Bog building, also called upflow filter, eco filter, wetland filter

[qclabrat]

Bog water flow........
Although our bog was as much a "make-work" project to keep an old man busy and off the streets, it is functional as evidenced by the sludge left behind once the water passes through it. It is a little smaller than conventional proportions dictate, but is still effective and adds a dimension to the setting.
The water flow is relatively slow as can be seen in the photo, but given the amount of water in the spillway, the volume is modest. We also didn't strive for a formulated amount of water, just what seemed to work, which can cover a wide spectrum from our meandering to Addy1's robust flow.

Our bog is just an above ground box with a liner, pea gravel, and pump.
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The overflow spills into a sluice that returns to the pond under the "dock". This has an "inspection" box on the return end.
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The apparent holes in the surface are caused by the water coming up through the gravel where the debris falls out creating the sludge mat that feeds the plants and harbors tads. The streaks in the image are actually reflections of adjacent plants giving an indication of how sedate the flow is. By mid summer this will all be naturally covered with plants. (I had to do a major culling last fall.) Although the water flow is relatively slow, it is a decent volume and too much for mosquitoes.
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What size pond does it service? By the pics of the dock, it looks huge. Great clean design. How long have you had it?

 

[poconojoe]

Very nice setup! I like the dock!

 

[Timothy]

What size pond does it service? By the pics of the dock, it looks huge. Great clean design. How long have you had it?

Thank you.
This is a 16'X32' in-ground swimming pool converted to a pond. We filled it to maintain a 3' depth, put an EPDM liner in it but kept and reconfigured the walkway on one side for the "dock". The piles are cedar fence posts fastened in upside down to hide the holes. Total volume is just under 10,000 gals because of a couple of built-in shelves.
The bog is 2' deep, (18" of pea gravel,) 4' wide and 22' long. It's been in probably three-four years. A lot of our make-up water is captured from the house roof through gutters and hoses to the pond which saves our well a lot of stress, but when it rains in the spring unexpectedly and I can't divert the initial flush in time, the pond gets the pollen wash-off. It doesn't hurt anything, the fish don't mind, and it takes a couple of days for the pond to clear again, but even though to our eyes it's a little distracting, Mother Nature thinks it's wonderful.

 

[addy1]

The bog is 2' deep, (18" of pea gravel,) 4' wide and 22' long.

That is about the size of mine, except mine is a bit deeper a bit longer and a bit wider. Very nice build!

I did not build by any rules, just what I thought would work. The pump was what I had on hand so used it. All has worked out just fine.

 

[Timothy]

.........I did not build by any rules, just what I thought would work................... All has worked out just fine.

Thank you addy1.
Same here. It's as much aesthetics as functional, but a great side benefit is, if we have a potted plant that's not doing well, or obtained a plant that we can't tend to right away, the bog is an excellent place to "store" them until we can.

 

[GBBUDD]

Lisa hit the nail on the head .
Unfortunately there is no magic formula to the equation of how to build your pond what size bog to make with how much water pressure. There are some proven rules that work for most circumstances. but if you live east of Chicago or a heavy industrial area then you will probably have a much heavier load of acid rain and air born pollution to deal with entering your pond then say does someone who is in the wilds of Montana. But they will probably have a much heavier load of pollen to contend with. Not to mention the water quality . Are you using tap water where the municipality is using phosphates to keep the pipes from rotting out? yes some areas use phosphates to prevent pipe damage. I am one of those lucky areas. "NOT SO LUCKY AT ALL" Well knowing this i built a large bog and even went with a backup bog . Observation to your system is key. Keeping notes about changes you make is a plus, and the results of those changes. Your plants, water, fish algae will give you the hints of what is in need of tweaking. When i was keeping a planted aquarium people said u=you had to add fertilizers to the water to obtain plant growth. That you needed expensive lights and co2 well i was limitedly successful without all the above and very successful with my own version of the rules. i didn't add any flourish or any other ferts but i used bird droppings to give some nutrients to the plants. yes i said birds. i had two shaft tail finches living in the open top tank with a water fall and a bird Avery where the bird droppings landed in the water. i was told i was nuts i would have algae galore that no plants would or could grow well attached is a couple photos of different times in the evolution of the aquarium . Now yes there's big difference in ponds to aquariums but i believe much is the same too. drastic changes to the water will stress out the fish . To much nutrients equal algae. you need to find your ballance for your set up and area.

 

[qclabrat]

Using rainwater to replenish the pond is a lovely idea. Has anyone used a rain catcher for the reason? Almost put one in a few years back when there was still federal rebates

 

[GBBUDD]

Some say its too hard i believe but i know several folks do here and i have the water from the back of my house gutters going directly to the pond weather it needs the water or not. time will tell

 

[addy1]

I use rain water from multiple gutters, have for years. Plumbed the drain spouts to go into those big black drain tubes, using T's to make on entry into the pond. Buried the tubes so it enters the pond. When we get a good rain, the pond gets a good dose of fresh rain water.

Using rainwater to replenish the pond is a lovely idea

 

[Lisak1]

Has anyone used a rain catcher for the reason?

I don't know what you mean by "rain catcher" but we have an underground rain storage connected to our pond. We plumbed our sump pump and a few of our gutters to the rain exchange, which keeps the pond full most of the time. We love when it rains because we know we are filling up the water storage - less water we have to pay for !

 

[MajorDan]

I pump a lot of water through mine but it is pretty big.

Amazing, water is clearing up! I turned down the flow rate through the bog and it has made a difference. I hope it continues to clear up. I would like to see what is going on at the bottom. Today I could see the stems of the lily pads and the fish about a foot down. The water is still green but not as much as before I changed the bog flow. The bog plants have continued to grow but it still looks pretty barren. Pickerel rush is blooming though and water lilies have had three blooms so things are looking up.

 

[addy1]

Great!

 

[Lisak1]

Amazing, water is clearing up!

It's amazing when it happens for sure! Mother Nature is wonderful - work with her, not against her!

 

[Tula]

7.5ft x 7.5ft 45 mil liner with matching underlayment - Brand New - AZPonds & Supplies

Includes: 7.5ft x 7.5ft Pond Liner 7.5ft x 7.5ft Underliner

www.azponds.com

Attracted to this discounted price. How big of a bog could I build with this? I only have a small space and it'll be supplemental filtration to the Sand & Gravel filter.

 

[poconojoe]

I'm no expert, but I'd guess at maximum 3 x 3. It needs to be 12" deep and I would leave at least 12" for the top overlap and any irregularities. Then you need a bit more to extend into the water to overlap your existing pond liner. So, maybe 3x3 is a stretch...
I don't know if I'm cutting it too close, maybe others can chime in and confirm.
The question really should be how large of a bog do you need. If you have fish in there, you want to have a bog surface equal to 30% of your pond surface.
If you build it too small, you are wasting your time and money.