Pond Filter system advise Please

[poconojoe]

Fantastic! Those plants look nice!

 

[poconojoe]

My bog has been running 6 days now and I can just about see the bottom at approximately 3 feet. It was pea soup before the bog. Like I said, every day it gets clearer and the plants are not even established yet. I'm amazed so far.

 

[mrsclem]

I did a big water change out on this pond. Water was really bad and hadn't seen fish in months. Fines filter set up, 150 gallon bog now fully growing and have plants in my 4 window box bogs. I can see the bottom 4 1/2 feet down!

 

[Bluerooster]

My bog is a tad small, but it works well. I made it out of a plastic 55 gallon barrel split longways. I've had clear water since, with very few issues. I'll be adding size to the bog, because as I mentioned above, it's a bit small for my pond. But it works.

 

[addy1]

it's a bit small for my pond. But it works.

That is what counts! Great water clear up!

 

[malibu73]

With a bog, you pump the water from your pond into PVC pipes covered with 12" of pea gravel. The PVC pipes have slits cut in them every inch or so to evenly distribute the water throughout the bog. You grow plants directly in the gravel without any pots. The solids get filtered by the gravel and the plants feed on the excess nutrients in the water that rises up. You have a low point in the bog wall feeding the water back to the pond. The results are clear pond water and no commercial filters or UV lights are needed. No rinsing of filter pads or backwashing filters. Almost zero maintenance. If your pond is small, you can build a bog out of a stock tank or build a wooden box with a liner in it.
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I had totally green water and couldn't see my fish unless they came to the surface.
The bog has been running for three days and now I can see the fish about a foot down. Every day it gets better.

What size is your pond? What made you choose this bog design over the Aquascape one?

 

[poconojoe]

I've seen two different types of bogs large bogs


What size is your pond? What made you choose this bog design over the Aquascape one?

Aquascape, that's the one with the snorkel, right?
My pond is approximately 1600 gallons. I built the add-on bog a bit more than 30% of the pond's surface area.
It's been running about two months now and the water has been amazingly clear. This is my second pond and is about 10 + years old. The water has never, ever been this clear. I've tried homemade filters, ran two pressure filters simultaneously, UV lights, quilt batting, charcoal, barley straw, barley extract, pond bombs, etc, etc. and never had water this clear. Not even close. Last year my water was pea soup green all Summer. My fish load is definitely high. I wish they would stop reproducing!
I chose this design from reading addy1's bog showcase and have also done research on the web. Nelson water garden website has a good write-up and is pretty much what addy showcased.
The snorkel is crazy expensive and PVC pipe is crazy cheap.
Everyone on these forums using this design praises it.
Some web articles shun bog filters, saying they clog up and become a filthy pile of muck. But there are people here who have been running their bog for over 10 years without having to clean them out. I tend to trust and believe the people here.

 

[malibu73]

Aquascape, that's the one with the snorkel, right?
My pond is approximately 1600 gallons. I built the add-on bog a bit more than 30% of the pond's surface area.
It's been running about two months now and the water has been amazingly clear. This is my second pond and is about 10 + years old. The water has never, ever been this clear. I've tried homemade filters, ran two pressure filters simultaneously, UV lights, quilt batting, charcoal, barley straw, barley extract, pond bombs, etc, etc. and never had water this clear. Not even close. Last year my water was pea soup green all Summer. My fish load is definitely high. I wish they would stop reproducing!
I chose this design from reading addy1's bog showcase and have also done research on the web. Nelson water garden website has a good write-up and is pretty much what addy showcased.
The snorkel is crazy expensive and PVC pipe is crazy cheap.
Everyone on these forums using this design praises it.
Some web articles shun bog filters, saying they clog up and become a filthy pile of muck. But there are people here who have been running their bog for over 10 years without having to clean them out. I tend to trust and believe the people here.

Thanks for the response. I found this article on a design similar to the snorkel/aquascape design made out double wall drain pipe.
and was planing on following it, but then came across the Nelson water garden guide and started second guessing everything. ha


I'm turning an old pool into a pond and estimating about 3000-4000 gallons. I have a section set aside 20-30% for the bog filter. I like the idea of the 12" deep design. The PVC will be cheaper and I will save a lot on rock as well, BUT....I already have the depth dug, and the drain pipe isn't that much more than the PVC. I'm trying to weigh the pros and cons to both systems.

 

[poconojoe]

When you are planning how deep to dig, you'll want to play it safe and have the bog walls a bit higher than the gravel. You'll want your walls maybe 6" above the top of the gravel. I built mine even higher, maybe 14+". I guess I was a bit paranoid!
I remember reading that one member here had 4" above the gravel and that became a problem when things started to expand. The plant roots grew and lifted the gravel.
To cover the exposed liner above the gravel, I stacked rocks on the gravel, up and over the walls.