Building a bog filter using a 150 gallon water trough

[gtbguy]

I just recently purchased a 150 gallon water trough (approximately 5'(long)x3'(wide)x2'(high) from Tractor Supply. My current 2,000 gallon pond (12'x6'x4'(deep) has a prefilter (w/ bio balls and uv light) and a separate mechanical/bio filter. I also have about 10 koi fish at about 4" long. I'm thinking my water quality will greatly improve by adding a bog filter! I plan on using the pump that is currently being used as mechanical/bio filter for the new bog filter. The water trough is 24" high, I plan on using 18" of it with a combination of 3/4"-1" lava rock, round 1" river gravel and pea gravel. The plan would be to add the bottom 9" with lava rock, next the middle by adding 4 1/2" of 1" round river rock, and the top 4 1/2" with pea gravel. Do you all think this will work? Any better suggestions?

Once I'm done, I'll be adding bog plants not sure which ones yet.

 

[mrsclem]

Sounds like a good start. Those 10 4" koi are going to grow and thats where your problems will start. They could possibly be 20" or more in a year and then you will possibly have water issues. The bog will help. Keep your other filters if you plan on keeping all your koi and be aware that they will spawn!

 

[addy1]

Sounds great! Post some pictures of your build

 

[gtbguy]

For the sake of weight on the stock tank, I'm wondering if I skip using 1" gravel and lava rock instead. This way I'd have 3/4s of the way with lava rock and 1/4 with pea gravel? Lava rock is indeed less weight.

 

[mrsclem]

I have my 150 gallon stock tank filled partially with cut up plastic bread racks then lava rock, topped with pea gravel.

 

[addy1]

Lave rock works great, I had a filter, years and years ago that was just lava rock. It did well

 

[gtbguy]

My bog filter install is going well. Once I'm done I'll post some pics of the install. I'm concerned my pump size. Let me explain, I have two pumps, one is a 2,100 gph (only mechanical filter, 1" output) and connects to a pre-filter with UV, and then onto the water fall. The head is about 6'.

The second pump is a 1,200 gph, 3/4" output that does both mechanical and bio filtering, again 6' head. This second pump is the one I want to use for my bog filter. The idea was to re-position the pump closer to the end of the pond opposite the bog, I was reading this is the best location for a pump. Being that my pond is ~2,000 gallons, its going to take probably 3 hours to move all the water. Is this a real problem for a bog filter to work efficiently?

 

[addy1]

No you just need water running through it. My pump is around 6000 plus minus gph. My ponds = around 12000 plus minus gallons. My bog keeps the ponds in great shape. I have (not counting the deck ponds or stream ponds) 5 ponds on constant water flow filtered by the bog.