Do I need a wetland filter for an 15' by 11' pond with 20 ft stream

[Derek Drezek]

Welcome to the forum!

I built my pond in 2010, at the time was told by many that my pond with ONLY a bog type filter would fail. BTW my third pond with only a bog type filter, but my best. Very basic, pea gravel and pvc and of course plants.

My water is still crystal clear, never get a string algae attack, can usually count the snails in the 5 foot area eating up the bottom.
Since I built mine I have seen bog filters come into pond talk. I read a lot of forums on monster pond builds, they were using bog filters, so I did. My pond is not a monster build.

 

[Derek Drezek]

Did you use the Aquascape snorkel and centipede, or did you do something cheaper and build it yourself? I have aquablocks already. Would love to do the bog, without the Aquascape equipment expense. Thankyou for replying to my question too

 

[Derek Drezek]

What are you auto dosing or do you mean auto top off? For the auto doser, I have never used one on my pond so I consider them unnecessary for me….Are you sure you need it and is it fool proof? Ie does it have redundancies in place to keep it from getting stuck on and over dosing whatever into your pond

As for the ion-gen, no stay away from those. They introduce copper into the pond, which is acutely toxic in minute amounts to invertebrate life and chronically toxic to fish. No reason to use those what so ever.

Ok. Thankyou for the ion-gen advice. The auto doser is this little unit that sits next to the skimmer and drops the chemical into the water, supposedly in measured amounts, without me having to do it, or remember to do it myself. Not sure about the fool proof issue, of it getting stuck in the on position and emptying the bag of chemical too soon. Not the auto fill. That will be done by rain and my garden hose. Ha.

 

[GBBUDD]

Did you use the Aquascape snorkel and centipede, or did you do something cheaper and build it yourself? I have aquablocks already. Would love to do the bog, without the Aquascape equipment expense. Thankyou for replying to my question too

There's many ways to do the snorkel an centipede , i went with their centipede because its low profile and wide.

 

[Derek Drezek]

There's many ways to do the snorkel a centipede , i went with their centipede because its low profile and wide.

Did you use their snorkel too? That item is around $600. Just itself.

 

[Lisak1]

Pond construction products have gotten so expensive - like most everything. We paid half the price of what an Aquablock is going for now in 2012. But it's a one-time purchase, and Aquascape products are reliable so if you can afford it, it's worth it.

Lots of people though have DIY'd it completely - either with or without the snorkel/centipede model.

 

[GBBUDD]

I did the second time around. i raised my bog due to the liner being a bit short , and even after raising the grade 7 feet in that area i needed 3 more feet to get a proper water fall. The first bog i had 24 inch hdpe double walled pipe i got for free. but the cost savings cost me in biological media. it's in my showcase

 

[addy1]

Did you use the Aquascape snorkel and centipede, or did you do something cheaper and build it yourself? I have aquablocks already. Would love to do the bog, without the Aquascape equipment expense. Thankyou for replying to my question too

If asking me, I used nothing but liner, pea gravel and pvc. Lots of plants. I did not even put in a clean out pipe, but my bog is large! 26 foot or so x 4.5 feet or so, and 2.5 feet deep

i built it before aqua blocks, or if around I had no knowledge of them.

 

[Derek Drezek]

There are many ponds without wetland filters. But ponds with a wetland filter tend to be more clear and lower maintenance. I think you will really be glad if you put it in. Once set up it is not much work to maintain.

 

[Derek Drezek]

If asking me, I used nothing but liner, pea gravel and pvc. Lots of plants. I did not even put in a clean out pipe, but my bog is large! 26 foot or so x 4.5 feet or so, and 2.5 feet deep

i built it before aqua blocks, or if around I had no knowledge of them.

Ok. Gotcha. I appreciate your reply. I am trying to learn my way around this hobby. Thankyou.

 

[Derek Drezek]

Thankyou for replying. I appreciate the help and advice from everybody on the forum.

 

[Derek Drezek]

No one "needs" a bog filter - but everyone should have one! (Heck - you didn't really "need" a pond, did you? )

Honestly of all the things I learned from Aquascape the bog filter concept has been the most valuable. When we were purchasing all our equipment, an employee there just off-handedly mentioned "have you considered adding a bog?" And I was hooked. We had heard a few pond owners mention "oh that's our bog filter - we had that added later" on a few pond tours but I was still soaking in all the other info and didn't really pay attention. But once it was explained to me what it was I was hooked.

One big benefit for us of the bog was the ability to increase water volume without expanding the pond size. Our bog and waterfall occupy a raised bed garden that's about 3 feet above the pond, so we're able to have an additional 4 or 5 hundred gallons of water in the bog, as well as another 1000 gallons underground in the rain exchange. All that extra water volume helps stabilize a pond, keeps the water warmer in winter and cooler in the summer. All that in addition to adding biological filtration AND another place to grow plants. Win Win WIN.

Aquascape was really just at the start of building bog filters on new ponds when we were starting our build, but had been retrofitting them on ponds for a few years. Now you rarely see them build a pond without one It's a game changer really.

Maybe later we can discuss that auto-doser and IonGen...

I did the second time around. i raised my bog due to the liner being a bit short , and even after raising the grade 7 feet in that area i needed 3 more feet to get a proper water fall. The first bog i had 24 inch hdpe double walled pipe i got for free. but the cost savings cost me in biological media. it's in my showcase

I just took a look at that double walled Hdpe pipe. That stuff isn't cheap either.

 

[Derek Drezek]

I just took a look at that double walled Hdpe pipe. That stuff isn't cheap either.

I also prior to getting on this forum, sent out some emails to a few certified Aquascape contractors concerning the wetland. Guys that have YouTube channels etc etc. anyway, 2 of them, said that a wetland filter would be overkill on my size project. So,..... After getting your advice, along with some others on the forum, I decided to go with the wetland. Then, looked into the cost of the snorkel / centipede. That forced me to take a look at alternative diy methods of building the wetland. Now guys that do it for a living are saying wetland isn't necessary. Both used the word " overkill " on me. Haha. Not sure if I mentioned this in an earlier reply. But, I originally did a medium size Aquascape pondless waterfall kit. Last summer. Over the winter,... maybe around Christmas / new years decided, I wanted a pond. Not a reservoir. So,.. I tore the reservoir out, and started digging!!!! I have aquablocks. Also, didn't like the flow I was getting from the pump that came with the kit, so, I went and bought a stronger aquasurge pump. ( 4000 gph - 8000 gph ). I have 2 pumps. I have that one, and the 2000 to 4000 that came with the kit. So,.. I'm a snorkel, and centipede away from the wetland here. Hahaha. I'll get those videos / pictures to you soon. I have been getting outta work at 7 pm. When I get home, I jump right to it, and start working with whatever daylight is still left. But,.. I'll make a point of it. Apologize for not doing so sooner. I know u asked to see. Take Care. Derek.

 

[Lisak1]

Interesting... I don't think you could ever "overkill" a project with a bog filter. There's literally no downside.

Can't wait to see what you've got going on!

 

[GBBUDD]

I just took a look at that double walled Hdpe pipe. That stuff isn't cheap either.

nope but its good stuff , and my price was right " free"

I am trying to learn my way around this hobby

you tube aquascape, team aquascape, modern design aquascape, oz pond , on you tube is where to start the order i listed is reverse of where to start oz will talk about the nitrification of cycling a pond. don't get me wrong they all do but oz is more of a i have no idea what i'm doing , a great place to get your feet wet . modern design has the parts broken down so you can make educated decisions as how to put your set up together right the first time. The aquascapes for the fine tuning and how to really make your project successful and have it a step above the rest.

and for lessons learned i put this together it has two parts first is just what my set up has and what worked and what i'd like to change https://www.gardenpondforum.com/showcase/12-000-gallon-koi-pond-full-build.141/