New Bog Filter Experiment

[Stephen T.]

Now that things are thawed and the weather is better, I'm finally back to working on my ponds/stream I wasn't happy with the top small pond, so replaced it with a bog filter. It's about 3'x4'x16" and I got 1/2 yard of pea gravel to fill it. I ended up a couple inches short, so there was only about an inch above the water level. Rather than buy more (70 mile round trip) and also because I don't like the look of raw pea gravel, I tried something else.

I put down a heavy weed barrier and cut many slots in it, then added 2" of coco coir (coconut husk stuff). I'll probably lose more to evaporation this way, but I like the way it looks better. Hopefully, I'll be planting it with local bog plants shortly.

The wire in the photo is direct burial speaker wire. I'm putting in several rock looking outdoor speakers so I can add to the rapids/waterfall sounds along with other ambient forest/stream side sounds. There may be additional birds singing randomly, a chorus of frogs, maybe a steam train going by in the distance, who knows? Of course there may also be music playing now and then also.

There will be a rock wall around the backside that will hide the plumbing. The 2nd pipe, the 3/4" stuff comes from my skimmer and will feed a small stream or streams coming down the rock face.

The birds, especially the robins and juncos are liking the finished portion of the stream bed!

Steve

 

[addy1]

Nice picture Steve ^^

 

[RobAmy]

Looking good, you may have trouble with the coco coir leeching tannins. If I recall it breaks down in the sun. I never used it so I could be wrong. The robin looks happy

 

[Stephen T.]

I hadn't thought about tannin, we shall see. I wouldn't think it would be a problem for most pond creatures. I'm less interested in fish than in all the various other things that live in and around wetlands and streams. I did put 10 feeder goldfish in for mosquito larvae control.

No doubt lots of various insects will be carried in on plants I collect. In my last pond build, out on the coast, I got some gravel from the stream through the property and a couple years later, cleaned the pond bottom. Imagine my surprise when there was a slippery, wriggling 9" lamprey eel larvae in there! I've also found dragonfly larvae, neat creatures but they will certainly eat small fish!

The reason the robin is so happy is that it has the best spot to itself. Often there are 4-5 there all arguing about the spot, which is really only large enough for 1 bather at a time.

 

[sissy]

coconut fiber is used to keep water clean in the salmon farm they have here ,so you may not have any problems with it .I went to the farm last year with my sister to see how they harvest the eggs and it was really interesting .They filter the water through it and there was plants growing in it .It is just a small farm but they plan on going bigger in the future .They explained the whole filter system to us .

 

[Tula]

Love the picture of the bathing robin

 

[Mmathis]

HA, HA on me! What robin.....I thought that was a picture of a rock! I had to do a triple-take before I saw it!

Is that duct tape wrapped around the PVC?

 

[Stephen T.]

Duct Tape? Yikes, no it's a gray pvc to flex hose adapter with a hose clamp at each end and a short section of flex to make the connection easier.

 

[Mmathis]

Duct Tape? Yikes, no it's a gray pvc to flex hose adapter with a hose clamp at each end and a short section of flex to make the connection easier.

Just making sure!