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looking good!
What is the correct way to build a bog?
- Thread starter fisharefishy99
- Start date
Looks great fishy!! 
Just out of curiousity Waterbug, do you think that my stream will be a somewhat efficient "trickle tower" filter or is it just too short?
IMO even a 1' long stream is a pretty good filter, better than many static submerged filter. Of course whether any filter works depends on the fish load, Doesn't matter what the filter is, its size or type, if it can't keep up, it can't keep up. So generally it's a safer bet to make the size as large as reasonable. For example in your case you could run the stream as you said but instead of dropping directly straight down into the pond (if I understood correctly) you could turn it 90 degrees and follow the slope contour all the way back to the other end of the yard and switch back all the way back and then go into the pond. That could give you what, 50-100' stream? Very little cost and a great filter, plus a nice landscape feature. You're going to be paying a lot to pump water up to the bog. May as well get as much benefit as possible imo.
Yeah it's going to be my main "bio filter" so I hope it will be effective for my fish load. Sadly I have been only given the go ahead to do the stream as short as I am currently doing, and even then I am pushing it haha.
Are there any websites that give any easy to read techinical info on streams as filters? Just some kind of info on a stream of x size, done xx way, could potentially filter xxx gallons of water/load?
Our upper most pond, will next year become the bog it was started to be... via water fall, it feeds into what is supposed to be the upper pond (about 6400-6500 gallons), which will have a 4-5' waterfall, to a stream (maybe 30' long) to the next years big pond (40x50 liner or bigger)... we planned the river just as a connection means (and hubby wants the bigger falls) but if in the planning stages some tweeks can be made to make it a filter as well, hey, all the better... I did want to put some stone in it for decor, as well as some plants, but knowing it could serve as a filter as well, hmmm, may as well take advantage...
Our upper most pond, will next year become the bog it was started to be... via water fall, it feeds into what is supposed to be the upper pond (about 6400-6500 gallons), which will have a 4-5' waterfall, to a stream (maybe 30' long) to the next years big pond (40x50 liner or bigger)... we planned the river just as a connection means (and hubby wants the bigger falls) but if in the planning stages some tweeks can be made to make it a filter as well, hey, all the better... I did want to put some stone in it for decor, as well as some plants, but knowing it could serve as a filter as well, hmmm, may as well take advantage...
Nope. And I don't think it's possible because streams are too variable. I've seen these kind of calculations done on Trickle Towers, I think at Koiphen. You can get a better surface area estimate on Trickle Towers based on stone size and tower size that isn't possible with a stream. The calculations are also based on the amount and type of food fed, so that would have to be known. Pond size, number of fish, even number and size of fish isn't very useful when trying to do this type of calculation. Conversion of food into ammonia is more exact.
But really the calculations aren't very useful because most people add more fish and filters don't always run exactly how they should. The bottom line is always the same...test the water to determine if you have enough bio filter.
Streams are also useful for other bio filtering like providing a good home to black fly larvae, midge fly larvae and lots of other little bugs that consume waste. Streams are also an excellent place for string algae which removes waste and can possibly prevent green water. Streams can also be a settlement chamber. Streams can warm water faster in the spring but stay cool in the summer as plants grow and shade the stream. The bottom line is the longer the better.
When designing keep in mind a stream does not have to be sloped to flow. So say you had a 30' stream 1' wide. Well, on level ground when it almost gets to the pond it can double back on itself and go right back to it's source almost and double back again to the pond. So 30' becomes 90' by increasing the width from 1' to 3'. Streams can wind around a yard or around the perimeter of the pond, several times.
I would build side bogs for plants rather than planting directly in the stream. Because they often grow very fast the roots can block flow and create leaks. Also keep in mind plants aren't super filters when planted in a bog or stream. Much better in a veggie filter. Plants can add more waste than they remove. But I still like them to shade the stream in summer and look great of course.
BTW, stones are a requirement. A bare liner or concrete stream wouldn't be as good a filter. Thinner the water the better too because the increases O2 and gas exchange.
Really nice looking setup.
How did you build the waterfall. It looks like stacked stone, I think. Is there pond liner behind it? How did you adhere the stone? Did you make or purchase the shear water fall?
Looks great however you did it. :razz:
How did you build the waterfall. It looks like stacked stone, I think. Is there pond liner behind it? How did you adhere the stone? Did you make or purchase the shear water fall?
Looks great however you did it. :razz:
Basically I took a scrap piece of liner that is about 15 ft. long and just laid it down from the top of the hill all the way down into the water. So yes there is pond liner behind the stone. The waterfall part is basically just a ton of stacked flagstone, I just laid it right on top of the liner and left a little space between the back wall and the stone so that the water could get behind it. Nothing was used to adhere the stone, it's basically just a giant loose pile. It won't fall down by itself but if you pushed it, it would definitely go down haha. And thank you I really enjoy how it has come out so far! I have changed it a decent amount since my last video and actually hope to have the whole thing "functional" by tomorrow as long as nothing goes wrong haha.
For some reason I didn't foresee that the fact that I can't even cut a straight line would hinder me cutting a perfect circle in my liner to put in my bottom drain for the bog :sad:
Anyways I accidentaly cut the hole too big after redoing it a hundred times and decided to give up on a bottom drain because I'm not very good at making things watertight haha. Anyways I now have a big hole in my liner and I am waiting on a repair patch in the mail. I'm crossing my fingers hoping that I will be able to properly repair it and not have ruined my liner :redface:
Anyways I accidentaly cut the hole too big after redoing it a hundred times and decided to give up on a bottom drain because I'm not very good at making things watertight haha. Anyways I now have a big hole in my liner and I am waiting on a repair patch in the mail. I'm crossing my fingers hoping that I will be able to properly repair it and not have ruined my liner :redface:
Oh no! Well I hope the patch works for you!
brandonsdad02
They call me Ryan
I was out of room by my pond for a normal pond bog so I just build mine above ground using landscape timbers. I'm not sure on the exact size of mine but its a large triangle right next to my pond with a corner dumping into the pond. I have almost 3,000lbs of pea gravel in mine. I got 45 bags at 60lbs in each bag for a $1.00 a bag from Menards. They were the defect bags that had a small hole in the bag or the lables were made wrong. Most of the bags had a hole about the size of a finger from when they were unloaded. Mine has worked great for me this summer. I had the bog and my skippy filter and since I have now taken out the skippy filter, the water is getting clearer from the tan that it was from the leaves in the pond. My water was clear all summer. I have build thread in the DIY section.
Oh wow I got a ton of pea gravel for under 20$ at the quarry
Just a little update, due to a never ending supply of projects that keep popping up I wasn't able to finish my bog quite yet. I have however have been running my waterfall/stream and it seems my algae problem disappeared. It may have been a combination of the water lettuce and the waterfall/stream but either way my water is no longer pea soup green. However it is far from clear, since I removed all my mechanical filtration there are so many particles in the water that it is only clear for about 6 inches. However that is a VAST improvement over what it was. I put some matala mats in the stream a few days ago and it is slowly getting clearer. I could get better results if I had actually cleaned the filter pads before putting them in and correctly placed them, but since this is only temporary I don't want to mess with it too much. Hopefully I can finish it this weekend, or at least get the bog connected to the system.