Aqua blocks what brand do you recommend?

[GBBUDD]

Not saying what you used was no good all i was saying is there are many types of drain pipe Ibecareful which you choose some are ment to be hung inside a wall and not ment to be burried

 

[GBBUDD]

I cant say the aquabloocks are any better then the pea gravel as I constructed both so if I need to work on one or the other I would have a back up, up and running. If I had not built the aqua block bog first . If I had build the peastone bog first. The ease of the peastone bog may have stoped me from the much larger task of the aquablocks bog . But I did go all out I had to make retaining walls with mafia blocks 4,000 pound concrete blocks. Remove sharp edges and fill in voids and gaps as mafia blocks are left over concrete or rejected concrete from cement deliveries. The home made centipede culvert pipe and then all the stone. That 18x9 x7 foot deep pit sucked up a LOT of boulders and stone even with the 24 inch centipede and snorkel and the aquablocks. Like jhn said place the centipede in a trench at the bottom. And the aquablocks sit atop the centipede on one edge while the other edge sits on a shelf. This is where a layer of carefully placed stone so that the shelf it pitched to the centipede but the top of the thin layer of stone is level for the aquablocks to sit on. I wasn't so concerned about this area as I felt the 24 inch culvert would act as a pre-filter for the aquablocks. Initially having two settling chambers.

 

[Gemma]

Gemma, My bog is small and is supplemental filtration to our sad & gravel filter. We had to fit it into a small area. At the height of the summer it worked perfectly and the plants looked great. I may have let the pens wort take over and it clouded the water as the gravel was a bit blocked.

If I was doing it over I would have a by pass where I could direct water from the bog, but not directly into the pond.....for when it's clogged and I use the clean out pipes.

I'm familiar with your "baby bog", it was part of my inspiration to come up with a way to add one to my pond.
Thank you for sharing your experience and good advise.

 

[Lisak1]

The biggest advantage to using Aquablox in addition to rocks and gravel in a bog is the void space they create - you can get something like 3X as much water in a space that is filled with blocks versus stone or gravel.

I doubt anyone who has commented on this thread needs to hear this information - just throwing that in there for anyone who is new to bog building and is considering the differences.

 

[Gemma]

Thank you @Lisak1

Question to all: Does it matter what shape a bog has? I mean does a prefect rectangular shape bog work more efficiently than an " L" shape one?

 

[Lisak1]

I can't see any reason why it would matter. The only thing I would pay attention to is water flow - you want it all moving toward whatever exit point you design. In a bog, the water moves across the surface toward the outlet - you wouldn't want to create a dead zone at the small end o your "L" for example.

 

[Jhn]

Thank you @Lisak1

Question to all: Does it matter what shape a bog has? I mean does a prefect rectangular shape bog work more efficiently than an " L" shape one?

Had an oval shaped bog originally then redone into a square, both worked.
Really as long as the nutrient rich water has plenty of dwell time and doesn’t channel across the surface, don’t think shape matters. I imagine where the water enters the bog and how it flows up and through matters more, ie have the water enter the bog as far as possible from the exit point, to eliminate dead spots like @Lisak1 suggested.

Not sure but I think both/either @poconojoe and @brokensword might have long rectangular/L shaped bogs.

 

[brokensword]

you can just design your manifolds to fit your space; if you're worried about water getting to the 'ends', you can cut less slits at the beginning and more at the end. You can add branches to your manifolds if you have to. I have an 'L' shape and though there is some imbalance of water rising to the surface relative to position, in my case, I think it's because of how I have my input feeds. I used (2) lines directly down the center of my L without any branches. My bog is approx 3' deep, 3' wide, and 20' long.

 

[GBBUDD]

Thats a great question. As far as below grade i would say no . I should add that its no so long as your manifold piping follows the same shap as is the bog/ peastone. With an exception let's say you did build a L and the horizontal leg is short and not very wide. And that is also where the discharge is. This could create a backup / clog or raise the water level over time. DO TO ALL THE WATER AND DIRECTIONAL FLOW IS IN THAT DIRECTION again it depends how much water flow "gph" you have compared too the size of discharge area.

 

[Hop-frog]

Can't one just use milk crates? From pictures, I can't see much difference. Milk crates are $4-5 at Walmart versus the $60 for Aqua blocks. What am I not understanding about their design that requires so much money?

 

[GBBUDD]

Weight of the stone. Milk crates sit on a lip they do not lock together. I'm sure someone has given them a try i am a builder and i didn't see them cutting it as easy pro does have a milk crate style and they call them light duty. one layer of milk crates might be fine but the more you stack the less i like the odds

 

[Lisak1]

Can't one just use milk crates? From pictures, I can't see much difference. Milk crates are $4-5 at Walmart versus the $60 for Aqua blocks. What am I not understanding about their design that requires so much money?

They are ridiculously expensive. We bought ours when they were half the price and thought they were crazy then. But it's a specialty product so they can pretty much get whatever they ask for them. Not many companies are making them. And they are WAY more sturdy than your $4 milk crates. They have six sides (not open on top like a milk crate) plus they have support pieces inside. They are designed to hold something like 5000 lbs per square foot - that's a lot of rock. I'm all for DIY and finding cheaper ways to accomplish the same goal, but when it's something that would require removing tons of stone and gravel to get to it to replace it - I'm out. I'll lay out the extra cash to not have that particular aggravation. If I were building a small bog with a foot of pea gravel, I may take the chance. Oh and if I were 30 years younger! At this point in life, I have more money than energy!

 

[GBBUDD]

I refer to it these days as more brains than back. I'll make damn sure I do it right the first time almost regardless of cash to insure its one and done.