An absolute beginner

[bagsmom]

Addie -- I've been doing some reading and research... so I am sort of familiar with the bog thingie. Am I correct in thinking that you use the little basin of bog plants as the filter, rather than a purchased filter? You use a good pump to move the water through the bog and out to a waterfall or little spillway? Is it then just maintained by mother nature? Do you have anything you have to change and clean in the bog filter? Thanks!

 

[haver79]

Welcome bagsmoms. Funny how we all love rocks! Me too, I live in the country. Have collected all my rocks from surrounding fields.
The major expense as others have said is the liner and the pump. I made my own diy filter for my 3000 gal pond from info learned on this forum. Having a pond is a joy and an addiction!

 

[mtpond]

Welcome bagsmom! I used rocks that were on my property on my waterfall. It was shale so it worked out perfect. I also ordered some river rock to use around the sides and bottom of the pond. I have since taken the rocks off the bottom of my pond, it only took one year to decided rocks on the bottom wasn't good for me since I have pine trees. This summer I will finish building one more shelve and extracting rocks that I don't need in the pond.

 

[sissy]

Funny but I collect rocks every where i go and every one is a treasure and a memory .Funny how those things can make you happy .You spot one you want and no matter what it is coming home with you .

 

[addy1]

Addie -- I've been doing some reading and research... so I am sort of familiar with the bog thingie. Am I correct in thinking that you use the little basin of bog plants as the filter, rather than a purchased filter? You use a good pump to move the water through the bog and out to a waterfall or little spillway? Is it then just maintained by mother nature? Do you have anything you have to change and clean in the bog filter? Thanks!

Mine is not little, 26 feet by 4 feet or more. Full of plants, my pump pushes around 6000 gph, It turns the water over about every two hours. I do not clean the bog at all, I do have to, every now and then, purge plants. They grow really fast. I have no other filter but the bog. During the summer frogs live in it, birds bath in it, critters drink out of it.
My water fall is a 3 foot wide flat rock
My pond is around 27 foot long by 15-20 plus feet wide. The bog is around 1/4-1/3 the size of the pond. I have not bothered with real accurate measurements. There are 10 ponds in the system from tiny to the large one.

 

[bagsmom]

Oh wow, Addy -- talk about Mother Nature! You have a wonderfully huge pond! Mine is going to be tiny. Like 4 feet by 6 feet.
Is there a thread or section on here for small ponds? I would guess that small ponds have entirely different issues. (Like with an aquarium, the bigger, the better, for a more self regulating, natural system.)

 

[addy1]

I had small ponds filtered by small bogs, they did great too. The small bog, whiskey barrels, I had a way to back flush them. We are just lucky we have lots of land there for ponds, but all of our land is sloped and sloped a lot.

I don't think there is a specific small pond thread..............go ahead and start one in construction, others will chime in to help you

 

[Becky]

Welcome to the forum!