Bog Filter

[Mikee’s Fish]

I have a bog filter which I tried the upflow system with. Built it as instructed with the pipe perforated and ready to go. I had read up on this thoroughly before building and left it a year, this was a while back maybe 5 years ago or more. I had lovely Clearwater for the start, but it could not cope with the hot summer! I had a pea green pond. After another year it wasn’t working, so I dismantled it. All of the perforations were blocked, and it was a smelly mess. I ripped it all out! I didn’t do much with it for a while took away some of the gravel and just left it. The inlet which was originally feeding the underwater pipe, I just left dangling in the bog filter so that it still fed the bog and flowed out into and over the waterfall. I had some water lilies which were in the main pond, but the koi were eating them so I rescued all of the left over mangy tubulars. I chucked these into the bog, just to keep them out of reach of the koi. I also had some lava rock from an old filter which I had dried out and put in bags for use another time, so decided to chuck these in the bog too. I then just left it, as I only done this to keep things safe. To my amazement this year, the water lilies have grown, I have had pink and white flowers. Water cress has grown in it like mad, I think a piece of it got into it when I tried to grow some from a supermarket packet in the main pond in a floating basket. It has spread like mad and we use it in salads! What is the best and most amazing thing is that the main pond this year, in all of the full sun that shines on it, is crystal clear!! I have never had a pond like it. You can see every piece of tiny gravel, stone everything on the bottom. The water flowing over the waterfall into the main pond is crystal clear. It is what I have always wanted. So, my water just flows through my bog, not from below, just across and this is the result! I’m not touching it, it is beautiful!! I expect some will say there is going to be an awful mess/smell etc, but I will see to that when the time comes. I’ve also got thousands of those little shrimp things in there too. For now it is great! I was looking at some images of pools of water, streams etc on the internet, and they were just flowing too, and near the end where a pool had been created you can see straight through. I’m pleased just to leave what I’ve got for now. Upflow, downflow, horizoctal or upside down, I’m not interested. I’m leaving well alone.

 

[JRS]

Yours is more like natural bog/wetland now. Glad you are having success.

 

[GBBUDD]

If you have lerked around here and read some posts you'll see over and over. There is NO you must do THIS or you must DO THAT.

But what I will say is your thousands of shrimp and other bio diversity is what is probably working well for you.

Wish you had posted pictures of your failed bog. Is it the climate ,is it the choice is materials. Or was it human error in design. Regardless like you have said don't fix what's not broke.
Some pictures of what is working and your pond would be nice to see.

Ps that stink to us is the dinner bell for bacteria , microbes a fauna.
I know I'm not wanting to lie in manner but it sure makes plants thrive

 

[Lisak1]

What you thought was failure wasn't really a sign of anything but a working bog and an immature pond. Had you left it alone it would have eventually cleared up. Most new ponds struggle with some green water in the beginning. And that stink is a sign of delightful things happening down below. Pull up those lovely lilies and I guarantee you one big P-U.

But alls well that ends well!

 

[Mikee’s Fish]

Yours is more like natural bog/wetland now. Glad you are having success.

Thank you. I will try and upload some photos on next sunny day. I don’t want to think what will happen in future if it’s wrong, I just want to enjoy it now. It’s has been really sparkly all of the summer UK. Open to suggestions though, on how to keep it fresh!

 

[Mikee’s Fish]

If you have lerked around here and read some posts you'll see over and over. There is NO you must do THIS or you must DO THAT.

But what I will say is your thousands of shrimp and other bio diversity is what is probably working well for you.

Wish you had posted pictures of your failed bog. Is it the climate ,is it the choice is materials. Or was it human error in design. Regardless like you have said don't fix what's not broke.
Some pictures of what is working and your pond would be nice to see.

Ps that stink to us is the dinner bell for bacteria , microbes a fauna.
I know I'm not wanting to lie in manner but it sure makes plants thrive

Thanks. I am going to be take some pics and post as it is now. I regret not taking some on the old system. you would only have seen green everywhere.

 

[Mikee’s Fish]

If you have lerked around here and read some posts you'll see over and over. There is NO you must do THIS or you must DO THAT.

But what I will say is your thousands of shrimp and other bio diversity is what is probably working well for you.

Wish you had posted pictures of your failed bog. Is it the climate ,is it the choice is materials. Or was it human error in design. Regardless like you have said don't fix what's not broke.
Some pictures of what is working and your pond would be nice to see.

Ps that stink to us is the dinner bell for bacteria , microbes a fauna.
I know I'm not wanting to lie in manner but it sure makes plants thrive

What you thought was failure wasn't really a sign of anything but a working bog and an immature pond. Had you left it alone it would have eventually cleared up. Most new ponds struggle with some green water in the beginning. And that stink is a sign of delightful things happening down below. Pull up those lovely lilies and I guarantee you one big P-U.

But alls well that ends well!

Thanks for reply. The pond was not new it is over 10 years old. I only took it apart after more than a year because of the flow, and when I did it was blocked in all perforation. Anyway, yes I agree it has all ended well.

 

[GBBUDD]

what size holes did you dill that is critical . And how much gravel was there and did you have roots getting to the pipes

 

[Mikee’s Fish]

Hi, thanks for asking. I drilled the holes the size recommended online. A very good company that makes big filters for customers. I put the gravel in covering the pipes, again as recommended. Anyway it’s working great now and has been for some of last year but all through UK summer this year which has been very sunny. No more green. Fish seem much more healthy too.

 

[Mikee’s Fish]

Yours is more like natural bog/wetland now. Glad you are having success.

Thank you. I’m just going to leave it now. It’s working ok, and hopefully will improve as time goes by. I’ve got some pics now so hoping to post them today if I can find how to do it!!

 

[GBBUDD]

Don't forget the internet is full of wonderful advice and some of the so called experts I would not trust with a potatoe gun./

 

[GBBUDD]

And yes Toe /

 

[Lisak1]

Potato, potatoe, tomato, tomatoe...