Bog for large pond

[rogue909]

So we are putting together our new pond. We are in the Houston area and our previous pond (and livestock...) Was washed out by the hurricane.

Now we're building a new pond. It's bigger. Much bigger (and flood proof!) Our previous pond was 3000 gal and it was easy to just overbuild the bog.

This pond will be closer to 35,000 gal. The surface area is approximately 1600sqft. I estimate we will eventually end up with 100~ fish. 15-20 large (14") koi and varying smaller ones. (I'm sure some of the koi will end up being gold fish...) Probably a couple of large plecos as well (we catch them at a local drain bayou...)

With the size of this new pond. I need to be a bit smarter about the sizing of various systems. I'm most concerned about the bog. With that in mind, I have a couple of questions...

1.) I've read turnover needs to be 1x every 2-3 hrs. That means a 10-15k gph pump. Does this sound correct? A pump that size is $$$$. How hard is that rule?

2.) I'd like to be able to remove the bog material in the future for cleaning. Are there any good methods for keeping the gravel media compartmentalized? I was thinking a milk crate kind of shape?

3.) I've read 30% bog by surface area. That's 500~ sq ft of bog. That's a big bog... Is there ways to reduce this?

4.) I've read about trickle towers briefly but not enough to fully understand. What are trickle towers?

5.) For a pond this size; how much of a bio load am I looking at? Is 100 fish too much?

6.) I plan on having a drain in the pond that feeds a below water line external pump. Is this a good idea?

Does anyone have a link to a blog or journal that details someone tackling a pond this size?

Are there any obvious things I should be doing?

 

[Mmathis]

Welcome @rogue909!

Is this going to be a lined pond or a natural, earthen bottom pond?

 

[rogue909]

This pond will be lined.

We are looking at getting an EPDM liner.

 

[Lisak1]

Welcome! This is going to be one mighty pond!

Your actual turnover rate should be 1.5 to 2 times PER HOUR.

 

[Jack B. Nimble]

Turnover on the bog or the entire system ie with waterfall . Also you can spread bog around so it itself is not real large. I would incorporate large 6' shelves in the pond and pipe under them as well to get your 3o% bog size plus i believe it looks good.

 

[j.w]

@rogue909

 

[addy1]

Welcome to our group!

I turn my pond over about once every 1.5 to 2 hours. It does fine. I do not have koi. I do have a large bog, full of plants. It is my only filter. I do not clean my bog.Except to yank out excessive plants.

2.) I'd like to be able to remove the bog material in the future for cleaning. Are there any good methods for keeping the gravel media compartmentalized? I was thinking a milk crate kind of shape?

But I also do not draw water from the bottom of the pond. I pull the water about 1 foot from the bottom, this keeps a lot of solid debris out of the bog.


The bog takes very good care of the pond. I have over 100 fish, no real clue on how many.

6.) I plan on having a drain in the pond that feeds a below water line external pump. Is this a good idea?

I don't have a bottom drain, but my external pump is below water line. Never have a prime issue. It ended up this way due to building the pond on a slope.

 

[rogue909]

Addy,

I'm interested in your pond since it sounds like a similar bio load.

100 fish? I'm assuming goldfish?

How large is your pond? How large is your bog? What kind of pump? Where about (region) do you live?

 

[addy1]

Addy,

I'm interested in your pond since it sounds like a similar bio load.

100 fish? I'm assuming goldfish?

How large is your pond? How large is your bog? What kind of pump? Where about (region) do you live?

Mainly shubunkins and some goldfish, comets etc. I have not counted the fish, the crowd looks over the 100 mark. I have probably 30ish in the 1000 gallon stock tank, it gets a constant flow of water through it via a water fall in and a water fall out back to the big pond.

I don't feed the fish a lot, want them to eat up the eggs when they spawn, population control.

The bog is around 26ish feet long, 4.5 feet wide and deep, I dug it deeper than "normal" for a bog sort of got carried away with the tractor. Mine is around 2.5 feet deep. I have zero issues with the quality of the water in the pond. I quit testing years ago, it was always normal, always clear, fish healthy, plants healthy.


The pond is approx 9000 gallons maybe more maybe less. Deepest area is 5.5 feet, shallow end 1.5 feet.

There are also three fish less ponds in the loop, they get dirty water from the big pond, full of plants one is a 300 gallon stock tank planted with lotus. The fishless ponds do end up with fish, eggs, fry manage to survive the pump, the long ride down the garden hose and make it to the ponds.

My pump is a dragon lim. http://www.wlimproducts.com/dragonSeries.htm
I bought it in 2004 been using it ever since, first my AZ pond then my Maryland pond. Quiet and efficient. Mine is the 1/3 hp. A bit pricey but we never notice a huge increase in the electric bill when we get it back up and running in the spring. Can't complain about how long it has run. I just store it in a shed outside over winter, after draining any water out of it, just turn it upside down briefly.

I bought a "koi" pump, my AZ pond was over 14000 gallons. Just had goldfish in the pond though.

 

[rogue909]

Those are very good looking fish. This sounds like an impressivr pond. Do you have a layout drawn of your pond? Or an aerial picture?

 

[addy1]

Here are a few pictures, winter type that might make it easier to follow.

red is the flow from the pump into to 1000 gallon pond and the small loop ponds to the left.

green is the bog

Light blue the stream flow

yellow the flow into the bog from the pump.

purple the flow from the small ponds back into the big pond

gray bog flow back into the pond

this is summer