Alternate bog design?

Joined
Oct 6, 2020
Messages
44
Reaction score
35
Location
Mid-Missouri
Country
United States
I have read the bog posts. I've looked at the photos. I clearly see the bog is the way to go. I do however think I have an idea to simplify my bog design.

I have a very odd shaped pond. Its waterfall section is very long, and dumps into a section that isn't the main pond area. This area IS the same water level as the other areas. Water runs freely through a shallow area that I planted some water loving plants in. I did this before i found this forum. Jump to now. I have the area to use as a bog, but i want to make the bottom of the waterfall land in a pool that is feeding the bog. I'll pile some rock there, leaving just enough surface area for the water to hit. It will run through the gravel and plant area that will be roughly 1 foot deep by 2 feet wide by 8 feet long. At the other end of this section will just be some rock to hold the gravel in place. That's it. No plumbing.

Has anyone tried such a simplified method of a "bog"? It will be the same water level as the rest of the pond, no extra pumps, etc. used. The fish would be able to swim right up to it. I have roughly 2500 gallons to filter. I currently run a 2000gph pump that will be feeding this idea. I'll add a photo tomorrow morning to better understand my idea.
 
Joined
Oct 28, 2013
Messages
13,070
Reaction score
13,394
Location
Northern IL
Showcase(s):
1
Tell it to me the easy way - are you thinking you'll feed the bog from the top instead of the bottom?
 
Joined
Jul 12, 2009
Messages
3,990
Reaction score
2,682
Location
Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania
Hardiness Zone
6a
Most of us have the bog above the waterfall. The water passes through the bog then returns to the pond via waterfall.
You are talking about having the waterfall feed the bog.
You can do whatever you want. It's up to you and it can be surprising what will work.
I think I see why you want to do this. All you would have to do is add gravel to that shallow area.
Here's what I think...
I don't think you'll get the full potential of a bog by pouring the water over the gravel. Seems to me, the bog will just fill with water and at that point it will just flow along the top of the gravel. Basically the path of least resistance.

Plus, everything the pump picks up will end up on top of the gravel. Not a good place for beneficial bacteria to colonize. Probably will be a mucky smelly mess too.

The water should be distributed throughout the bog under the gravel and rise up through the gravel. There's lots of surface area on all of that gravel for beneficial bacteria to colonize on.
 

addy1

water gardener / gold fish and shubunkins
Moderator
Joined
Jun 23, 2010
Messages
44,340
Reaction score
29,091
Location
Frederick, Maryland
Showcase(s):
1
Hardiness Zone
6b
Country
United States
My first small bogs were top fed from a waterfall. It was a pita, the top of the gravel got covered with muck, the bogs overflowed, ie water did not go down through the gravel and out of the pipe that sent the water back into the pond. It was a system of whiskey barrels, one bottom fed that waterfalled into two more that were top fed.
 
Joined
Oct 28, 2013
Messages
13,070
Reaction score
13,394
Location
Northern IL
Showcase(s):
1
Both @poconojoe and @addy1 said exactly what I was going to say. We have a down flow bog of sorts at the negative edge of our pond and I can tell you that gravel will clog up and stop the water from flowing through. And in my case it has only one way to go and that's down. In your case the water will be able to flow right over the top.

In nature wetland filters do work that way - water flows over the top of the wetland. But they have acres of space and tons of vegetation. We use the same theory but with a bit of a twist.
 
Joined
Dec 16, 2017
Messages
13,384
Reaction score
10,486
Location
Ct
Showcase(s):
1
Hardiness Zone
6b
Country
United States
Your thinking naturaly which would work with a low enough water flow and a large enough bog . Mother nature does as your thinking but she has a lot more reinstate then we do. I have three small areas where the liner is 2 inches or so below the water surface where I have 3/4 gravel and in a couple planting areas sand mixed with peat. This is a great area for pitcher plants to grow. Will it filter what water works itsway in there sure is it to tgr extent it will keep tge pond clear heck no.
 

Ask a Question

Want to reply to this thread or ask your own question?

You'll need to choose a username for the site, which only take a couple of moments. After that, you can post your question and our members will help you out.

Ask a Question

Members online

Forum statistics

Threads
30,782
Messages
508,591
Members
13,043
Latest member
cisifom

Latest Threads

Top