New pond owner bog controversy and questions.. please help

[Jhn]

What about this pump? Handles up to 1/8 inch solids and can pump 25' high and won't break the bank. https://www.amazon.com/Superior-Pum...ld=1&keywords=sump+pump&qid=1588293059&sr=8-5

Never used that pump before but I would give it a shot, especially since it’s cheap. It’s not really pumping solids anyhow just the fine silty build up, at least that is what it should be doing if the bog is setup correctly, which is questionable.

 

[GBBUDD]

Ok i am going to play devils advocate here. My questions are

1. WHY does his bogs not have plants

2. Why does he have so much sludge build up in the bog why didn;t the bog absorb the sludge below in the gravel

3. He's doing something right as the water looks to be clear and it's not over run with algae.

4. i don't see the usual gravel for a bog yes he may have some nice mix of rocks to make it look more natural but where is the pea stone.

5. 97 gph thats not even a fish tank water rate. and the water running out from the bog look like it's at least 3 to 6ooo gph

6. I'm just remembering my planted tank and eveyone saying what i was doing would not work that it had to be done this way . yet it did work and they couldn't explain it so i'm trying to rationalize what he has done . I'm nt going to even comment on the must hire me stuff.

7. if you want to try and clean up the sludge with shop vac are you planning on draining down to the sludge ?

8 That pump you pointed out is good for clean out of pipe yes . a good choice discharge off the top straight up and i imagine it will fit in your bog pipes

9. cleaning out the muck in the bogs won't hurt so long as some is left for seeding the bog. but using a shop vac will require draining the bog down and i would use the narrowest knozzel you have

10. when you bought the house was the muck in the bogs ?

11. the pumps what are they and what size? what is there gph

12. i wouldn't do much until you get a good handle on what has worked in the past if the water is clear and algae is under control why fix whats not broke

13. is there a skimer>?

14. is there a main drain

15. If you know others who have one of his builds have you tried talking to them and what they do ?

While i whole heartedly agree adding plants to the bog couldn't do any harm if the correct plants are used it loooks like the water in the bog is? 2 to 3 feet deep ? is there 3/8" stone in that bog?

 

[Hertel11]

5. 97 gph thats not even a fish tank water rate. and the water running out from the bog look like it's at least 3 to 6ooo gph

7. if you want to try and clean up the sludge with shop vac are you planning on draining down to the sludge ?

8 That pump you pointed out is good for clean out of pipe yes . a good choice discharge off the top straight up and i imagine it will fit in your bog pipes

9. cleaning out the muck in the bogs won't hurt so long as some is left for seeding the bog. but using a shop vac will require draining the bog down and i would use the narrowest knozzel you have

10. when you bought the house was the muck in the bogs ?

13. is there a skimer>?

14. is there a main drain

While i whole heartedly agree adding plants to the bog couldn't do any harm if the correct plants are used it loooks like the water in the bog is? 2 to 3 feet deep ? is there 3/8" stone in that bog?

5. 97 GPM so yeah close to 6000 GPH

7. Plan to turn off pump and it drains down to sludge on its own at that point

10. About the same amount I would say. (I know only because my dog went in it and was a mucky mess)

13. Yes, 2. One before each pump.

14. No, I don't believe so.

The bog is more like 6 to 8 inches deep certainly not over a foot. Mostly just the larger river rock from what I've seen but I haven't dug down real far


And, yeah, as far as I could tell we didn't/don't have a problem. The water is clear, no excess algae, bogs don't have noticeable odor. There is a layer of muck in them but really not a big deal to me if its not gonna effect anything else. We're only thinking we have a problem now basically because this guy is being so persistent. "It is important the bogs get cleaned and I feel I have a vested interest in making sure that happens" he said.

 

[GBBUDD]

With the covid BS he may just be starving for some business

 

[GBBUDD]

If the dog can't even go in without coming out all covered in muck and looking at the sediment on the top of the bog i would say he didn't do a damn thing to the pond it has run it's self. TOOOO much of a good thing can be bad sooner or latter you will probably need a pond vac i would clean the surface of the bogs but only the heavy stuff and that goes for the pond it's self as well. from the size and the descriptions you couldn't get it all e=at once even if you wanted to . but lessening the amount of muck shouldn't hurt any balance

 

[mrsclem]

To me it looks like these are more like settlement tanks as opposed to bogs. That would explain the muck buildup.

 

[addy1]

But they could be made into nice bogs! The pond looks too sterile to me, but I love my plants

 

[Hertel11]

To me it looks like these are more like settlement tanks as opposed to bogs. That would explain the muck buildup.

So, even if they are settling basins I still clean them the same way right? Pump out the snorkels? The snorkel access is basically just L shaped leading to the "centipede" and does not have a cone shaped bottom or drain at the bottom.

But they could be made into nice bogs! The pond looks too sterile to me, but I love my plants

I intend to add Swamp Milkweed, Fox Sedge, Cup Plant, and maybe something else like Hollow Joe Pye... Seem reasonable?

 

[addy1]

I am not sure if swamp milkweed and joe pye will live with feet wet all the time. I have both growing out of my bog.

I do have plants in the bog that are feet wet, some of the same are on mounds of pea gravel, wet but not under water and they all do fine. I have not seen milkweed or joe pye start up in the bog and I have plenty of seeds flying around.

Sedges do fine, I don't know of fox sedge. I have the pitcher plants, cup plants in a dirt bog, I had one in the pond bog it died. I think it was too wet too long, they like wet dry wet dry cycles.

 

[sissy]

So no fish ?What did he do with the fish

 

[Hertel11]

So no fish ?What did he do with the fish

There are a dozen koi about 12 inches long each and plenty of smaller ones swimming around

 

[sissy]

I am surprised he left you have the fish and did not sell them .After all that has gone on .But I agree with others ,do not power wash a pond ,there is a reason it is called good muck .Fish love to eat it also .For a guy who builds ponds he did a good job and then why neglect it .I have seen people put holes in liners power washing .My neighbor has to broken windows as of yesterday because her hubby bought a power washer .He said he knew what he was doing ,windows say it all

 

[Lisak1]

OK - so if the "muck" you're talking about is what we can see from the photos on the top of the bog, I'd get in there with some rubber boots and stir it up good. My bog gets a layer of sediment on it every spring. I just stir it up and let it flow into the pond.

Let's see how deep that "muck" really goes before you get into pumping anything out.

Then I would consider adding some gravel to the top of the bog to lower the water level - most bog plants won't want to grow in water that deep. Plus it's easier to plant in smaller gravel. Even if you just add some gravel to a few areas to raise them up you'll have better luck getting plants to grow.

 

[addy1]

I get the muck all of the time, more in the spring less as the summer goes by and the plants grow. I used to worry about it, don't anymore. When I work in the bog some of the muck flows back into the pond, it clears up within 24 hours

 

[j.w]

@Hertel11
I've never seen a bog w/o plants before. I don't have a bog but lots here do and sounds like you are getting some good advice. That previous owner needs to go away and leave you alone.