3 feet was based on my experience in zone 7, but before someone accuses me
of bad advice, please look for info that is appropriate for your climate.

And your enthousiasm will be rewarded... I was watching those critters
closely today (after your thread) and although they may not be spectacular
in "movement", they are truly great animals.

They even learned to distinguish between my cats... black or ginger: no
problem, but silver means dive !

My black cat drinks from their pond at about 50 cm of where they bask, and
they just stay there :-) Silver cat is at 3 meters... dive !

Theo


"Sue Alexandre" schreef in bericht
...
Thanks, you guys! Not only did you provide great info and suggestions,
you've got my adrenaline and enthusiasm running in high gear. It's
supposed
to be nice out today in Connecticut, and again tomorrow. (do I feel a
migraine coming on? "Sorry, boss, I can't come in today-I've got another
one of "those" headaches.")
And thanks for the pic, Theo. I was going to ask if any of you had photos
you could provide..... I'm definitely a "visual" person that needs to SEE
an
idea to grasp it. Any one else have photos they can post?

OK, so 3 feet deep is enough for a turtle to overwinter? I was afraid
maybe they needed it even deeper than the fish. I definitely am
leaning
towards a separate pond for the turtles... I'm real happy with the way my
4000 gallon koi pond is coming along and probably shouldn't mess with it.
Besides, if they have their own place, they can eat all the plants they
want - that's what they'll be there for.
OK, so here's what I'm thinking.... dig a "doughnut" in the sunniest part
of
my yard, leaving the donut hole to be the island. The outer edge of the
donut would be steep and have overhanging rocks along the top (or a wood
frame, if I manage to get hubby involved, but then I guess I better plan a
square one!) I imagine I can pick up a pretty cheap little pump and
filter since this won't be anywhere near as big as the main pond. Or just
get a cheap pump.... filters can be home-made.
Hubby caught me a few minutes ago sipping my coffee while staring out the
window..... I must have had "that look" in my eye, because he said "uh oh,
should I go hide all the shovels?"
Keep your thoughts and suggestions coming..... I'm hungry for them!
Sue