slab with mortar for texture and shape. It's not just mortar. It is an update of the last pond that cracked and had water seepage issues with only cement sealer. This has been a four year "trial and error" pond.:)
Ah ok. That makes sense then.
 

Yellow Turtle01

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That looks really nice! Do you filter/circulate it? (noticed the electrical outlet:p )
 

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REDFOOT WRANGLER
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The plan was to filter it, but I have a small pond fountain just to move the water around for looks and sound. I like the water sound. I ran the outlet for my motion detector lights and dog house heater. (That I've never used...Yet)
 
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