Aqua blocks what brand do you recommend?

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I thought only Aquascape made aqua blocks, but now that I started researching (I need them to build a bog) I learned there are several brands and designs, and since most likely I will have to shop online, I need help choosing
Does it even matter what brand I choose, or are they all pretty much the same?
Where can I find the best price?
Thank you!
 
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I was looking at these

Are the Aquascape Blocks better as far as surface area and strength (can they hold the weight of an average person?) ?
 

Jhn

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Never used Atlantic brand....I’ve used aquascape and easy pro aqua blocks. Both supported me walking on them. Used about 40 of them all told under my bog and no problems. Both are plenty sturdy, easy pro is a little more of a pain to put together, but not that big of deal.

If you need a bunch call places directly, you can get better deals that way. This is why I switched to easy pro, got them for about half their list price.
 
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Thanks for sharing your experience @Jhn , I have a few months to figure this thing out, I really appreciate all the info I can get
 
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JHNI HAVE USED both the easy pro and aquascape. I had a aquascape block left over and was able to compair them both. The aquascape was definately built stronger then was the easy pro. The spaces were smaller between ribs. But like jhn said they both worked fine. The easy pro we d I d get at quite the savings over the aqua blocks I never found a bundle price with them . But I did with the easy pro if I remember correctly I saved about 15 bucks a block I believe it was 34 bucks for the full size easy pro compared to 49 for aquascape. I'll see if I can find the supplier I used on the easy pro. Is the aquascape worth the extra money? I would say yes if you were building a large pond but only structural is the aquascape better they both are almost the exact same size other wise.
I did see where aquascape now sells a thin but strong top layer for the aquablocks looked like a fantastic addition to the equation it strengthens the top layer so they don't break . From an impac.
 
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Seems theres many sites now offering the blocks EasyPro High Strength Res-Cubes are the ones I used. They also have a standard duty. I have delt with underwater warehouse many times now he has always done right by me. Excpecialy since I always seem to have a rush . A quick window that appeared.
But I would look at just liners if your leaning toward epdm. Best price I found and they stood behind there delivery.
 
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Have you come up with a design for your bog and or pond
 
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Have you come up with a design for your bog and or pond
Thank you @GBBUDD
The bog can only go in the area between the back of the waterfall and the court wall shown in this pic

Bog site.jpg

It will be roughly 10x5 (a little larger if we can follow the contour of the wall) we plan on building it like this:
we'll dig and level, making the bog like the pond, part inground and part above ground.....then we'll build cinderblock wall and tie it to the existing wall, cover the tub with underlayment and liner.
We figured 1-1/2" -2" (?) for the pipe grid on the bottom, then 17-18" Blocks, then 2-3" river stone, then 12-14" pea gravel.

We are thinking of putting the pump in the fish pond next to the skimmer, so the pipes will go along the outside of the pond wall, then up to the top of the bog and down to the bottom of it into the grid, so the water should travel up through the layers and then return to the pond on the house side of the waterfall, through some form of spill that we have not figured out yet.


Question1 : does the pipe grid sit on the liner or do we need a thin layer of rocks first?
Question2 : can the blocks be cut to fit?
Question 3 : should we fill the gaps between the walls and the blocks with river stones?
Question4: Is the air stone a must and where do we put it?
Question 5: how much higher than the water level should we build the sides?
Question 6: Will all this work and money pay off in the end, or do you think this bog will be too small for us to even notice the difference?
 
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Thanks for sharing your experience @Jhn , I have a few months to figure this thing out, I really appreciate all the info I can get
I didn't use aquablox (or any deriv thereof) but used 6"-10" round boulders, instead. I think the cost was about $90 a ton. You could call a supplier to get an approx volume per ton and see if the cost would be better. The stone will of coarse be stronger than aquablox and give you the same settling action, though with less actual area. I put about 12" or so at the bottom of my bog, then 12-18" of 2" round cobble stone next, followed by 18" of pea gravel. I didn't use pvc as my manifolds but instead, used 4" drain pipe connected to a diy snorkel and vault. The drain pipe makes up the centipede part and is a lot less expensive but just as functional.
 
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The drain pipe
Not knocking the design above but for those reading this down the road. Theres many types of "drain pipe " most of which i would not bury under tons of stone. Do your home work.
I To did not use a snorkel and centipede in the store bought sence. but I improvised using 24 inch hdpe double walled culvert pipe
 
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Question1 : does the pipe grid sit on the liner or do we need a thin layer of rocks first?
I did a strip of rubber a couple spacer rocks pipe slits facing down.
Question2 : can the blocks be cut to fit?
Yes I did i used zip ties to put the blocks I cut back together and then I tried to keep them tight to others and made double sure the zip tie connection was tucked into the block. They do have stainless steel zip ties but I just used heavy duty ties.
Question 3 : should we fill the gaps between the walls and the blocks with river stones?
Yeah they will do the same basic job as the aquablocks allowing for space.
Question4: Is the air stone a must and where do we put it?
If your talking an airstone in the snorkel I don't know anyone else beside myself who does that. I do know that pumping air into sewerage systems today has been proven to give bacteria that extra amount to thrive and all living beings consume oxygen soooo ... is it a must i would say no . I have never seen aquascapes pump o2 to a bog .
Question 5: how much higher than the water level should we build the sides? Min 6" id go for 8 to 12 and not ever worry about it.
Question 6: Will all this work and money pay off in the end, or do you think this bog will be too small for us to even notice the difference?
I think 10 by 5 is comparable to Poconos, if i am not mistaken. AND HE RAVESabout going with the bog. Yes the bog is a bit pricey to start but filter /bog wise i never touch it besides to cut the plants down in the spring. Yes I said spring I let the heavy vegetation sit on the rock to the bog . My bog is mainly dry rocks on top water level right below the surface. I do this as an insulation. When I was a kid skating on the pond there was always open water under the grassy mounds.

I have always gone the bog I never did a commercial filter but I have made bets with the wife the second thing out of peoples mouths when they see my pond is it's so clear. I can literally muck up the pond where I cant see a foot into the water and by morning the next day you'd never know as it would be crystal clear again.
 

Jhn

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Will just add ideally in the aqua blocks bog design, you want to use a some sort of centipede and snorkel under the blocks with snorkel bottom being the lowest point in the bog with the entire bog bottom sloping slightly toward it. As the idea is any fines along with the water get pumped into the centipede, settles out and end up in the bottom Of the snorkel where they can be pumped out, through the access cap. The pvc manifold underneath while it will still work, if you are going as far as using blocks and all would just go all the way with it and use the Centipede/snorkel be it diy or store bought.

Agree with GBBUDD I cut up the blocks and zip ties to fill in larger gaps and then used larger rocks to fill in the spaces around the edges of the bog, where the blocks couldnt be cut that small.

I kept my water level about a foot below the sides of my bog, for the aforementioned reason of no worries about it overflowing as plants and their roots grow out of control. I used larger rocks/logs at the bog surface to create higher and lower areas of pea gravel with in the bog. Gives me a little bit of variety on the types of plants I can plant in there.

I always had a bog on this latest version of my pond, but it was undersized originally. I never had an algae issue of any type in the pond, even with the undersized bog but it would get a little murky during the warm months as the fish would kick up any fine silt on the pond bottom. Once I enlarged the bog this past spring using the aqua blocks, centiped/snorkel design it cleared the little bit of murkiness out of the pond pretty much in about 24 hours. I think you will definitely notice a difference, even if the bog is a little undersized.
 
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Not knocking the design above but for those reading this down the road. Theres many types of "drain pipe " most of which i would not bury under tons of stone. Do your home work.
I To did not use a snorkel and centipede in the store bought sence. but I improvised using 24 inch hdpe double walled culvert pipe
I dug up my original drain pipe after 8 years and it was in perfect order. The idea here, to clarify, is to dig a trench at bog's bottom for the pipe, then lay in the large boulders on each side, then over top (10" boulders easily cover over the pipe and are supprted on both sides by other 10" boulders), so there's more than enough support. This design came from a long time pond builder in Georgia, a friend of Meyer's I found out later, and so trusted due to experience. I used the corrugated plastic 4" drain pipe without the holes.

My point being; this was a lot less expensive than using Aquablox or derivitives thereof and is just as functional.
 
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I appreciate learning about the different ways one can build a bog.
I hope as a second measure of filtration mine will deliver good results
I will have my husband read this thread and then we will decide on which route to take, but I'm pretty sure we're both set on using blocks vs boulders to increase water volume.

@GBBUDD , @brokensword , @Jhn , Thank you for all your helpful knowledge.
 
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I appreciate learning about the different ways one can build a bog.
I hope as a second measure of filtration mine will deliver good results
I will have my husband read this thread and then we will decide on which route to take, but I'm pretty sure we're both set on using blocks vs boulders to increase water volume.

@GBBUDD , @brokensword , @Jhn , Thank you for all your helpful knowledge.
Gemma, My bog is small and is supplemental filtration to our sad & gravel filter. We had to fit it into a small area. At the height of the summer it worked perfectly and the plants looked great. I may have let the pens wort take over and it clouded the water as the gravel was a bit blocked.

If I was doing it over I would have a by pass where I could direct water from the bog, but not directly into the pond.....for when it's clogged and I use the clean out pipes.
 

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