My Bog Filter Build

Joined
Apr 8, 2013
Messages
191
Reaction score
58
Location
South Jersey
Hardiness Zone
7b
Thanks to Addy1, I've got my plants all planted. She gave me lots of great stuff, just don't really know which is what or really what they'll look like grown out. Now it'll give me something new to watch grow.

It may not look like it from the photo below, but there's a lot in there. I added a couple atrium grates to keep the larger debris from clogging the outlets. I've got the tops just below the container lip, so it just keep rising up the grates, giving me time to clean them.

 

addy1

water gardener / gold fish and shubunkins
Moderator
Joined
Jun 23, 2010
Messages
44,340
Reaction score
29,092
Location
Frederick, Maryland
Showcase(s):
1
Hardiness Zone
6b
Country
United States
That looks great! Take a look at the post I made for shipping, most are pictured there as what they looked like when I shipped them. But it will be fun to have the surprise of growth. The obedience and marsh betomy have to the back they both get tall.
 

brandonsdad02

They call me Ryan
Joined
Sep 15, 2011
Messages
863
Reaction score
423
Location
Indianola Iowa zone 5a-5b
I had gotten some Marsh betomy from a friend here locally and it was rather invasive.. I ended up getting rid of it because it was forcing water out of the waterfall and into the ground. Your bog will do great the first year. You did a great job with that!!
 

fishin4cars

True friends just call me Larkin
Joined
Mar 23, 2011
Messages
5,195
Reaction score
1,599
Location
Hammond LA USA
Hardiness Zone
8a
Great build and Thank you for the sequence of photo's to explain each step. I love his DIY project. Has it improved the water clarity any yet? How do you plan on back flushing the lines when needed?
 
Joined
Apr 8, 2013
Messages
191
Reaction score
58
Location
South Jersey
Hardiness Zone
7b
Great build and Thank you for the sequence of photo's to explain each step. I love his DIY project. Has it improved the water clarity any yet? How do you plan on back flushing the lines when needed?

Thank you. Haven't had a chance to get any more stone or rocks, so it still looks the same.

No improvement on clarity yet. I imagine I'd have to wait until the plants really start growing. I don't really see much growth yet.

As for flushing, If I unscrew the clean-up the water blows out there. I figure that will help to remove any larger objects. If I do need to flush in the opposite direction, I'll just pull the reducer bushing (didn't glue) off the inlet side and put on the clean out to force it backwards.
 
Joined
Apr 8, 2013
Messages
191
Reaction score
58
Location
South Jersey
Hardiness Zone
7b
I had gotten some Marsh betomy from a friend here locally and it was rather invasive.. I ended up getting rid of it because it was forcing water out of the waterfall and into the ground. Your bog will do great the first year. You did a great job with that!!

Thanks. I'm hoping that I'll be able to see the bottom this summer once the plants get a growing.
 

brandonsdad02

They call me Ryan
Joined
Sep 15, 2011
Messages
863
Reaction score
423
Location
Indianola Iowa zone 5a-5b
If you can, try using a basket of some sort with some quilt batting in it. It will help with clearing things up. As for the plants. You may not see too much growth at first. They have to form new roots, but once they do....look out.
 
Joined
Apr 8, 2013
Messages
191
Reaction score
58
Location
South Jersey
Hardiness Zone
7b
Update: My pond has gotten pretty green, same as last year. I might be able to see down maybe 6". Good news, several of the bog plants have started to grow. I don't have a full shot of it, but here's how it's looked for several weeks now. This photo is when I first started running water through the bog, without gravel or plants.



We had a lot of rain yesterday and when I went out this morning, I can now see down pretty far. The water looks clearer than it's been in a long time. Maybe the filter's staring to kick in. Here's what it looked like.

 

addy1

water gardener / gold fish and shubunkins
Moderator
Joined
Jun 23, 2010
Messages
44,340
Reaction score
29,092
Location
Frederick, Maryland
Showcase(s):
1
Hardiness Zone
6b
Country
United States
I just let mine freeze, but it is a liner and in the ground. The freezing does not damage the plants, the main issue would be the container.
 
Joined
Apr 8, 2013
Messages
191
Reaction score
58
Location
South Jersey
Hardiness Zone
7b
I like your project.
How do you protect the bog from freezing damage in the winter?

I'll have to let you know next year. I'm hoping that opening up both ends of the pipe and that it's only 12" deep keeps it from breaking. I spoke with Rubbermaid and it's supposed to handle the winter weather (of course without gravel). So only time will tell.
 

herzausstahl

herzausstahl
Joined
Jul 2, 2011
Messages
790
Reaction score
363
Location
Northeast Wisconsin Zone 4a/5b
Hardiness Zone
4a
I like your project.
How do you protect the bog from freezing damage in the winter?
He's using a live stock tank so it should be tough enough to stand up to the cold, plus it's open on top for the freezing water to have a place to expand too. As for the seals he created, no idea on those. Don't know if you will have to recaulk those in the future.
 
Joined
Apr 8, 2013
Messages
191
Reaction score
58
Location
South Jersey
Hardiness Zone
7b
All the sudden the pond cleared up and it's been crystal clear for about two weeks now. Not sure where all the gravel on the bottom came from. But, glad I can now see it. I have to assume it was the bog that's making it this clear, it was never like this last year with the submersible filter. Here's some photos of it:
Looking from the side, across the bog:


Looking at the right side, can even see the pump on the bottom, that's about 2 - 2.5' down:
 

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

Members online

Forum statistics

Threads
30,783
Messages
508,597
Members
13,043
Latest member
cisifom

Latest Threads

Top