Bog building, also called upflow filter, eco filter, wetland filter

[Nepen]

Like Addy said, they'll do better than you ever expected. Last summer was our first full season on a newly constructed bog. Around early November I un-ceremoniously ripped out half of the plants that had grown throughout the summer due to their threat of over-growing the boundaries. This winter it froze solid, but as soon as the winter began to loose it's grip the lizard tail and iris started growing and already the pea gravel is totally covered with new growth. If we get a week forecast with 50-60 degree daytime temps I think I'm going to cull again as a preventive measure.

I really hope they do well. last year I dont know why but it didnt do so well and my plants kept dying and i spent ridiculous amount of money on the plants. Also I had so much string algae last year because my bog just couldnt keep up, now I already have tons of string algae. I hope the bog, once get going, will help with that!! the Irises are shooting up on places I didnt evenknow I have them. And a surprise 'tropical' plants are coming up as well... very happy.

 

[addy1]

Before I finally got the bog/pond running I had a bit of string in the shallow end of the big pond. Within a (guessing) a week it was totally gone and has not come back.

 

[CountryEscape]

I have algae on the sides of my koi pond, none on the goldfish pond. Koi pond has a much smaller bog in comparison to the size of the pond. It's not string algae, though, more the spongey looking stuff, just kind of puffy looking, about 2-4" from the edges. I'm not concerned, it will all take care of itself. Have the floating spongey stuff in the stream that flows into the goldfish pond, but the plants in the stream will "eat" that up soon, too.

 

[Stephen T.]

Although the backdrop is temporary, to hide the piping, I did get some native plants from local ditches. I'm not sure what I have except none are in the invasive species listings. I think they'll have to grow more for solid identification.

I textured the pond liner along the 4 feet from the bog to the upper pond, using the same method that I've used in the past. I spray Great Stuff for ponds on the cleaned liner, then spread it with a plastic tool. Then I sprinkle fine stream type gravel/sand on and press it in place (wearing disposable groves). I pour on more than is needed by quite a bit and press it in/spread it over bubbles as the foam "foams up". I've had very good luck with this technique over the years. Once things set up, I take a cleaned out shop vac to the area and recover most of the loose sand and gravel.

So far, the two ponds have stayed very clear since putting in the bog filter.

 

[addy1]

Neat ideas! This is my pond bottom at the five foot deep area. on the bottom trap door snails, huge, and hornwort starting to grow again. I just love my bog, wetland filter, upflow gravel filter, whatever you want to call it. I really do nothing to the pond except groom plants. Have not cleaned it since last spring. I started to net the bottom but got nothing out that needed removing So quit

I never get the green water in the spring, or string algae in this pond. In the slow flow warm small plant ponds it does grow, but that is left for the tads and critter.

 

[JBailey]

Not sure where to post this, so how about here

My little trough pond with raised bog tub needs redoing. It's only been running a few weeks, so it shouldn't be too terrible an ordeal.
What I want to change is adding a grate over the manifold in the bottom of the tub, to maximize water flow and also to lighten it up a bit. The tub is sitting on concrete blocks and the weight kind of slouches it down more than I thought.
I'm hoping to pull all the gravel out, clean it all up again (I didn't rinse it as much as I should have), add a booster paver under the tub, set the grate (going to chop an onion storage crate into shape) over the manifold, then replace the gravel and plants.
Aaaand I need to corral the plants in the tub. I underestimated how happy the mini cattails and watercress would be and they are spreading like crazy. The cress roots are encasing the gravel so when I pull some out the gravel comes too.

Should I tuck some kind of basket in the gravel to restrain the cress? I left too much dirt on the cattails too, so I will rinse them off and pot before replacing them. What about lemon bacopa instead of cress?

Anyway, I finally got some more plants for the main pond, so after I redo things it should all settle down and find it's happy place. The fish are loving it.

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Not sure where to post this, so how about here

My little trough pond with raised bog tub needs redoing. It's only been running a few weeks, so it shouldn't be too terrible an ordeal.
What I want to change is adding a grate over the manifold in the bottom of the tub, to maximize water flow and also to lighten it up a bit. The tub is sitting on concrete blocks and the weight kind of slouches it down more than I thought.
I'm hoping to pull all the gravel out, clean it all up again (I didn't rinse it as much as I should have), add a booster paver under the tub, set the grate (going to chop an onion storage crate into shape) over the manifold, then replace the gravel and plants.
Aaaand I need to corral the plants in the tub. I underestimated how happy the mini cattails and watercress would be and they are spreading like crazy. The cress roots are encasing the gravel so when I pull some out the gravel comes too.

Should I tuck some kind of basket in the gravel to restrain the cress? I left too much dirt on the cattails too, so I will rinse them off and pot before replacing them. What about lemon bacopa instead of cress?

Anyway, I finally got some more plants for the main pond, so after I redo things it should all settle down and find it's happy place. The fish are loving it.

The only way to control plant growth is to control the nutrient supply. That ain't easy to do in a 'bog' filter and seems counterproductive to the real purpose of the 'bog' filter. Thinning is a chore that comes with 'bog' filtration.

 

[JBailey]

The only way to control plant growth is to control the nutrient supply. That ain't easy to do in a 'bog' filter and seems counterproductive to the real purpose of the 'bog' filter. Thinning is a chore that comes with 'bog' filtration.

I'm starting to realize that my idea may not be terribly functional as a filter, but I still like the way it looks and the spillway part. It's a fun experiment before trying anything bigger.
I think I will try the changes I mentioned and see what happens, and also ponder adding a 'mechanical' filter elsewhere. If anything, I can have a pretty planted area and feed the trimmings to my chickens.
I had no idea the cress would go feral so fast

 

[JBailey]

Welp, I ripped it out. I think the bog filter concept is really cool, but maybe not on such a tiny scale. And not with my goldfish.
I tucked the pump into a bioball/pad box filter and am potting up plants to do their thing in the main 'pond'. The water took some heavy hit points, so I did a partial change and cleaned the filter pads a few times. It's clearing up and the fish are having a blast.
The manifold I made for under the gravel was already getting clogged after just a few weeks, so I'm glad I got on it.
Now I don't have a structure for outflow, so the tubing has a part of the manifold with a T junction on it to deflect the stream, and I tucked it into a plant stand so it gets some oxygen in the water. I still have a little dripper line poked into the tubing near the pump which drips into a concrete birdbath set in the trough. I set a potted plant in the middle of the bird bath, and the hummingbirds love it.

Now I need to make my ground level bog to add habitat for my amphibian residents. It won't be directly connected to the trough pond, but I'll have a wee spigot to top it up from there. I have some plastic barrels that were cut in half and used for planters, so once I set them in the ground they should hold enough water. I'll also use the little tub I pulled off the trough to hold a little more water than the rest, but not sure how it will work in terms of mosquito larvae.
Anyway, it's a lot of fun sorting it out, esp when I can gt advice and read about other people's experiences.

 

[MitchM]

Addy,
What is your pond water temperature at these days?
My water temperature is 47F.
Very little plant growth here.

 

[Lisak1]

@MitchM have you tried marsh marigolds in your pond? They are the first plant to show signs of growth in the spring - often showing green through the ice - and love the cool weather. Might be a good marginal for you if you haven't considered it.

 

[addy1]

Addy,
What is your pond water temperature at these days?
My water temperature is 47F.
Very little plant growth here.

The pond was up to almost 80 the storm yesterday dropped it to 76, it rained really really hard, good pond flushing.

Nothing growing here.............j/k The lilies already shut for the day A lot of them bloomed today

 

[MitchM]

Thanks.
Boy what a difference. My pond will never reach those temperatures.
I'm coming to the conclusion that pond plants require much warmer roots than their regular garden type plant cousins.

LisaK, I do have marsh marigolds, but they too are stunted, compared to other pictures I've seen here.
My wetland filter plans are quickly drying up, lol.

.

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Thanks.
Boy what a difference. My pond will never reach those temperatures.
I'm coming to the conclusion that pond plants require much warmer roots than their regular garden type plant cousins.

LisaK, I do have marsh marigolds, but they too are stunted, compared to other pictures I've seen here.
My wetland filter plans are quickly drying up, lol.

.

Reeds, rushes and sedges may be a better choice for your climate.

 

[MitchM]

Reeds, rushes and sedges may be a better choice for your climate.

Which all require a dense substrate, correct?