Pea gravel bog vs aquascapes system

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I have decided to partition an 8x10 section of my above ground project into a wetland. It will not break surface of pond. I am trying to decide wether it is worth the effort of the full aquascape system or pipe manifold gravel set up. It will be 18” deep from top of media to bottom. Surface area is 30% of pond. Aeration will be had by othe means. Intake will be something in between a skimmer and a intake bay, either way, from surface and pre filtered large solids.
Thoughts?

And I have seen this debated, but for those who have both or either , do you find the added clean out ability useful?
 

Jhn

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You don’t have the depth for the full blown Aquascape system unless you are skipping the aqua blocks. Many have the pea gravel/manifold style bog and have had them for many years without issues.

I have 2 of the Aquascape style bogs one is around 5 years old and the other around 2, and have had not needed to clean it out yet, Also on another pond have an external pea gravel bog ina Rubbermaid tub that does fine, with just the clean out stack. It is about 7 years old.
 
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The deciding factor to me in determining which bog to build is by answering a couple questions.
Are you going to have koi? goldfish? tropicals ? if koi i recommend the aquablocks as koi get real big and even when they are small the eat a lot and poop even more. Not that the pea stone can't do the job, its that the more and the better the filtration the GREATER THE ODDS OF SUCCESS

Are you ok with ten fish in the pond or do you like the idea of all kinds of color swimming around? Again if the answer is lots of fish and color then the aquablocks is my suggestion.

like @Jhn I have two bogs but one of each as the pea stone bog is a backup it runs 24/7 but I had to rebuild the main bog only because the original water fall was less than a foot and it was lacking pizzazz and i did bump up the gravel to about 30" I HAVE NOT HAD TO CLEAN EITHER of them but the aquablocks do more than just be an area for clean out.

Any heavy solids that get pumped down there will settle out of the water and drop to the bottom of the blocks this does keep the gravel from getting clogged or blocked up and in the settling area the this acts as a cave that's protected from predator's and allows bacteria, microbes, and insects a home with a smorgasbord dinner table. The water is then disbursed and lifts into the stone cleaner than how it entered and all we have done is taken away water flow and pressure. you don't get that with the pea stone.

also the longer the water is underground the cooler it can get which is great for summer temps'

So is it worth the extra cost? to me yes. can you do without it ? yes

Most here will also suggest what ever your filter is rated for to take away about a 1/3 and that's the real number the filter can effectively maintain.

a cistern is a way to go green with the pond by collecting rain water. food for thought.
 
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Ok. I thought of the depth issue with aquablocks after I asked. That rules that out.
Thanks for making that easy.
 
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And thanks for the comparison on both systems same pond perspective. Btw all my water is rain water. I have a 15000 gallon tank.
 
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Like @lisa said when you have a tight confined space one way to increase the fish population and also the easier it is with the more volume you have. Is to dig a bit deeper so the matrix bog by going deeper increase water volume and bacterial surface area. Again with the over sizing for better results. If the 15000 is your personal collection. Then I may still entertain a cistern but you know your water intake better than I
 

addy1

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I have the pea gravel only type bog, 2.5 feet deep or so. I have not cleaned it , except pulling out excess plants in 12 years. Still working great.
 
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Thanks everyone for the insight.
Now for my waterfall, that will be on a timer/or on demand, I am thinking about using a sand and gravel filter that will pull from the bottom. It will be nice to have redundancy in filter/pumps. Question is that do you see any harm in having something like that run on and off? I like the idea of it gathering filth and being able to clean opposed yo just having straight pump to falls.
 
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Sand filters are out they clog way to fast in a natural pond setting. A bead filter is in the same lines but you can backwash effectively. And they do a great job.
Now for the bad news no you don't want to shut any pump down that's running a filter of such. The bacteria will choke out from lack of oxygen and the water will stagnate. Aquascapes and others has multi speed pumps so you can tone down energy consumption.
A third choice would be a sieve or a drum filter those can be shut down . Neither have to have a biological area though the drum filter could be problematic as the gaskets dry out and get wet all the time.
 
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Hmm. That jives.

Well from underneath the falls there is going to be a 24/7 airlift moving oxygenated water , it will look like a cave under falls. Maybe I could run the flow on feed side through barrels with a light media in them like k1 or floss. Then at least I would have a secondary filter running. I would use two barrels and one would be settlement.

Or not. I just am itching to have redundancy as I had a pump fail on my pool pond years ago and almost all died. I guess just the airlift pulling from bottom would suffice to keep things alive.

Being that I have this cove in my above ground wall for the waterfall I have the space to place a couple barrels under the the rock. Meh. But they won’t be very accessible after it’s all done. Hmm. I think I’m over complicating it….. above ground pond where I want all hidden and within the walls makes it a little tricky. Especially after you lack the ability to stick to original plan.

Tempting to gust build a shed and hide a filter room. But I guess I just like the idea of a bunch of shit to tinker with. That’s what happens when a mechanic plays with fish.
 
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I hear year this is a builder talking
 

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