Skippy vs bog

[GBBUDD]

That's a great idea.....but I don't think there's one around here. I'll ask around, but I don't think there is

If you go to a local sand and gravel YARD " not a store " they will more then likely have small piles all over the place from years gone by where piles of stone were. Put on the charm to the yard guy" yes i know chauvinistic but play it for what it's worth. and ask if you could get a few buckets of stone, that may be outside the storage area . you never know i have seen many a homeowner with a mini van and a shovel doing just so.

 

[Lisak1]

Yup. It's not the type of stone that matters. Believe me, those beneficial bacteria aren't gonna go "oooooohhh... you didn't spring for the NICE gravel, huh? Sorry. We'll find another pond to colonize... "

You're just looking for surface area. To me, smaller gravel makes planting the top of the bog easier, but it all works.

 

[Lisak1]

If you go to a local sand and gravel YARD " not a store " they will more then likely have small piles all over the place from years gone by where piles of stone were. Put on the charm to the yard guy" yes i know chauvinistic but play it for what it's worth. and ask if you could get a few buckets of stone, that may be outside the storage area . you never know i have seen many a homeowner with a mini van and a shovel doing just so.

Totally agree! I'm not above getting the "Hey I'm just a girl, I'm not sure how this works ... " discount!

And it's definitely cheaper when you go to a yard than to buy it bagged in the store. You're paying for all the folks who had to handle that gravel before you got to it.

 

[GBBUDD]

Bring back a cupcake and double the amount they let you walk out with.

 

[poconojoe]

Yeah, don't spend a fortune for those little bags at the big box stores. Go to a garden center or Mason supply.
I paid $45 a cubic yard for small river stone at a local garden center. The mason supply was closed due to Covid.

 

[brokensword]

Yup. It's not the type of stone that matters. Believe me, those beneficial bacteria aren't gonna go "oooooohhh... you didn't spring for the NICE gravel, huh? Sorry. We'll find another pond to colonize... "

You're just looking for surface area. To me, smaller gravel makes planting the top of the bog easier, but it all works.

it actually sort of does matter; pea stone is round edged (so in that vein, any 'river rock' will do) and not sharp. This means it won't eventually lock itself together. Which is what you want. That's why they put crushed concrete as a base for patios and deco sidewalks because it WILL lock into itself.

And 3/8" size has more surface area per cubic foot than anything larger. You want a lot of surface area...

 

[Lisak1]

it actually sort of does matter

You are correct - I misspoke. Any SMOOTH ROUND gravel is fine. Don't use the construction gravel - you'll be sorry! (We found that out the hard way!)

 

[IPA]

And as @addy1 suggested in her build thread, the time to add crush oyster shells If desired is when adding pea gravel to the bog.

 

[addy1]

And as @addy1 suggested in her build thread, the time to add crush oyster shells If desired is when adding pea gravel to the bog.

I dumped the oyster shells on top of the pea gravel, when I built I had no clue I needed the get the ph up there help. For about 4 years 100 lbs every spring.

 

[Bluerooster]

I have an "I've no clue what it is" filter. It's loosely based upon the skippy but instead of "bio media", it has lava rock, and in season I plop a couple of WH in it.

 

[poconojoe]

I have an "I've no clue what it is" filter. It's loosely based upon the skippy but instead of "bio media", it has lava rock, and in season I plop a couple of WH in it.

I also have no clue, but my no clue is...What is WH?

 

[brokensword]

water hyacinth?

 

[Mmathis]

I have an "I've no clue what it is" filter. It's loosely based upon the skippy but instead of "bio media", it has lava rock, and in season I plop a couple of WH in it.

The lava rock is acting as the bio-media.

 

[Bluerooster]

I also have no clue, but my no clue is...What is WH?

Water Hiacynth.

 

[Amandaneedsavaca]

THE supply enters the bog in the red pipe on the left side of the photo
Where the 24" double walled pipe allows segiment and larger debris to fall out of the water column as there is very little flow/ moveent in that area from only 6,000 gallons and hour in a 24 inch pipe .

iThe water then pushes up through a 6" layer of mellon sized rocks.
Where it comes ito a second settling chamber the aqua blocks.
IT then if forced upward very slowly through 24" of 3/4 and 3/8" pea stone Where the roots of the plants absorb anything remaining and thrive off the nitrates and phosphates as well as convert any ammonia or nitrites
The 24" pipe that is vertical i pump a lot of air at to insure the bacteria has as much o2 as it needs to thrive. and that pipe is about a foot plus lower then any other part of the bog so any sediment drops to that point for maintenance . the aqua blocks do not enter the vertical 24" pipe but the lower angled 24" pipe does
The craziest thing is i have fish living in the 24" pipes that entered as fry and are now about 4"

I should add this is 14 feet x 9 feet x 7 feet for a pond that is around 14,000 gallonsView attachment 132015

Where does the clean water come out and back in to the pond? Is your pump running from the bottom of pond to bog?