Question about bog filters

[Bluerooster]

I assume we all feed our bogs from the bottom, allowing the water to flow out the top. (at least that's how I set mine up) I've been planning an "organic" swimming pond, and in my research I've found that the bog is unilaterally fed from above, and returned from below in these swimmin' holes. Is there a reason for the difference? And I assume it would work just as well in our fish ponds and water gardens. The Basics are the same. Just the flow is backwards.

 

[GBBUDD]

I have seen where they set up and one of the examples is the Ohio fish rescue. they took a 12 foot deep pond and set the bottom up with aquablox and then covered it with gravel the 2 to 3 then stepped down to 3/4 and or 3/8 . his water always looks great. but the other rec ponds they placed flag stone or similar over the gravel to get a little force/ current from the system into the pond . the idea is too keep the bottom cleaner. I'm not a big fan of this idea due to waste / Leaves .dirts waste you name it wants to sink. and the amount of water needed to get any kind of a current going would be A LOT. I am a fan of trying to work with mother nature not against. the pool is a great idea because it was indoors the beneficial bacteria in the stone at the bottom and the aquablox did the job. but again its indoors.

 

[IPA]

I think the David Pagan Butler swim pond design works that way but is also not designed to keep fish. If I remember he uses an air pump to turn the water volume over only once per day whereas in the fish bog pond it’s turned over several times a day to even as much as twice an hour. The swim pond doesn’t have to deal with the ammonia and particulate waste that comes from fish.
There were a few discussions here about reversing the flow in the bog and I think the number one complaint was the top layer of gravel clogged up with waste and algae growth forming channels, needing constant cleaning, and just was not efficient.

 

[GBBUDD]

There was one brit its probably one and the same who made the air difyser tubes they do work well but are limited in what they can do. not if you have patience of a Saint it might be your cut of tea i push 12000 gph and have the centipede snorkel aquablocks and 3/8 pea stone and 2 inch bog as well and it took nearly 2 full years for the pond to get fully cycled where the e0 odd fish and the ponds bacterIa caught up to one another.
But back to the brit I saw where two of his ponds had major issues not sure where he stands today. by the way I still have two of the airport jets I could sell if anyone is crazed about that system

 

[Lisak1]

There were a few discussions here about reversing the flow in the bog and I think the number one complaint was the top layer of gravel clogged up with waste and algae growth forming channels,

Exactly. We have what is essentially a down flow bog at our negative edge and I can tell you it needs maintenance on a regular basis. And we don't have plants growing in most of ours, so it's easy to stir up the gravel and rake out the debris. I can't imagine if it was a fully planted bog.

 

[GBBUDD]

I just installed a negative edge to my pond . but I limited the flow from the pond to the negative edge . My skimmer works great and collects everything that falls in the original pond a counter clockwise flow where the water flowing into the pond angles to one side of the pond and pushes right past the opening to the expansion with the negative edge . then the return jets help to push the circulation throughout the pond . We call the expassion the DEAD POOL . There the water over flows the negative edge but I have it landing into a catch pond. the idea is to have similar to an old fashion rake where one rake will be off the bottom by 6 inches or so . That way when the rake catches heavy debris water flows under where it finds another rake this one 6 inch shy from the surface. and anything that gets by there will end up going down Sh_ts Creek . to the cistern.

 

[addy1]

One of my first bogs was a down flow, never again, a constant challenge to keep the surface clean so the water would not overflow and out the pond. It was a very small first pond I build in AZ.

 

[Bluerooster]

I guess I'll go with the up flow then. Just as the bog in my fish pond is. Good excuse to add a waterfall return to it as well.