Small pond redesign help

[MountainBound]

First, please excuse the pergola and mess as that's still under construction. Have a few cosmetic things to finish up and then plan on sanding/staining the whole structure.

As for the pond, it's approximately 4' x 6' and ~3.5' deep in the middle with a few shelves on the side (~500 gallons). Although I have a shade cloth atop the pergola, the scorching Florida sun still manages to peak through and promote plenty of algae buildup on the liner which eventually turns the pond green/dirty. Up to this point I've simply been draining and refilling it to remedy the algae issues.

I've only used some basic mechanical filtration (filter media wrapped around the pump) thus far. But I realize that it's time to start doing things right and add a dedicated mechanical filter system as well as bio-filter... or possibly a bog. What I'd like to do is replace the mini waterfall structure with planter boxes as shown in the rudimentary drawing/attachment... sort of like an aquaponics system I suppose. I plan on adding some additional plants in the pond as well once I get everything situated.

So my first question is a bog even feasible inside these raised planter boxes? If so, is mechanical filter media still needed? My thought was to just use some sort of totes or waterproof boxes (I can use pond liner instead if you think that would be better) and build the wooden planter boxes around them to hide them, then attach a Y connector to the pump so I can feed 1 line into the bottom of each of the planter boxes, let it filter up through the sand/rocks(?), and then spill over into the middle watefall box (via PVC pipe or similar) and out the main waterfall to complete the cycle.

I'm a newb at this, so I'm sure I'm overlooking something. But I'm all about diy, so have no problems putting some labor into this with any of your suggestions. Ultimately, I just want something that's relatively low maintenance and able to accomodate some fish and plants. Thanks.

 

[mrsclem]

A wooden planter would be a great bog along the fence. Mine is built with 4x4s. No maintenance!

 

[poconojoe]

Bog is the way to go. Planters filled with pea gravel covering pvc manifold pipe(s) with slits cut in the pipe(s). Plants are grown directly in the pea gravel, no pots. If sized correctly, it will be the only filter you will need. Water gets pumped through the manifold pipe(s), rises up through the gravel and returns to the pond.
When I added my bog, my water went from solid green to crystal clear and stayed clear with zero maintenance.

 

[addy1]

stayed clear with zero maintenance.

Well you do need to pull excess growth of plants! a tiny bit of maintenance.

 

[bagsmom]

If you go onto youtube, look up The Pond Advisor. Mark Wilson is in the UK, but he has quite a few videos of him converting small ponds like yours into small ponds with additional filtration and water movement. You can search him, click videos, and then browse through them. I really enjoy watching his work! I hope it helps!

 

[bagsmom]

watch

 

[bagsmom]

watch

 

[bagsmom]

I don't have time right now to find the specific videos I was thinking of. But the two above give you an idea...

 

[MountainBound]

Appreciate all the replies and links. One thing I got from the Pond Advisor videos that sounded interesting was pumping the water into a "void" at the bottom of the planter, which fills upward through a wire mesh and the pea gravel. The point of this was for easy cleanout/maintenance which I thought was cool... but wanted you guys' feedback on it.

I've attached some Sketchup screenshots of what I envision so far. Some questions I have now though are;
1. I know bulkhead connectors are typically used for PVC pipe. I'm using this 1" tubing now. How do I convert that to PVC since I assume my ribbed tubing would be no good through a bulkhead. Or do they make bulkheads for this type of tubing?
2. The pump is a Flexzion "1200GPH" adjustable flow, but I'm sure that spec is overinflated a bit. Is this sufficient with the 1" tubing and splitter?
3. I know the rocks will be pretty heavy. I was thinking about using 2 layers of this fencer wire ziptied to some PVC spacers to create the void and support the weight of the pea gravel. I've read that using galvanized in a pond is a polarizing discussion, but being that it would be before the bog filtration, do you think it would be ok? I can't justify spending $100+ in AquaBlox (glorified milk crates)... but am open to other suggestions.
4. Is the void at the bottom worthwhile, or would just slits/holes in a PVC pipe be better?

Let me know what you think, or if there's any glaring issues I'm overlooking.

 

[JamieB]

Ask around at local stores that sell gallons of milk to see if you can get free/ cheap milk crates. Even if you plan on a screen, they will provide stability for an even base if you space them out with less than a foot between them.

 

[bagsmom]

The Pond Digger (Eric Triplett) has some youtube videos showing how to do a raised bog set up very similar to what you have in mind. Not exactly the same - but it might be similar enough that you could get a few tips or ideas - or just be entertained!

watch

 

[MountainBound]

I've actually watched quite a few of the Pond Digger vids and liked them a lot. As for the milk crates... I was leaning towards using the PVC pipe for the base simply because I have a ton of leftover pipe and fittings from when I redid my sprinkler system a few years back. So I was just going to glue together some rectangular box type structures for the wire mesh to sit on.

Also, I think I've found the answer for question 1. I plan on using these 1" bulkheads along with these barbed adapters to connect the pump to the bottom of the planters with this Y adapter (1" Y fittings are REALLY hard to find for some reason). For the top of the planters that spill into the middle waterfall resevoir, I plan on using the same 1" bulkheads above, and may add a 3-4" pipe nipple to extend it out a bit if needed. Then for the cleanouts on the sides, I'll use these 2" bulkheads and cleanout plugs.

All this sound ok? If so, I'll start getting it ordered.