Recommendations for Bog

[TRex80]

Hello! I built a small waterfall using a 35 gallon storage container and untreated cedar boards.
I was going to add a filtering system as well as create filtering in the waterfall.
I have now found this great forum and hope I can just use gravel and plants In my waterfall!!
I already have plans to rebuild the pond portion for increased gallons but only to the 100 gallon range.
Are my waterfall troughs large enough to grow the bog plants? What is recommended?
Yes probably a pleco and goldfish. No koi. If there's a post/comment already existing, I apologize and will appreciate the redirect!

Thank you

 

[JRS]

Welcome! Very nice setup you have, looks like you designed the waterfall for plants.

Many of the smaller plants should work good. I have had good success with Bacopa monneri, often found in pet stores. From this forum I learned about cannas, smaller ones which I have in some pots no bigger than your troughs. Impatiens are another recommendation I learned here. With wet feet among rocks of my pond they add some nice color.

What kind of sun do you get?

 

[Faebinder]

So the water falls from above and does not come from below in the gravel? That kinda reduces the filter properties of the bog, no?

 

[mrsclem]

I had a similar setup with my window box planters. Spray bar from above and boxes drained out of the bottom. Got the plant advantage but no real filtration- until roots filled boxes! I had several window boxes split open.

 

[TRex80]

Welcome! Very nice setup you have, looks like you designed the waterfall for plants.

Many of the smaller plants should work good. I have had good success with Bacopa monneri, often found in pet stores. From this forum I learned about cannas, smaller ones which I have in some pots no bigger than your troughs. Impatiens are another recommendation I learned here. With wet feet among rocks of my pond they add some nice color.

What kind of sun do you get?

Thank you! My wife loves Canna Lillys. We have huge tall wall of them
It's shade 90% of the day. We live in Houston and it's crazy hot anyways but off the charts this year!

 

[TRex80]

So the water falls from above and does not come from below in the gravel? That kinda reduces the filter properties of the bog, no?

The water is pumped from the bottom 'pond' up to the top trough and sprayed gently from the PVC pipe. It flows through each trough, waterfalling I to the one below and ultimately back into the pond.

Is this what you were referring to?

 

[JRS]

The usual configuration for a bog is to have the water inflow pipe under the gravel. This allows the whole gravel bed and large surface area to serve as biological filter media as well as trapping sediment that will feed the plants. With your configuration the plants will be your primary filter removing nutrients from the water and sediment will be settling out on top of the gravel.

Besides the size of your troughs, sun may be the limiting factor in what you can grow. The Bacopa is very adaptable. Others have used hostas, perhaps a small variety? As the plants grow, make sure you have a clear path for the water flow. Some have had their bogs overflow when the plants impeded the the flow too much.

 

[TRex80]

The usual configuration for a bog is to have the water inflow pipe under the gravel. This allows the whole gravel bed and large surface area to serve as biological filter media as well as trapping sediment that will feed the plants. With your configuration the plants will be your primary filter removing nutrients from the water and sediment will be settling out on top of the gravel.

Besides the size of your troughs, sun may be the limiting factor in what you can grow. The Bacopa is very adaptable. Others have used hostas, perhaps a small variety? As the plants grow, make sure you have a clear path for the water flow. Some have had their bogs overflow when the plants impeded the the flow too much.

Thank you! I’m definitely going to try a variety!
I didn’t realize that’s how bogs worked but it makes sense. Like the old under-gravel filter in my aquariums. Still the best in my opinion.

 

[GBBUDD]

Your build looks great Looks like a small fortune in cedar at least it is for my area.

You have taken the design of two effective filters a bakki shower and a bog. but the key elements of those is where you stoped.

As mentioned a bog the idea is to pump the water to the bottom of the gravel area so that the water is forced up through the gravel thus a large amount of surface area. Where your only spraying across the top your limiting how efficient it will be.

The bakki shower usually has three or four sections as you built and that has the water coming in from the top but it drains through it's media whether it bio balls to lava rock or ceramic cylinders. The idea there is to provide as much oxygen as possible to the bacteria growing on the media while water is trickled over it.
One way to get more out of your system might be to drill some holes from the lower level into the upper level allowing the water to drain down through the gravel. eventually this will clog and will need constant clearing. Maybe cut a slot across the bottom of the vertical wall and install some 1/4" mesh so the water drains through the gravel into the lower section ?