My first two bogs, made out of whiskey barrels, I had a platform for the pea gravel to sit on, a drain coming out the back with a ball valve on it. Off and on, I would open the drain and let it run out. That pond the intake of the water was from the bottom of the pond, the line picked up leaves etc.
The second bog, was more like my maryland pond, medium in size, no drain. It worked for 5-7 years, (can't remember lol) I tore that pond down. Never had an issue with it clogging up.
This pond, the bog is made with just pea gravel on the liner, pvc lines running through it.
a truck load of pea gravel, 2800 lbs or so.
pvc lines with slots cut into them, the T leads out of the bog, there is another T that allows the pump water to go in and the second line will drain the bog if need be, a ball valve.
This is the 4th year of the bog, 3 with fish, around 200. I draw the water not from the true bottom, but about 6 inches up. I don't care to drag in snails, tads, dragon fly nymphs into the pump. So no huge debris makes it into the bog. There is a skimmer that feeds the bog with a large leaf basket and a leaf basket before the pump. Nothing large makes it into the bog.
I have drained it a few times, (working on pipes) clear water comes out. If it ever starts to clog up, I will take a garden hose with a stream nozzle, stick it in the pea gravel to back flush the bog. Did that once while draining last summer, again nothing but clear water, a little dirt color, but nothing dramatic.
When I turn on the bog after sitting all winter, (3-4 months) without running, the water in it is technically stagnant, no water flow and I do not drain the bog. The water never stinks when it first starts flowing, it does murk up the pond a little, but that clears within a few hours. My water tests are never anything but perfect, no algae issues, string, green water nothing, the water stays clear all of the time. No doc issues, ie foam on the water.
It is loaded with plants, tons
