First-time ponder / bogger. Help..

[scumfrog_millionaire]

Location: SE Wisconsin (Go Pack and F&$k da Bears)

Last Fall I thought it would be fun to start digging a pond near our front deck. Well the hole turned out to be about 3.5 foot deep at the deepest point with some shallower shelves around it. I would say between 2000-3000 gallons. My wife thinks I’m crazy. My wallet and spine agree with her. Anyways - I already started an area with a bog to the side of the pond where the water is going to “waterfall” back into the pond. Now that it’s winter and the ground is frozen, I have a few questions for you pond experts before I add the liner this spring:

• I plan on using a skimmer on one side of the pond, with a DIY bog waterfalling into the other side of the pond. Anybody have a fish pond with this setup and no bottom drain?
• I currently have some compacted soil as the berms surrounding the bog area (around a foot high). Will this be good enough to hold the pea gravel and water, or will I need cinder blocks of some sort to strengthen the walls before I add the liner?
• What height does water need to drop from the bog to the pond need to be to get proper waterfall aeration?
• I know people say that they leave their bogs running all winter around here but I have a hard time believing that this is possible with our temps. We can go a week straight with highs in the single digits. How do people winterize their bogs and ponds in this climate?
• Where in the world do people get all of their rock / flagstone from without going broke?
• I would like some native fish (crappie, bluegill, maybe a bass). Would these fish be fine with a couple koi?

If you have a similar size pond / bog, I’d love to see pictures of your setup. Extra bonus points for construction pictures. Thank you guys and have a fantastic day.

 

[Mmathis]

Hello and welcome!

 

[addy1]

Welcome to our forum!

I plan on using a skimmer on one side of the pond, with a DIY bog waterfalling into the other side of the pond. Anybody have a fish pond with this setup and no bottom drain?

Yes Me I run 10 ponds using that set up, one pump one bog one skimmer. 4 of the ponds are on a timer and all flow into the big pond system

I currently have some compacted soil as the berms surrounding the bog area (around a foot high).

My down slope bog wall is compacted dirt berm around 2.5 feet high, holding the bog, the entire berm is around 7 feet tall, still holding 10 years later.

What height does water need to drop from the bog to the pond need to be to get proper waterfall aeration?

Any drop moves the water = aeration

I know people say that they leave their bogs running all winter around here but I have a hard time believing that this is possible with our temps. We can go a week straight with highs in the single digits. How do people winterize their bogs and ponds in this climate?

I shut all off, make sure your bog retains water. My pump is external, my ponds are not running from nov or so till march or so

Where in the world do people get all of their rock / flagstone from without going broke?

I went broke had to buy most of it.

I would like some native fish (crappie, bluegill, maybe a bass). Would these fish be fine with a couple koi?

I don't do koi they get huge and like lots of water

 

[addy1]

If you have a similar size pond / bog, I’d love to see pictures of your setup. Extra bonus points for construction pictures. Thank you guys and have a fantastic day.

Check the link to my build, basic pond and bog. Others on here have done a lot fancier builds but still doing a bog.

 

[j.w]

@scumfrog_millionaire

 

[scumfrog_millionaire]

addy1 - Thank you for your quick response. What kind of fish do you have in your ponds? Any native species? Also, how do you keep your fish alive over the winter if you turn off your pumps?

 

[Mmathis]

@scumfrog_millionaire As long as you leave some kind of hole open in the ice (for gas exchange), and have adequate depth, the fish will be fine. Goldfish are cold water fish. They adapt.

 

[scumfrog_millionaire]

@scumfrog_millionaire As long as you leave some kind of hole open in the ice (for gas exchange), and have adequate depth, the fish will be fine. Goldfish are cold water fish. They adapt.

I get that but how do you keep a hole open in the ice when the highs are 5-10 degrees and the lows are below 0?

 

[addy1]

addy1 - Thank you for your quick response. What kind of fish do you have in your ponds? Any native species? Also, how do you keep your fish alive over the winter if you turn off your pumps?

I have shubunkins / goldfish and fantails are in the hot tub pond. I use a pond breather in any ponds with fish.

Amazon.com : API 8PB Pond Breather Heated Aerator, 40 Watts : Pond De Icers : Garden & Outdoor

Amazon.com : API 8PB Pond Breather Heated Aerator, 40 Watts : Pond De Icers : Garden & Outdoor

www.amazon.com

We don't get as cold as you do, but people in cold areas do fine with the breather. My bog is big with a lot of surface area, if it was running the pond water would get a lot colder. And I do not want to worry about ice dams. I actually enjoy the pond off time.

xx winters back I had around 12 inches of ice on the ponds, it was cold that winter. All fish survived.

 

[Lisak1]

Welcome @scumfrog_millionaire . I'm just on the other side of the Cheddar Curtain in Northern IL. I have a pond with bog filtration that runs all winter long. We have mostly goldfish now with one big koi.

You've gotten some good info already. Post some pictures of what you've already done and we'll all chime in!

 

[scumfrog_millionaire]

I managed to take a couple of crappy pictures while working on it last Fall. Attached is the best one. The front deck would be to the right of the pond. Now it's blanketed in snow so I can't take pictures of any progress since then. I attached a design of what I was aiming for for reference. As you can see, there is a rock in the lower right of the picture that I have to some how remove or chisel out. The upper portion would be the bog that's going to waterfall back into the pond. I'll be working on lengthening the bog area in the Spring.

Anybody have any recommendations on checking the water level before filling? I was looking at laser levels but they're pretty expensive.

 

[JamieB]

I don’t know if you have any rocks that are worth using in your area, but since you’ve got a big one there, go dirt roading. Look for nice rocky areas, shallow creeks, lake edges. Be sure to clean any rock you find that way, get them wet, be sure they won’t disintegrate in water, be sure to scrub off any slimy spots if gathered in warm weather. Lots of things we don’t want in ponds lay eggs on rocks.

 

[mrsclem]

I managed to take a couple of crappy pictures while working on it last Fall. Attached is the best one. The front deck would be to the right of the pond. Now it's blanketed in snow so I can't take pictures of any progress since then. I attached a design of what I was aiming for for reference. As you can see, there is a rock in the lower right of the picture that I have to some how remove or chisel out. The upper portion would be the bog that's going to waterfall back into the pond. I'll be working on lengthening the bog area in the Spring.

Anybody have any recommendations on checking the water level before filling? I was looking at laser levels but they're pretty expensive.

Check on a line level. Stretch string across pond, hang level on it. Should be under $5

 

[scumfrog_millionaire]

I do have a line level. Thank you for the suggestion.

 

[GBBUDD]

Nice design. what program did you se to draw that ?
Be careful with taller walls as they can be tricky to build and maintain if you have poor soils then you may need to build a block wall outside the pond or Use big boulders inside