Bog building help

[Thursobhoy]

Good morning everyone, I am wanting to add a bog filter to my pond so I'm looking for advice. It's a very small raised(railway sleepers) goldfish pond about 2500 litres, at the moment there is a pump in the pond which feeds into a pressure filter which then feeds into a DIY trickle/shower that then goes back into the pond. The water has been amazingly clear and I've been fairly happy with it, but I'm looking to get rid of the shower as it's not the most bonnie (pretty) of things, and we had a cold snap this winter and went to -15/-18 over night and it froze the outlet for the shower which nearly emptied the pond overnight.

Right back to the point, the bog would also have to be raised, so I'm looking for a bog about 14 square feet that will be about the 30% of my pond.

I'm thinking I'll have to buy an outdoor suitable container of some sort( or could I made or buy a wooden planter style box and line it? Or I have access to half whisky barrels). Then build some form of platform for it to sit on so it's higher than the main pond. Does that sound right?

Am I able to keep the pressure filter to do my mechanical filtration?

Thanks in advance for any help.

Darren.

 

[addy1]

You can keep the pressure filter, but the bog will do everything by itself, I only filter with a bog.

Post some pictures of your set up, it helps us help you.

 

[Lisak1]

It sounds like you don't have a skimmer - correct? That's what many rely on for mechanical filtration - catch it before it even gets into the system. Is your pump in the pond? Raise it slightly from the bottom and you won't be pulling organics into the bog, which is a plus. Then just use a net to clean out the leaves and things that fall into the pond and let nature take care of breaking down the rest.

 

[poconojoe]

You can use just about any container as a bog. If it's not watertight, you can certainly cover it with a liner.
Some people use stock tanks, window planters, preformed ponds, etc.
Your idea of a whiskey barrel would be cool looking. I'm assuming it would be cut lengthwise and layed down on its side. That would look nice.

You can also build it out of the same railway sleepers as your pond, if you like.

The gravel in the bog only has to be about 12 inches deep. Build your bog walls a bit higher as a precaution in case the water rises.

I too filter exclusively with a bog. Once my bog was running, I sold my two pressure filters and UV light. They were not neccessary.

And definitely have your pump raised up off the bottom as suggested. I have a string tied on mine to keep it suspended above the bottom and for easy retrieval for any maintenance. If your pump is external, have the intake raised above the bottom.

 

[Thursobhoy]

You can keep the pressure filter, but the bog will do everything by itself, I only filter with a bog.

Post some pictures of your set up, it helps us help you.

Thanks very much, I will get some pictures up as soon as I can. No skimmer just a pump that at the moment is sitting on the bottom of the pond, I have a few small black crates kicking around that I can use for it to sit on. Yeah I think I could get a length cut whisky barrel no problems. If I was to spruce up my trickle tower ( get nicer looking containers) could the outlet from that be used to connect to the pipework at the bottom of the bog? Might be a rubbish idea but just something that popped into my head. I do like how my tower works, and I like to tinker with different types of filtration. If it's a stupid idea or just over complicating things let me know.

 

[poconojoe]

Thanks very much, I will get some pictures up as soon as I can. No skimmer just a pump that at the moment is sitting on the bottom of the pond, I have a few small black crates kicking around that I can use for it to sit on. Yeah I think I could get a length cut whisky barrel no problems. If I was to spruce up my trickle tower ( get nicer looking containers) could the outlet from that be used to connect to the pipework at the bottom of the bog? Might be a rubbish idea but just something that popped into my head. I do like how my tower works, and I like to tinker with different types of filtration. If it's a stupid idea or just over complicating things let me know.

As I previously stated, I think the half whiskey barrel would look nice and you can suspend your pump by tying a string to it, unless you prefer sitting on a crate.

You can send the water to the bottom of the bog from any source. Straight from the pump or after any other filters or contraptions you have.
However, no other filtration should be neccessary.

You stated the bog surface area will be 30% of the pond surface area. That percentage will be adequate to filter exclusively with the bog.
But, that's totally up to you. I don't think you can ever have too much filtration.

 

[Thursobhoy]

As I previously stated, I think the half whiskey barrel would look nice and you can suspend your pump by tying a string to it, unless you prefer sitting on a crate.

You can send the water to the bottom of the bog from any source. Straight from the pump or after any other filters or contraptions you have.
However, no other filtration should be neccessary.

You stated the bog surface area will be 30% of the pond surface area. That percentage will be adequate to filter exclusively with the bog.
But, that's totally up to you. I don't think you can ever have too much filtration.

Thanks very much for the information, just spoke to my guy with the barrels, he's concerned that since the lids on either end are cut they won't be water tight, so not sure how make sure they are and also the weight and pressure on the lids would be high? Would have to make sure they wouldn't just pop out.

 

[GBBUDD]

A whiskey barrel sounds a hell of a lot more appealing then does a shower regardless of what it is made of . The only question is is how deep are the barrels there are barrels then there are barrels . Or are you better off making a window box sorta speak and then hide it with whiskey barrel parts.

In short you want at least a foot deep for the gravel area alone . And another 4 to 6 inches for back up over flow and to prevent wicking.

 

[poconojoe]

I could be wrong, but I don't think the reference was to an actual shower that you take a shower in.

 

[Thursobhoy]

Yeah it's a shower filter as in a series of boxes that drip onto the next.

As for the size of the barrels they are proper full size whisky barrels, they are very big.

I might be better trying to find a different container for the bog.

 

[GBBUDD]

Depending on your style I have to admitt that a appearance of 3 or 4 barrels as a fasad stacked next to each other would look pretty cool having the plants drapping over the edge.

 

[addy1]

i used whiskey barrels for a bog filter, years ago, they worked fine and looked neat.

 

[Thursobhoy]

i used whiskey barrels for a bog filter, years ago, they worked fine and looked neat.

Did you just use them as they normally are or cut lengthwise? How did you make the bog? Thanks

 

[addy1]

Mine were a barrel cut in half, a grid at the bottom for the water to flow up and through the gravel. Also had a drain at the bottom to drain them now and then. They then waterfalled into the pond. It was on my first ponds, on the small size, guessing 300 gallons. Many years ago

 

[Thursobhoy]

Mine were a barrel cut in half, a grid at the bottom for the water to flow up and through the gravel. Also had a drain at the bottom to drain them now and then. They then waterfalled into the pond. It was on my first ponds, on the small size, guessing 300 gallons. Many years ago

Mine would be for about 2500l which is about 660 gallons(us). Would one be enough? Would I have to line them? As they have been used for storing whisky, so I'm assuming some will leach out.

In my head now I'm picturing the barrel, sitting on the top of the pond in the corner with a water fall going back into the pond. Was the water fed in through the bottom or the side of the barrel?

Sorry for all the questions, I'll do a search on here to see if there is a thread about it.

Thanks for all the time and answers.