The hole in my backyard

[timvz]

Cycling every 1-2 hours is good. You definately will want to push water up through the bog, especially if your letting water fall off the top to make your waterfall. Otherwise, the water will simply run across the top and the bottom layers of the bog will go stagnant. Search addy1's threads on this site for bog design. She has some good advice. And, run your pump 24 hrs per day, 7 days per week. This is important to keep the beneficial bacteria and plants in your bog healthy. Thus, efficiency is premium. Laguna has some good pumps that are very efficient. Some people close their ponds down and turn pumps off when things freeze over in winter, but if you're in a warm climate (like me) that won't really be an option.

 

[tbendl]

My mistake, I did mean bottom of the bog. And dieselplower, based on your specs, do you have a ballpark cost for the skimmer/pump and the increase in electricity? I am off now to investigate the wondrous world of skimmers and pumps!
It also occurred to me, since my waterfall is actually going to be coming from my bog, meaning it won't be a torrent of water skipping down a waterfall feature but more a kinder, gentler water feature, and if I'm looking at a skimmer/pump at water level, what get's my water moving and aerated?

 

[snoozer]

I wish my yard had come with a hole. It would have saved alot of time. You will have a beautiful pond once you are done. I think if you can afford it, it may be best to put in the EDPM liner. It would be a shame to put in all the work, sit back to relax and have the billboard tarp decide it doesn't really want to hold water

 

[timvz]

Pump electricity cost is not hard to guestimate, but you'll need to know what your power company charges per watt-hr. Or, look at it this way. A 300 watt pump is about the same as four 75 watt incandescent light bulbs left on all the time. My pump purchase price was around $300. Laguna Max-Flo 4200. I probably could have got it cheaper on ebay. I think my electricity bill went up by about $40 after turning it on. Skimmers can range all over the place based on size and function. Think about plumbing too. Most skimmer boxes I've seen do not include the plumbing but several have pre-fit holes for it. Others require you to cut your own holes. Generally, 2" PVC will accomodate most any flow rate, but think about the size of the hole exiting your pump and the size of hole in your skimmer. I would also recommend flexible PVC leading from skimmer to bog. It's much easier to work with. Split the flexible 2" PVC off into a couple/few smaller diameter pipes in the bog.

 

[tbendl]

Thanks everyone. Snoozer, if I could afford it I would, it looks like the best liner on the market, But since I'm starting out and quite honestly not even sure if I'm going to love it or hate it, I'm going to go with the one that if I hate it, I can kick some dirt on it and move on. Lol, And no offense intended, I can see that this is an activity that takes passion to be done right.

 

[Nepen]

There is a 20 mil pond liner too, which is cheap, that's what I use. Didnt know anything about pond when I built one and got the cheapest liner I found lol. It's holding fine right now, been a year.

 

[tbendl]

Yay! I had done as much research as I could online but knowing someone else has used them makes me feel better.

 

[Nepen]

I got it at a discount store lol, didnt know the difference.

Anyway, it's not super tough so I think it's best if you have a liner under it, especially for your bog because the weight of all the gravel might be too much for it. Or you could double the liner on your bog.

it's been holding up fine for me, went through freezing pond in winter and didnt have any hole from the ice. It might not last as long but I think it's ok for the first pond

 

[tbendl]

The good news is we don't get any ice in the winter, I live on the coast in MS. And the bog is a consideration which may have worked itself out. I was trying to explain to the hubby that I was gonna need a ....I don't know what the metric conversion is for what I called a &*$@-ton of pea gravel... LOL for the bog section. Welllll let's just say I may end up with a liner, a submersible pump, and a toilet brush. And I say that because I currently own a submersible pump and a toilet brush. He made some good points about me not knowing what I'm doing and my unique ability to kill plastic flowers and yada yada yada so I might have to forgo the bog at this time. I'm still pricing it out.... And working on my metric conversions.

 

[snoozer]

Once you sit down in a comfy lawn chair with a cold liquid refreshment in your hand, listen to the waterfall and watched the fish you will be hooked. Read everything you can and ask all the questions you need to and you will do fine.

 

[tbendl]

Thanks Snoozer. I am definitely asking all the questions I can and I appreciate everyone taking the time to answer me. It is much appreciated.

 

[Lisak1]

BUILD THE BOG! Gravel is cheap cheap cheap! And you will become a gardening GENIUS because everything you stick in your bog will grow like it was born there! Do consider fish, though. They do contribute to the ecosystem and will actually make your job easier, not harder, as they will fertilize your plants for you. Buy inexpensive goldfish (they need love too!) and you don't even have to feed them if you don't want to (you WILL want to!) They can easily live off the things they find in your pond that you don't even know are there. Goldfish are tough little critters. And they aren't like cats and dogs - you can skip feeding them and they won't starve (or begin eating you in your sleep). But you will find it's fun and relaxing to feed and watch your fish swim and grow in the home you made for them with your own two hands!

P.S. Your sixteen year old will love it, too! My grown-up-and-out-of-the-house kids love to come home and see how the fish have grown, throw in a few handfuls of food, and go on frog hunts around the pond and bog. Ponds are fun for everyone!

 

[tbendl]

Haha, LOVE your passion Lisak1! And how do I pass up the opportunity to become a Genius? Lol. The bog is still in the running.

 

[j.w]

Wow I had to play catchup here! I just read all these posts on this thread. Don't know how I missed it all.
I myself think you are one lucky pup finding that pond in your yard. I would keep it that size and build a bog. I didn't know about bogs when I built my pond but if I had to do it all over I would have one. You can still have a very enjoyable pond tho w/o one or add one later. I love my pond and w/o fish I just don't know what I'd do but that's just me. Love watching them and yes you may lose a few now and then but if you take it all slow and easy and just add a few after your water is right for them I think it will be fine. I just have gold fish and I started out buying 12 feeder fish from Petsmart. They were just the regular oj ones and most of them are still w/me after 13yrs and have had babies. I added some others to the pond over the years as I wanted some white and Shubunkins (calico type) and some oj/white ones just to add some variety. You do get hooked on this stuff royally!

 

[tbendl]

jw, what were the large circles in your pond? Are they a type of retro bog? I love the look of the pond, and yeah that's what my mom keeps telling me, that I'll have fish by next year. Lol. The only thing left to do is dig. :/