sliders in outside ponds

Question
I have a yellow eared slider we found swimming in our pool (he was 1" then, he is 10" now).  He has been staying in a plastic tub outdoors for a few months (we live in FL).  I have built a pond in my yard and I would like to keep him in it.  Is there anything special I have to know (what plants to put in, do I need a filter, can there be fish, for example)?  I have a little waterfall in the pond, and I am concerned about the underwater pump, and how to keep him from messing with it or hurting himself on it.  I do know I need to put a basking stone or log in there for him... he will not be able to get out of the pond, it has overhanging stones areound the edges... any help you can give would be appreciated!

Answer
The California Turtle and Tortoise Club (www.tortoise.org) has several care articles from other people who keep outside ponds for turtles and you can find lots of good stuff and links there.

In the meantime, however, some considerations are:

WATER QUALITY-
As turtles do not breath water, it does not need to be as clean as for fish, but it ought to be relatively sanitary to keep smells and disease down. The problem as you know is that turtles are messy eaters and create a relatively large amount of waste.

A good, large volume water filter will help, or you can just change the water often, or have a large enough pond with enough plants and scavengers to keep the water clean.

Any concerns about getting sucked into the filters, pumps, etc. are valid, but can usually be addressed with simple cages or rock barriers.

FISH AND PONDMATES
Turtles tend to eat specific sizes of fish at specific times in their lives- so if you put in a dozen assorted size fish, it will eat the ones that are the right size and not those too big or small. On the other hand, turtles and fish are notorious for nipping at one another. The common solution is to use cheap fish and hardy fish in attractive combinations.

Crayfish make good scavengers and sometimes turtle food, but any shellfish (clams, shrimp, etc.) can infest the water with a bacteria that can infest the turtle's shell with a form of shell rot. This is not as common in ouitside ponds- possibly the sun's rays help keep the bacteria in check.

PLANTINGS
The CTTC site discusses plants in more depth- check out their recommendations. Most people find, however, that turtles are not too hard on hardy plants.

BASKING SPACE
You will need to allow enough space and variety of locations for the turtle to get out and sun, wander, etc. It needs to get totally out of the water and ought to have a choice between shade and sun for most of the day.

PREDATORS
This can be a big concern. Dogs, kids, racoons, etc. will often find hte turtle fascinating, and potentially delicious.



I hope this helps, and let me know if I can do more, but the CTTC and similar groups can address pond management issues better than I can!