Tips for plumbing a bog filter in a garden pond
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- čas přidán 13. 10. 2022
- This video take a look at how I've created a plumbed 3 different types go bog filters for my backyard ponds.
below are some links to other videos and products that you might find helpful as you go about building your own bog filter.
Cleaning and maintaining a bog filter- • Bog filter overview an...
The secret to a crystal clear pond- • The secret to a crysta...
Tips for building a natural looking backyard pond- • Tips for building a na...
Pond skimmers, Intake bays and negative edges (what's the difference)- • Pond skimmer vs intake...
Uniseals on amazon (affiliate link)- amzn.to/3ene5rD
Bulkhead fittings on amazon (affiliate link)- amzn.to/3TbJjRc - Jak na to + styl
Kev, i inherited a hole in the garden from the previous owner (they had a trampoline). I decided to try make it into a pond. I found your videos on youtube and after a building process i now have a working pond+bog. We just added a few fish this week. Very excited to see how it settles. Thans for the content. I love watching your stuff!
Awesome can’t wait to hear how it all matures 👍
Haha, I made it to the end because I'm trying to suck up all this knowledge.
Thank you for leaving these videos up. I'm learning sooo much before I do a small container pond in front yard.
I always watch to the end of your videos. You always add a chuckle to your final comments. It's like you add a smile after the data.
I really can’t believe people make it to the end. Thanks for the support John it’s much appreciated 👍
Right, yes you are awesome dude!
Hey Kev! Just wanted to say "Thank You". I've built a zen garden pond in my back yard. Built a smaller bog filter in planter pot based on your design a couple years ago and upgrading to a bog filtering river right now. Me and my 20ish fish are very grateful for your knowledge! ❤️👍
Wonderful to hear 😊👍
I made it all the way to the end. Loved it! 👍
Well done 👍
I’m still here at the end of the video. 😊👍🏽New subscriber redoing a preformed backyard pond I built that has struggled for 15 years. Binging your channel because I’ve gotten the most info from you than any other channel on how to fix the problems with my little pond. Still trying to understand how all this works but learning. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience! Your builds are stunning! Hi from the US!
Thanks Paula. I’m glad you are finding my little channel helpful 😊.
Don’t doubt yourself. We love and thank you for your valuable insight and knowledge. Cheers legend!
of course, we made it this far to the end. Your knowledge is valuable! Thank You So Much!
I appreciate the support. Thank you 👍
Yeah we made it !!
Keep rambling on. I'm learning so much.
That’s great to hear 👍
Thanks for explaining the different ideas and the valuable information regarding pipework sizes . Gives me a project build over winter here in UK.
Awesome 👍
To answer your last question, i made it THAT far twice in a row.
love your videos budd. those are the first vids i'm looking out for every friday as soon as i open my pc. and i would never mind them going a bit longer.
you just exsplain it simple and easy.
Thanks heaps for the support. It makes me happy that some people are learning… maybe even enjoying the videos. 👍
Still here at the end Kev, your words of wisdom are a gold mine for beginners like me. Thank you so much 🙏🏼
Thanks for letting me know. I’m glad my ramblings are helpful 😊👍
You do such a good job of explaining bog filters. I've been saving all the ones I think will help me with my project. I just need to do it, but I was not feeling confident about it. Your drawings make me feel like I can do it. lol
That’s great to hear. That’s my aim to create these videos so people can get themselves a fantastic, low maintenance pond, without spending a fortune.
Thank you for these awesome tips. I was appauled at the cost of aquascape products for bog filter..I am keen on building my own for much less. I really appreciate the tips right to the end about plumbing in detail!
I’m happy you found the vid helpful 👍
Thank you Kev. You've explained ponds and bog filters so well that I managed to set up a bog filter myself. Thanks to the almighty pest 'The Cane Toad' all our ponds, reed gardens and aquaculture have to be over 60cm above ground level, toads can't climb but they can jump, so the latest gold fish pond is in a 360L cattle trough. The others are large bins and raised bath tubs - have a few of those. Just have to make my outlet a bit larger and size down my pump and I will send you a photo of the latest project. Once again thanks for such an informative sensible site. Good on ya.
I look forward to seeing it 👍
I love your videos they are so helpful thank you
I’m happy you find them helpful 😊👍
Thanks Kev. Great info. We're about to start our turtle pond build using some more budget friendly materials like the olive barrel and road pipe for the wetland filter.
Fantastic 👍
I made it to the end 😂 informative
Are you sure you’re not sleep commenting? 😉
Thanks for sharing love your content.
Thanks for watching 😊
awesome vid mate , thank you
Glad you thought so 👍
I made this far mate! Cheers from Canada.
Well done Todd. I can’t believe it 👍
Thanks!
Thank you so much! Very kind 😊
5:30 This gives me an idea. It seems to me an equally effective albeit “lazy” approach to cleaning out an up-flow in ground bog filter would be to omit the clean out piping and simply detach the main fill line from the supply pump and reverse flush the system with that pipe outside of the main pond? Since we’re usually doing annual maintenance we’re already in the pond and for some of us removing the water pump anyway for the winter season. Im thinking you could simply attach another hose to the pump and place it into the top of the bog filter to reverse flush it. I’m asking more than suggesting?? Great videos! ❤️💪🏼😎👍🏼❤️
I really like this idea. Still keep the breather pipe, put a valve on it so for most of the year it works to prevent the siphon. Then when it’s time to flush shut the valve, ensure the dirty water is released outside the pond and your good to go 👍
Thanks
Thanks so much mate 🍻👍
Love the videos. Planning my pond and bog filter now. Any tips on how to connect Corrugated Flexible Hose (from the pump) to PVC pipe (for the bog)?
You can use Barb fittings that screw onto pvc fittings.
Great video, 3rd time now listening to it.
🙏 I am building a 220 gallon pond in the ground with a 27 gal rectangular container filter bog. Do I really need to place the pump inside a skimmer? Pond is 8’ long, deepest part is 2’ and width is 3’. I plan on keeping the pump midway between bottom and surface and to wrap the pump with shade cloth material to keep bigger debris out.
Oh and someone mentioned, after describing the pond set-up, that I should put a serious bubbler in the pond, is that so? I do plan on making the bog filter outflow into a small waterfall.
Thank you!
Place the pump in a garden pot and cover with a coarse filter pad. The bigger the surface area to draw from the better. The shade cloth will still clog pretty quick, ok if you don’t mind pulling the pump and cleaning it. Skimmer is still the best if you want minimal maintenance. Aeration is always good. 👍
Damn, I clicked thumbs up before the video started. .. Don't let it go to your head, the starting advert was boring 😜
😂 those damn adverts!
Hi Kev, thanks for your amazing videos!!!
Quick question on one of your videos i saw when you were building a stream you used expanding foam? was that normal Foam or pond safe one? is there any difference ( apart for the color) on the foams?
Cheers!
Nico
I just used normal foam. I can’t see any difference apart from the colour.
Hello Kev, greetings from the distant Czech Republic and thank you very much for the perfect videos you present on your website. As I study everything about the wetland (bog) filter, it is not entirely clear to me if you calculate the pump output as 6 times the volume of only the stones through which the water passes or as 6 times the volume of the entire wetland (bog) filter, that means including the volume of water in the aquaboxes under the stones and including the volume of water above the stones.
Thank you very much for your answer.
It’s just a simple statement simplified method that I find works. 6 x empty bog volume.
Hi..... can i have the intake pipe into a bog filter go through the side of the container down near the bottom? As opposed to over the top. From the inside, I would have a t-coupling to put a vertical pipe going up so there to provide a vent to break a siphon should the power go out. Thank you for your help.
You could do that but I think you’ll lose half the water in the bog. I don’t think the siphon will break till the water hits the inflow pipe.
Hi there, sending greetings from Barbados, I’m planning to build a ( 6’ x 6’ x 32” ) pond, with a ( 2’ x 6’ x 24” ) big filter, over the pond, what do you think of these dimensions? Would 2 outflows 3” be enough? Would a skimmer work with this set up? How would you go about designing a layout for this pond? Great videos ( by the way it’s a above the ground pond )
I’m pretty confident 2 x 3” outflows would be plenty. Imperial measurements aren’t my strong suit I’ve grown up using metric. I do plan on converting my small anoxic above ground pond back into a bog style pond so I’ll be sure to do a video on that. It’s much smaller than your pond but the principals will all be scalable 👍
Hi Kev, I love your content, I thumbs up and subscribed. I'm designing a swim and I would like to start in about 5 months. Is there any way I could communicate with you for guidance on a few questions?
My aim is to help as many people as I can. If you require personalised advice I ask for a donation to cover my time. There’s more information on my website 👍
Hi Kev . Great videos . I've found them very helpful , as I am new to pond construction/maintenance. I have a large pond which has no linings, i hope to get it lined in future . I am. struggling to keep clean , aerated . I've used 2x dirty water sump pumps floated just for circulation but they don't last . I am keen to give bog filter a go . I am sure I'll need 2x as a proxy 270 k water volume . Do you use particular brands of pumps and where do you buy they .
The pumps I like are listed on my website on the product page. However these really need to be protected from larger materials I wouldn’t just stick them in a large dirty pond. I house them in an intake bay, diy skimmer or at the base of a negative edge- that helps filter out the large stuff that would hurt the pumps.
@Ozponds thnx for reply . I will look at products area on your page . I was getting a external pump .. love ya work 😁
Hi.... i am new to ponds and building my own filtration system. I appreciate your videos and drawings to explain the finer details. Is it possible to have a single loop system where the pump feeds the pond water into the barrel bog, then travels through a UV light tube and then finally a mechanical filter before returning to the pond? I figured the bog would go first for the ecological principals used to maintain the bog's ecosystem. My pond is about 2,000 gallons. Also, what plants should I place on top of the bog that would help with nitrogen compounds? Thanks for your help.
A barrel is only around 40-50 gallons, that’s too small for a 2000 gallon pond. Any marginal plant will consume nitrogen. A go to plant for me in my bogs is bacopa.
@@Ozponds Thanks for your help. I am actually using a 275 gallon ibc container that is food grade and had olive oil in it so no toxic substances were in there........ What type of rocks should I use in the bog filter? I don't want to use any rocks that could add harmful substances to the water. Thanks
I may have missed it if you already addressed this, but could you use an inline check valve to make sure the water can only flow from the pond to the filter? That way you don’t have to worry about siphoning since the valve would just close?
I’ve just found that they fail. The breather pipe will never fail.
Oh that’s great to know! I am working on designing a bog filter that uses a liner instead of a container and was looking at my options for preventing siphoning, so I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks!
Helloo, I’m gonna be digging about a 5000 gal pond what size bog would you recommend also do you have a specific pump you use
I would have a 500 gal bog. Pump would be around 3000 gal per hour. I like variable speed pumps. You can see the ones I like on my website.
I made a few bogs so far and all of them worked terrific, but I had one idea lately for a new pond I’m planning. I was thinking, what if I made the bog at the same water level as the pond itself? The idea behind it so that it can be used by smaller fish and bugs as a refuge from the larger fish in the pond itself. The flow should still be sufficient if I’m not mistaken. The only downside might be cleaning it, but I have access to well water so using more of it for cleaning shouldn’t be a problem. What are your thoughts about it mate?
I don’t mind it at all. It’s a great idea. Like you say only downside is cleaning. So make it shallower or completely watertight from the main pond, just so you don’t need to drain the entire pond.
My pond is an old bath about 80 gallons I believe. My pump is really powerful circulates the water in about 5 minutes - I think it is 1000 lt an hour . Will this push water into the bog too fast?
Yes. Bogs like a slow flow. Although 5minutes to pass through the bog itself wouldn’t be the end of the world.
@@Ozponds thanks - I have a smaller pump but the impeller keeps getting stuck
What type of rocks should I use in the bog filter? I don't want to use any rocks that could add harmful substances to the water. Thanks
I don’t overthink it. I use anything I can get my hands on.
Thanks. Question: Do you think it is overkill for a solids settler for a small 50 gallon pond; or do you think a bog filter will do?
I would say it’s unnecessary as long as you design the bog so it can be flushed easily.
Thanks for the quick reply too!
Hi Kev..What size Uniseals did you use for the 50mm BARFELL Grey HD Extra Flexible Suction Hose .Ive ordered 50mm however I have just realized that it has an OD of 59.6mm??
Yeah the hole you drill is bigger than the size. Always buy for the size you need. Rob bob- bits out the back website has a handy little table for different pipe sizes.
Thanks..I actually ordered them from Rob so that's really helpful...hopefully water by xmas day... @@Ozponds
🤞
Dear Kev, i'm learning from you to build a bog filter for my koi pond now. please tell me how you can keep water clean during the winter if the bog can't work well during the winter?
What’s your definition of “clean”?
@Ozponds so after winter I have string bloom every year as the blog isn't functioning enough
So you already have a bog and after winter or during winter there is an algae bloom? Have you ever tried the cold water bacteria? Barley straw extract? Ionisers? Nualgi or diatomix? Phosphate binders? They might be options. But if the algae dissipates once the water warms a bit, I’d be inclined to just accept the algae as part of the ecosystem finding its balance.
@@Ozponds yes, that's what I'm doing so far, clean the pond after winter n put some chemicals....
Not much else you can do.
If i’m using a 75L (20gal) container for my bog filter project for my goldfish tank. Is right that i use a pump 6x the volume of the container?
Correct. A 450L pump should be perfect.
Also how deep should be the bog if i’m going to use a 75L container? Thanks.
I’m not too fussy about depth. A 75L container is pretty small so I’m not worried about you going too deep. And I’ve created bog filters as shallow as 10cm, so that’s not an issue either.
@@Ozponds thanks for the help and tips. My goldfish tank is also 20gal too.
I have a bog filter. All works good, but when power cuts, all water goes back in the pond through the pump. I use a hose pipe to feed water in the filter, and I don't know how to stop it. What can I use to stop it any attachments for the hose pipe?
Are you kidding me? This video you’ve commented on talks about the breather pipe. You need a breather pipe to stop the siphon. Check valves fail a breather pipe won’t.
@Ozponds I connected hose pipe with my bog filter. Do I need pipes to do it?
Here’s a video dedicated to the breather pipe. I use a valve as it gives me control, but it could be as simple as drilling a hole. Breather pipe for a bog filter
czcams.com/video/03Om94Fg5g4/video.html
Hi kev thanks for the detailed description
The inlet to the bog need to be split with holes or we can just let the water into the bottom ?
You want to disperse it evenly along the base of the bog. That can be done a variety of different ways. Usually a pipe with holes would be substantially larger than the inlet pipe. You want to create a decent void area, this will help disperse the water evenly, it will also help during cleaning/ maintenance.
@@Ozponds thanks a lot
My inlet is a one inch pipe so I connect it to a 1.5 or 2 inch pipe with holes or distribute the one inch pipe?
I’d probably even go for a 4 inch pipe. The bigger the void area the better (within reason). This area will accumulate a lot of solid waste.
@@Ozponds i will do a 4 inch void but for dispersing water from inlet to the base, 1 inch to 1.5 inch is sufficient I guess
Yes whatever the plumbing is from pump is fine.
Hi Kev
Could you do a diagram of how to do a gravity fed bog filter using a retro bottom drain if possible?
I’ve never done it before. Your diagram would be as good as mine.
Ah ok! I assume it would be acceptable to have the retro bottom drain feeding directly into the bottom of a barrel where the water should rise to the level of the pond then have it exit at the top down into an external pump? I'm thinking this would be ok only thing is would the breather pipe have to be on the downpipe to the external filter rather than in the inward side like yours?
I can’t quite wrap my head around it. Why does it need to be a drain? Can it not just be a solids handling pump placed in the bottom of the pond? I feel like then the plumbing should all be simple. Maybe I’m missing something.
@@Ozponds more so that I'll get the effect of a true bottom drain without having to cut a hole in the liner and can run the external pump the other side of the filter so not to chop up any solids
I'll run a separate pump in an intake bay
Fair enough. I’m just curious. Obviously I’ve never had a bottom drain before but what do they do differently than a solids handling pump? I know some people will pump air through them. So that kinda cool but it’s easy to run an airline also. I’m just curious is all I like learning.
I have never heard about this equation (bog size * 6 = pump size). I followed that instruction where the volume of the pond should be equal to the pump size to circulate it once in an hour. My pond is 36.000 liter and the bog is around 9000 liter. It is between 20 and 30 percent. Actually 25% (9000L / 36000L * 100 = 25%). I bought two 18.000 L / hour pumps, instead i should have bought 54.000 L / hour pump? Maybe my instruction is wrong.
No not really. The bog size x 6 is my equation to make things simple. I’d never heard it before so I created it. It’s just what I’ve found works for a bog. Circulating the pond once an hour is still good but you don’t want all the water going through the bog. It requires a slow flow. The excess flow can be used for jets, waterfalls, streams or ran through a higher flow filter with sponges and other media. Tons of options.
Here is another way to construct a bog filter inexpensively that I am considering for my pond that I am digging. Wonder what you think of it. czcams.com/video/gaLOR0Um894/video.html
I don’t mind it. Just make sure your holes are big enough not to clog.