Starting from scratch

[SmokeyHill]

I want to build a garden pond for my wife. We are not interested in koi at all. I would like to keep some goldfish or something in the pond to reduce the mosquito population.
We're more interested in plants and giving my bees an alternate place to get water besides my swimming pool.
We live in the northern panhandle of West Virginia. Summer Temps are mid 80s with winter dropping into teens and single digits occasionally.
The area I have to work with is 16 x 10 and must include the pond and bog. The estimated volume of the pond would be about 2400 gallons minus any area taken up by the bog.
I'm figuring on a depth of 30" with a ledge approximately 12" deep and wide.
So, knowing nothing about ponds, where do I begin.

 

[GBBUDD]

I would suggest YouTube to start take a look at what can be built what looks good to you and the style be in a natural looking pond or a cross between natural and contemporary.

Then look at team Aquascapes Modern aquascapes designs and ozz ponds get a feel for if you want a simpler build less maintenance or one that will require some tinkering due to plants and such.

I also put together a lessons learned wayyyyyy down in the blog how to build the pond the more nuts and bolts what you might run into . How to avoid spending money you didn't need to because you didn't think about something .https://www.gardenpondforum.com/showcase/12-000-gallon-koi-pond-full-build.141/
Ask all the questions you come up with many good folks here willing to help you build your pond.

Good choice staying away from koi they are another ball of wax . Expensive ,grow very fast and poop a lot.

 

[SmokeyHill]

We definitely want a natural look. I want to use a bog for full filtration. The more plants the better as it will give the bees more landing places and reduce drowning.
I've been doing some reading and have discovered recommendations for bog size from 10% all the way to 30% of pond surface area. With a lighter fish load (primarily feeder gold fish from the pet store), what size bog would I need? I don't mind going bigger, but also want enough pond area for the wife and grandchildren to enjoy.
On that note, how deep should the bog be? I've seen everything from 12" up to 2 feet or more.
When sizing the pump, how much head should I add for the bog filter to work effectively?
As an afterthought, are bluegill a no-no in a pond?

 

[GBBUDD]

We definitely want a natural look. I want to use a bog for full filtration. The more plants the better as it will give the bees more landing places and reduce drowning.
I've been doing some reading and have discovered recommendations for bog size from 10% all the way to 30% of pond surface area. With a lighter fish load (primarily feeder gold fish from the pet store), what size bog would I need? I don't mind going bigger, but also want enough pond area for the wife and grandchildren to enjoy.
On that note, how deep should the bog be? I've seen everything from 12" up to 2 feet or more.
When sizing the pump, how much head should I add for the bog filter to work effectively?
As an afterthought, are bluegill a no-no in a pond?

The more filtration the better 10 % imo is too small with anything but minnows . plus in the bog can bge some plants that you generally cant have because of the high water demand.

There are two styles of bogs we have members who have had great success with both. I am of the have both types. A matrix bog which has a settling area kinda like a glass of dirty water if you leave it be for a day the sediments fall out of the water and the bog has less chance of clogging over time and also allows an area but bugs and microbes a place to work on the debris that enters the bog in peace with no predator's. the second is the Manifold pea stone bog. both pump water to the bottom of the bog but the manifold has pipes across the bottom that pushes the water right into the bog.

imo 16 Inches is minimal there are too many bog plants that can grow roots longer than 12 inches and can clog the manifold pipes.

head pressure can get tricky it can be increased " a bad thing" by using to small a pipe or to many 90 degree elbows. If you stay with a simple design and don't have to push the water to far or to high the head will be minimal. that will get figured out when you have a design planed.

The idea of a bog is to slow the water down and give bacteria, microbes, bugs ect time to do their job as well as the plants ultimately you want to turn the pond over at least 1 to 2 times an hour less for larger ponds more for smaller