Is a bog filter enough to keep your pond clean?
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- Опубликовано: 15 фев 2024
- Just me rambling on about wether or not you need to consider adding a mechanical filter to your pond.
In the video I mentioned some other vids that might help here they are:
Designing a bog filter- • How to Design and Buil...
Testing my ponds with 7 in 1 water tester- • Using a 7 in 1 water q...
Cleaning a DIY bog filter- • Cleaning/ Flushing a D...
Using sodium per carbonate to lift up pond sediment- • Using sodium percarbon...
More information at ozponds.com 
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Just finished building a bog filter out of a wheely bin and scoria today. I have learnt a lot and still learning, thanks Kev.
Nice one 👍
I’m learning so very much! Thanks Kev. You do great work!
Thanks Sandy.
This video was right on time for me. My pond is barely a year old and I discovered a leak. I was going to patch it, but decided to replace the whole liner. When I drained it I had a ton of sediment. I knew there was some but I had no idea that much. It was mainly caused by it washing in the pond from rain. My bog filter was not large enough and it wasn't sealed enough around the waterfall. I may purchase a pond vacuum in the future to help. It has truly been a learning curve but I am determined. Thank you for discussing this.
If possible divert the water runoff. It will obviously reduce the sediment but sometimes runoff is filled with nutrients or pollutants we can’t see.
Enjoy your videos mate. For a long time I was a believer in bottom drains and zero sediment. When I went into keeping aquariums and I came across the deep substrate bed heavy planted method. I went from doing regular water changes and gravel vacuuming to top ups and no sediment cleaning. I just left it as fertilizer for the plants. They flourished and so did the fish. Had a much more natural environment.
For a koi pond I’ve thought of potentially a hybrid system of a natural pond with a bottom drain hidden away, it won’t be as effective but at least it’s still drawing from the bottom and a bog system. I also want to try utilize air lifts from the bog. Will be an ambitious project.
It sounds wonderful. My journey was very similar. Simple aquariums, regular water changes, gravel vac, testing parameters. Using nature it’s so much easier. Still glad I built up that knowledge first though.
I have half an IBC bog filter and a smaller wheelie bin full of sponge for mechanical filtration and a super large pump that goes to both, and even has enough power for a small waterfall on opposite end. Always had crystal clear water in pond, but constant string algae in the stream!! But I mechanically remove that often ❤
Thanks for sharing 👍
Thanks a lot for your kind useful tips! I have both, bog and mechanical. From my pump I can regulate how much goes to the bog and how much to the mechanical. Additionaly, at the upper section of the mechanical just before the overflow exit I have installed UVC lamps.
I also use water from a natural stream for recirculacion/renewal of water, problem this year is the intense rain that maintain the strean water to "brown".
your tips are of great support thanks!!
Sounds great. I’m happy you find my tips useful 😊👍
Thanks to you Kev my bog filter is working 100 %, of course we can't avoid the mulm from the fish food remnants and poo. But when I put the pond water in a glass it is crystal clear
Great to hear Jerry 😊👍
Hi, After 5 months with the bog filter, I can finally see the bottom of the fish pond. So exciting after the long wait of running to the pond every day expecting clear water. Right now it is a tea color but I can see the fish swim and the gravel and stone at the bottom. Thank you for all your guidance of what to do and the advice to be patient. I am confident that the water will clear from the tea color in time. I'll keep watching and taking your advice.
Well done 👍
Love watching your videos.
A bog filter is next on my ‘to do’ list.
I already have a mechanical box filter which is technically big enough to filter the pond but I like the idea of a bog filter to help reduce the nitrates in the pond (and thus help to keep the algae down) and I can incorporate the return flow to the pond into a waterfall feature like you have in a lot of your videos.
You’ll never regret adding a bog 👍
@@Ozponds It’s going to be a retro fit to the side of my sleeper pond. I can’t make it as big as I’d like to but my pond isn’t over stocked (regardless of how good the filtration is I personally think overstocking is cruel).
I agree with you.
I would really like to see a rough cleanout followed by a monthly cleanout over the course of your summer. So next year. With before, after, and during pictures. I love your tips and videos.
I wish I could guarantee that. I’m so lazy I don’t see it happening.
I have a great system running for a 4000L pond, it's a pressure filter with UVC incorporated which acts as my mechanical part of the system and then it runs into a 100L barrel filled with lava rock to act as biological filtration. Seems to be doing great job and very little maintenance, cleaning a pressure filter is super easy and quick.
Recently I've started experimenting with dolimite rock to keep up the minerals in the pond for the plants.
I'm curious about the results..
Thanks again Kev for another great video!
Sounds perfect 👍
Thanks bro so educational… ❤
I’m glad it was helpful 👍
I just built my new above the ground pond with two bog filters following your advices, size, flow, plants. So far so good! Cristal clear water and fish super happy. And myself too! Thank you so much Kev! Wish you were on IG to share our creations with you! Awesome content as always. Keep it up. Quick question, do you think it's necessary to remove the dead leaves falling from the trees in the pond? 😊😊.
I’m glad you’re happy. 😊. Maybe one day I’ll get on the IG.
I'm really proud of my mechanical filter. Basically a column filter cartridge. It is 2 white 14in x 20in floor buffing pads wrapped around 2in pipe enclosed in black 4in drainage pipe to keep it all together. The water goes from the outer edge of the barrel, through the filter into the center and then drained into the bog filter. Being able to unscrew the cartridge from the bottom of barrel for cleaning is a plus. Something like this I feel would be a nice addition (piggy back) to your pond vac. I know a lot of people swear by the stacked filter pads, but I feel one is enough to get the bulk of the muck. The more funk it collects, the more effective it is up to a point. Then hose out the cartridge and go back to bussiness.
Thanks Dave. I’m struggling to find the buffering pads in Oz. But I’ll keep looking.
Do you have a photo or a diagram of this?
I was just thinking about clearing out the leaves and sediment that has built up since last year. January and February are when live oaks drop tons of leaves, so I might wait a couple weeks. I was also thinking of scooping a bunch of the leaves into a resurrection jar to see what kind of little critters I've got in the pond.
The leaves will tinge-stain the water with tannins, so the more leaves you can get out, the better it is for your water. I net my pond pond every year. This seems to help.
Sounds good. At the end of my winter I did a similar thing. The jar kept hatching tadpoles.
I have two bog barrels ( one barrel cut in half to make two separate waterfall bogs) and an intake barrel fully intact . I have three large net bags filled with lava rocks making a cradle for my two pumps, one 5300gal an hr. And one 3300gal an hour. On top of them there are two modified floor buffer pads (the same thing as the super expensive sponge pads) then the lid of the barrel with holes drilled in it with a layer of medium gravel on top of that... it seems to work well, but tge pond is 3 months away from being a year old. Still has some maturing to do...
Sounds like a great setup. 👍
This summer I'm going to use a true bog filter. I have used sorta partial bog. But this year the real big filter. As I get older trying to have less work. 😂
Less work is my motto 😉
I have a pump it’s one that keeps chunks out so it doesn’t clog or have uneven suction, at the bottom of the pond for sediment in the actual to a pressurized filter in the actual pond, then a pump in the skimmer they both lead to the bog filter. The big filter has sediment, my actual pond does not. I haven’t cleaned my actual pressurized filter to summer and usually maybe twice. I will vacuum the top of the big filter once it warms up, after turning both pumps off so big doesn’t flow out. It has worked well for me.
Sounds great 👍
Ozone seems to help the sediment floc and be removed. A good sander unit also allows you to set up the ORP to where you wish.
I just purchased at cheap ozone unit, I’ve never used one before and I know very little. I’m looking forward to learning more about it. What’s a sander unit? I’d like to learn more.
@@Ozponds it’s a very well known German brand. They also make units for smaller companies like Aquamedic.
I’ve used them a fair bit, you just need to have a protein skimmer to mix them or similar
My upflow bio-filter/bog usually fills with so many plants that you cant see the sediment or 3" gravel anymore. It's more like a marsh that is filled with mostly an invasive water celery. The upside is that my pond's water is crystal clear, and I vary rarely have to back flush the mechanical bead filter. If I was to build a pond again, I would make the bog a lot larger than the actual pond. The bio-filter is about 2'deep filled with 1' of gravel and about 8' to 10' in diameter, which is about a third of the size of the pond. (4500gal with 15 koi +goldfish). I think that actual mechanical filtration could be eliminated from the pond if the bio-filter if designed right. (larger).
A bog can look quite nice itself, therefore if someone has the room over sizing vid a great idea. Your pond sounds amazing 👍
I’m building a 2x2 by 1.2 m deep (600mm above ground) pond.3 inch bd emptying into a 450mm pipe that is sitting on 5 aqua blocks. The bottom drain empties 6 inches below water level inside the pipe.It drops down through 3 grades of sponge then rises through the blocks and a gravel bed with plants and drops into the pump chamber and back to the pond. Both pipe and pump chamber have floating plants to hide pipes and pump. I’m planning to clean the sponges weekly but not touch the gravel until plants need dividing. Will update in a years time
Sounds good 👍
Hi Kev.
How are you, Sir?
I never fell asleep. I enjoy watching your content.
Like 155 is now up to say thankyou very much for sharing.
Have a awesome weekend.
Take care, Sir. 🤙🏼🙂🤙🏼❤️
Thanks for the encouragement. Have yourself a great weekend also 👍
@Ozponds It is my pleasure.
Thankyou very much, Sir. 🤙🏼🙂🤙🏼❤️
I'm thinking a bottom drain intake to an oversized bog filter would help. Gravel in the pond bottom eventually traps so much muck I'm thinking it might be best left out, or at least kept to a very minimal depth. Algae would soon cover the liner on the bottom, and wouldn't look any worse than a layer of mulm anyway. If you are going to run a large air stone in the pond, having it over the bottom drain would help draw the muck towards the drain. The mulm is going to settle somewhere, so why not have it settle in the bottom of the large bog chamber where it can be flushed out easily? I'm thinking about building a new pond this way with a fair amount of slope down to the bottom drain, and hopefully most all of the crud will wind up in the bog.
That’s why I make videos. It allows people to come up with designs that work for them 👍
Hi. Based on your videos I built a bog filter about a year ago. The Bog is about 15% of the pond. The issue I have been having is that I can never get the water clear. I have also used a chemical to remove the algae which worked but then the water went brown (I guess dead algae) but then there is no way to get rid of the brown color. I then added activated charcoal which did not help. I am now trying to insert filter material into the bog to try the mechanical approach. When you do a water change or even flush the bog does that get rid of beneficial bacteria? I would be interested to see what kind of mechanical filter you build and if it is fit for purpose. I am currently looking at redesigning as the bog does not seem to work efficiently.
Flushing the filter will lose some bacteria but not all…unless you use chlorinated water to flush it, that could kill off the bacteria.
Hi mate,
I’m surprised you have as much mulm as you do.
I think the main difference is I have more fish and bigger ones so in the main body of water.
They are moving it up back in the filter biological wet land with water falls.
The other is I made out over 3 semi circular planters a fulls.
In which the top one has sponges, covered by rock the water is pumped under the sponges then to the second which is planted with creeping Jenny and Arum Lilly.
Third just pebble.
I clean the sponges in the spring and summer once a month 10 mins job!
Also multi clear will help it make the finer particles stick together then stir it up and go the the bog filter.
It’s all interesting. Each pond is different.
What do you think about Corona Discharge ozone generators for a pond?
I’m experimenting with a cheap ozone unit at the moment. Currently I don’t have an opinion.
I‘m a bit confused why you would do a bigger bog on a pond for swimming compared to a koi pond. The filters of a koi pond a usually much larger than filters for a swimming pond which makes sense because koi produce a lot more waste.
It’s just a guideline. Lots of people swim with the fish so you’re filtering for fish and also trying to get the water as clean as possible for humans to enjoy. It’s about more than just processing waste. But these are just things I do, everyone is different.
Hi, new subscriber and really enjoying your content! There is no denying your filtration success, but wouldn't a true bog filter have a heavy plant element to goble up the nitrates produced by the bio filtration? The plants seem to be optional some of your filter explanations. Maybe your pond plants are part of the "system"?
You’ll learn more about how different bacteria work as the oxygen depletes as you watch the vids. That’s why I don’t need a heavy plant element. Although I like plants and all my ponds and filters have them. They certainly help but can also create their own issues if you clog the system.
@@Ozponds Ah, so anaerobic processes involved. That makes sense....basically a septic tank for your pond. Will keep watching!
Hi Kev , I always wonder about over feeding. How do you know if you are giving the fish too much food? My goldfish always eat everything I give them and the water is nice and clear. They are very fat and happy goldfish 😊 🐋🐟🐠🐡🦋🐝🐔☀️🥀🌻🌸😎🐢🦎
As long as the water is clean, not growing lots of algae and the fish aren’t obese. Then I’d say your doing everything right 👍
@@Ozponds Thanks Kev , my friend. 😊🐓
Witam serdecznie dziękuję za pokazanie pozdrawiam z Polski miłego wieczoru życzę
Thank you. 😊👍
will uv filters destroy beneficial bacteria ?
Only the bacteria that passes through the UV.
@@Ozponds Thank you! do you recommend uv or prefer without it?
Pond vac a couple of times a year and don't go mad with the feeding. Most of us are probably overfeeding.
For sure 👍
Bottom drains and gravel are not a good combination. ..
Agreed 👍
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