Can storms overwhelm a bog filter?

Joined
Mar 11, 2023
Messages
376
Reaction score
127
Hardiness Zone
7A
Had quite heavy rain yesterday and the day before, and now my pond's cloudy, a foul smell comes from the bog, fish are all at the surface (seemingly gasping), not looking too well. Wondering how can this happen?

My pond is under a cherry tree, but I do scoop the leaves every day. Now I'm wondering if rain/wind brought a lot of debris and dust to my pond cause I certainly don't understand how.
The last time I had this happen was with a failed bog design I hadn't used pea gravel and there werent many slits on the pipes, that was a while ago though and since I've rebuilt and have many many slits and pea gravel.

This is odd, unless my pond's nutrients were already tipping over the filtration system.
I will say I had many heavy rains in winter and beginning of spring, and never had the issue, water was always crystal clear (although I do find that cloudy water can be normal, the smell I dont imagine is).

Wondering if it's just because in summer there is much more activity. Anyway, I gotta buy some tests and check.
 

j.w

I Love my Goldies
Joined
Feb 1, 2010
Messages
34,312
Reaction score
21,133
Location
Arlington, Washington
Showcase(s):
1
Hardiness Zone
USDA 8a
Country
United States
Had quite heavy rain yesterday and the day before, and now my pond's cloudy, a foul smell comes from the bog, fish are all at the surface (seemingly gasping), not looking too well. Wondering how can this happen?

My pond is under a cherry tree, but I do scoop the leaves every day. Now I'm wondering if rain/wind brought a lot of debris and dust to my pond cause I certainly don't understand how.
The last time I had this happen was with a failed bog design I hadn't used pea gravel and there werent many slits on the pipes, that was a while ago though and since I've rebuilt and have many many slits and pea gravel.

This is odd, unless my pond's nutrients were already tipping over the filtration system.
I will say I had many heavy rains in winter and beginning of spring, and never had the issue, water was always crystal clear (although I do find that cloudy water can be normal, the smell I dont imagine is).

Wondering if it's just because in summer there is much more activity. Anyway, I gotta buy some tests and check.
Maybe the rain has really changed your ph or ? I would test the water w/liquid testing, not the paper strip ones.
 
Joined
Dec 16, 2017
Messages
15,478
Reaction score
12,214
Location
Ct
Showcase(s):
1
Hardiness Zone
6b
Country
United States
Had quite heavy rain yesterday and the day before, and now my pond's cloudy, a foul smell comes from the bog, fish are all at the surface (seemingly gasping), not looking too well. Wondering how can this happen?

My pond is under a cherry tree, but I do scoop the leaves every day. Now I'm wondering if rain/wind brought a lot of debris and dust to my pond cause I certainly don't understand how.
The last time I had this happen was with a failed bog design I hadn't used pea gravel and there werent many slits on the pipes, that was a while ago though and since I've rebuilt and have many many slits and pea gravel.

This is odd, unless my pond's nutrients were already tipping over the filtration system.
I will say I had many heavy rains in winter and beginning of spring, and never had the issue, water was always crystal clear (although I do find that cloudy water can be normal, the smell I dont imagine is).

Wondering if it's just because in summer there is much more activity. Anyway, I gotta buy some tests and check.
If run off from your lawn or just what's around the pond can leach into it that explains cloudy water.

Bogs suck up oxygen if you don't have air running in your pond you should get it going yesterday.
I will run air down my snorkel in the winter. Keep it from getting stagnant
 

addy1

water gardener / gold fish and shubunkins
Moderator
Joined
Jun 23, 2010
Messages
45,321
Reaction score
30,461
Location
Frederick, Maryland
Showcase(s):
1
Hardiness Zone
6b
Country
United States
We have had massive storms. No issue with the bog.
Mine is big. No koi
 
Joined
Mar 11, 2023
Messages
376
Reaction score
127
Hardiness Zone
7A
Maybe the rain has really changed your ph or ? I would test the water w/liquid testing, not the paper strip ones.
It is quite bad, smells like sewage like last year when I had a crazy hail storm. I have just removed 1/4 of the water, and it's still cloudy. Must be a lot of sediment and debris and then it found its way to the filter at the bottom. It is one thing I read somewhere to be an issue but I haven't had it up until this point.

I do have those pipes that stick out at the other end of the bog which the purpose of was for cleaning out. But I figure the issue is both on ends now, the pond has a lot of this sediment and the bog has it as well and it is choking them out.
 

mrsclem

mrsclem
Joined
Jul 21, 2008
Messages
5,576
Reaction score
5,102
Location
st. mary's county, md.
Hardiness Zone
7A
Country
United States
I would open up those pipes and flush your bog out. Make sure pump feeding bog is up off the bottom of your pond so you are not pumping sediment into the bog. We lost 3/4 of our koi one year because we restarted our bog without pumping out the 500 gall holding area below it. It was full of rotted leaves and muck. Hydrogen sulfide smell was the clue.
 
Joined
Oct 4, 2019
Messages
1,550
Reaction score
1,249
Location
Winchester, VA
Hardiness Zone
6b
Country
United States
Heavy rain can drop the pH and KH. I second everyone's advice. Check the water, add air, flush out the big and asap.
 
Joined
Dec 16, 2017
Messages
15,478
Reaction score
12,214
Location
Ct
Showcase(s):
1
Hardiness Zone
6b
Country
United States
It is quite bad, smells like sewage like last year when I had a crazy hail storm. I have just removed 1/4 of the water, and it's still cloudy. Must be a lot of sediment and debris and then it found its way to the filter at the bottom. It is one thing I read somewhere to be an issue but I haven't had it up until this point.

I do have those pipes that stick out at the other end of the bog which the purpose of was for cleaning out. But I figure the issue is both on ends now, the pond has a lot of this sediment and the bog has it as well and it is choking them out.
The only way storms are a source of cloudy water is if you have water from the ground making it's way into your pond. And if that's the case then your wasting all efforts untill you get that stopped.

Yes storm water / rain can seriously effect your ph and make it crash and when your ph drops below a 6 now you are in trouble as not only can't your fish survive but your bacteria is dieing as well and when it is not flourishing you get stinky water as you call it. It's more scientificly called hydrogen sulfide which is very lethal to all life.
 
Joined
Mar 11, 2023
Messages
376
Reaction score
127
Hardiness Zone
7A
I am not sure what's happening. I finished a full water change just 30-40 mins ago, so if it doesn't clear up and stinks then bog's screwed up somehow. I saw a lot of sediment, small particles just floating, a lot of just leaf debris, but I don't know if that would necessarily crash the system, it is muck and it's quite awful but is it enough? It was more like a swamp though than a pond cause it was very dirty water.
 
Joined
Dec 16, 2017
Messages
15,478
Reaction score
12,214
Location
Ct
Showcase(s):
1
Hardiness Zone
6b
Country
United States
Please stop trying to describe, and try to include some photos.
 
Joined
Mar 11, 2023
Messages
376
Reaction score
127
Hardiness Zone
7A
Okay so the water change from yesterday seems to have fixed the issue at least for the time being. I don't know what happened but clearly the filter isn't the issue. I am not sure what could crash the pond so badly, but it seems like it's just a lot of debris and sediment and maybe the storm tipped the system over, I removed quite a lot of muck yesterday when I got in there after emptying it.

Smell's gone as well and water coming from the bog is clean. Now about air pumps, I've read some posts and some say it's not necessary, but then you say it is.

I assume the problem partially is from the fact that it's under a cherry tree, I've got no skimmer and a lot of leaves/cherrys just goes unnoticed and sinks.
 

Ask a Question

Want to reply to this thread or ask your own question?

You'll need to choose a username for the site, which only take a couple of moments. After that, you can post your question and our members will help you out.

Ask a Question

Staff online

Members online

Forum statistics

Threads
31,881
Messages
524,082
Members
14,231
Latest member
tassimo-machine-bosch0237

Latest Threads

Top