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Bomber
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 30, 2006 - 08:58 am: | 
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P -- we gots bullfrogs -- racoons have grabbed the fish -- happy racoons, though ;-} think I'll spend some of the winter researching and seein if there's something I can do without creating another job for myself . . . thanks for the guidance, I truly appreciate it -- and I'll put a bottle in the back of the cabinet and let it gather dust til you show up at Festung Bomber, home of the Entropy Lab and Luddite Lounge . . .
Ceejay -- while you're idea is a great one, anything that requires a bobcat makes me think of permits and such -- there are several reasons I'd rather the village inspectors not wander around the joint, doncha know . . . .
it's a semi rural area, heavily wooded lots (none less than an acre, first growth Oak Savanah mostly) that is surrounded by county forest preserves, which are, in turn surrounded by pretty densly settle suburbs -- lil patch of quiet in the storm, so to speak --
again, thanks for the information and things to think about -- I was almost out of things to do (big grin) |
Pwnzor
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 30, 2006 - 11:41 am: |
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If you have frogs in the water then your pond is guaranteed to be in above-average health. You may only need an additional fountain.
I rule of thumb I use to determine the number of animals in an ecosystem is this:
100GPH for each animal up to 1lb. in weight.
It's overkill, but livestock GROWS quickly so I try to account for their waste quotient in advance. Always good to keep in mind that it's damn near impossible to remove fish from a pond, especially the size of yours.
This LINK explains how to determine GPH of a pump based on its power, distance, and elevation to the output or "head". Using this, and my rule of thumb, you will never overstock your pond. |
Ceejay
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 30, 2006 - 12:24 pm: |
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Ponds need to be over 12 ft in depth I believe in order for them to get a natural cycle of rollover-hot to cold, if not they can require a bit of work to stay nice, but as stated above if you have amphibians-frogs, salamanders(really cool), etc. you're doing better than most...I used to do research on the little noisemakers about an hour southeast of you, seems that the greater chicago area is taking a toll on the indicator species in the Northwest Indiana area...bullfrogs can bring a greater enjoyment to that single malt Imathinking... |
Marhaba
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 30, 2006 - 06:40 pm: |
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Pwnzor, and Bomber, thanks for sharing the pictures of nature. I'm in Egypt right now, so very little of the natural world is around, except for the poor animals at the pet shop I walk by everyday always in cages that are way too small for them, and it breaks my heart to see them like that. I stopped and played with the dalmatian puppies they had tied up outside today and cuddled them for a long time. Anyway, seeing your pictures of your water hyacinths and your new turtle, uh excuse me tortoise, always makes me smile. Thank you so much for sharing. P.S. I love turtles and tortoises, I used to have two named tiegra and bunny, my brother got them for me for christmas, and they were so cute! |
Pwnzor
| | Posted on Thursday, August 31, 2006 - 03:16 am: |
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Tiegra and Bunny, those are great names. What happened to them? (click it and crank your volume for a blast to the past)
 
I already posted these butterflies but I thought you'd like them anyway. |
Marhaba
| | Posted on Thursday, August 31, 2006 - 09:03 am: |
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Thanks pwnzor, the butterflies are gorgeous. I gave Tiegra and Bunny away when I left for college even though I didn't want to. The little boy I gave them to renamed them promptly to Tigger and Rabbit from Winnie the Pooh. Oh well, close enough. I miss having animals and I miss my turtles. Thanks for the song! I was wondering if anyone else would get the Tiegra and Bunny thing.  |
Pwnzor
| | Posted on Thursday, August 31, 2006 - 12:11 pm: |
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Glad to oblige. I'll get some more pics up soon.
What the heck are you doing in Egypt? |
Marhaba
| | Posted on Sunday, September 03, 2006 - 06:45 pm: |
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I'm living in Cairo studying colloquial egyptian arabic among other things, probably going to be here for a year. It'll be a long time before I'm on a bike again period. On the plus side of things, the island I live on, Zamalek, has a Harley dealership just up the street from where I live. Unfortunately, they don't have Buells. Trust me, I asked. Though I do have a kickass shirt that says Cairo Harley Davidson now. I don't think I'd want to ride a bike here... no posted speed limits, lines on the road are just suggestions, more a way to play pac man for cab drivers who drive down the middle of the street and it's fashionable to not pay attention to stoplights at major intersections. Man, these Egyptians are crazy on scooters though!!! I just got back from El Gouna in Sinai, and I'm going back in two weeks to go dirt biking in the desert. Woo hoo, I'll post some pictures soon! In the meantime, I hope your tortoise and water hyacinths are doing well!! Cheers! |
Pwnzor
| | Posted on Monday, September 04, 2006 - 11:01 am: |
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TURTLE ALERT!!!!!
My mom's got various breeds of box turtles in her yard and I've just recieved word that THREE baby turtles have been discovered! Pictures coming soon!!!!
Marhaba, living over there must be fascinating, I bet you feel like Indiana Jones sometimes. That's funny about the cab drivers playing pac-man and I don't blame you for not wanting to ride in that mess. Dirt biking should be fun, though, I'll be looking forward to seeing pics of that.
Stay tuned for tiny turtles! |
Cowboy
| | Posted on Monday, September 04, 2006 - 01:37 pm: |
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hey Panzor... I see by your photos that you like water feathurs around your house.I have some at my home you may like to see. Go to my profile and click on my home page.I dont have any turtles as they eat my fish (coys)but I have some nice water things and some pretty flowers. and some large Louisiana Bull frogs. enjoy |
Pwnzor
| | Posted on Monday, September 04, 2006 - 02:02 pm: |
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Cowboy, I'm jealous of your ponds. You've got a beautiful spread there, and what a large family you have! You are truly blessed.
Ok, as promised, here are some images of the new baby box turtles.
Mom is still searching around the yard for more, typically they will have about a dozen or so. But they commonly fall prey to local predators, crows and opossums mostly. |
Marhaba
| | Posted on Monday, September 04, 2006 - 05:15 pm: |
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awww... they're so cute! I do hope that you'll have names for them sometime soon. I showed some of my friends the picture of Gretel devouring your yard, unfortunately they weren't nearly as excited as I was about it. In any case, good luck with the new baby turtles!! |
Luvthemtorts
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 05, 2006 - 01:01 am: |
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Matt,
Tell your mom I said CONGRATULATIONS!
It pleases me to see people successfully reproduce their animals instead of keeping them as genetic "dead end" pets.
Also tell her to check thoroughly since it appears that they are from different clutches. It looks as though only the center hatchling still has its' egg tooth. |
Pwnzor
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 05, 2006 - 11:10 am: |
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Update:
We excavated the site very carefully and found the remains of five others, completely engulfed with ants. It broke my heart to look at it, but nature is what it is.
We could see among the carnage a corpse of one that made it out of the shell, but not much further. The other four were eaten by the ants while still inside the shells.
While we lament the loss of the other five, we cannot help being pleased with the discovery of these little miracles. The fact that my mom discovered them on her birthday is just icing on the cake. These three will be kept in a terrarium for approximately one year and then released into a pen in the yard for another year before integrating into the "herd".
The four adult turtles are named JT (Jamestown Turtle, for where she was found crossing a highway), Toby (actually a female but she was named by the original owner incorrectly), Donnatella (ninja turtle female version), and Freckles (the only male).
I think we will hold off naming these for a few months to be sure they are going to survive. It hurts more when they die and they have a name.
I'll post any new developments as they occur. |
Luvthemtorts
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 05, 2006 - 02:01 pm: |
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Matt,
That is a bummer but as you said that is nature.
Perhaps in the future she can try artificial incubation should she wish to intervene and improve her hatchling survival rate. Finding the nesting sites can be a bit of a challenge but if she palpates the females throughout the year she will at least know when they are gravid and when they have laid.
Once again fine bit o' work!! |
Pwnzor
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 05, 2006 - 10:44 pm: |
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These little ones were a complete surprise. In fact, mom had been discouraging the male as much as possible. But as you know, turtles are relentless creatures. When they want something you better not turn your back on them! His eyes are piercing red almost as if to signify his naughty intentions!
Mom has already said she will be watching more closely in the future, and if she finds a clutch she will take them inside. My aunt raises many types of parrots and has plenty of incubators we can use.
We'll see what happens. I visited the babies again today, they grow more beautiful with each day. |
Luvthemtorts
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 05, 2006 - 11:42 pm: |
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Yeah the blazing red eyes of some of the males can make them look almost "mean"! I had one male Eastern Boxie growing up that I named Oscar (as in Oscar The Grouch). I found him in a field one morning happily eating a dead Shrew. His eyes were blaze red and he was the only Boxie I have ever caught or kept that was happy to bite every time I picked him up. He was one big mean hombre' measuring almost 8 1/2 inches SCL. Smart too, as he managed to plan the great escape one evening and wasn't seen again for 12 years. Finally had a reunion with the old boy while out herping one Spring morning. Seems he had done well for himself during those years but still had the same mean old personality! I have since moved but can only hope that Ole' Oscar is still terrorizing the local Shrew population! |
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