Simple DIY *BOG FILTER* build! 

Hi, this sounds like a very good way. Would you by any chance have a diagram? I am fine with building the bog filter just not sure how to add the backwash option you mentioned

Hi there, I’ve made a couple of bog filters since this one, on my channel, that include a clean-out/ backwash. In this video I show made a bog filter with a clean out at the bottom: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-oFc0oT5Zhks.htmlsi=zHkQa0_G-LtgOyCv And in this video I included a clean-out snorkel, which allows you to suck the waste out with a pond vac: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-u2czx6wGV8g.htmlsi=F21MuDK1oQjD3HQT Hope that helps!

Thank you! I’m glad your pond has cleared up!! 😊

Thanks Finn Wiggles!! I’ve been working on the garden for a few years now, but it’s only been the last couple of years that I started adding ponds! I think one of the best things about the ponds is the sound of the water, makes such a difference to the feel of garden!!

Thanks very much! I was pleased with how it all came out!!! 😀

That’s awesome, I love bog filters!!! 😄

Lava rocks and river pebbles.

That’s awesome!! I’m glad I could help! 😊

Thanks mate, i made it to replace an old one that had started leaking, so had to get it all done pretty sharpish! I was pleased with how it all came out though!!

@@GingerFishyOfficial Oh ok got it! Good job 👍

Hi there, depends on the fish you’re keeping really. I was just keeping a few minnows so it never really needed cleaning. However, if you’re thinking of keeping bigger fish like goldfish then it will need cleaning from time to time. And if this is the case I would advise adding a clean out valve. I made a similar filter with the addition of a clean out valve in my video ‘DIY Patio Pond Build with Bog Filter’. Heres the link for it if you want to check it out: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-oFc0oT5Zhks.htmlsi=n5x2qKauouH6Suh8 Hope that helps!

@@GingerFishyOfficial very helpful thanks!

Hi there, you can always send pictures to my email gingerfishyofficial@gmail.com and I can have quick look. 👍

How to build a super low maintenance koi pond filter system (Cheap and easy) ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-_SdWMuxuNsU.html

Thanks mate! Will check it out!! 👊

That’s awesome! Glad your pond is clearing up!!! Bog filters for the win!!!

I didn’t install a clean out on this bog filter, as it was just a quick build that was going on a very lightly stocked minnow pond. I’ve built a few other bog filters though that you can see on the channel, that do include either a clean out valve or a clean out snorkel. The bog filter design in this video is a good example of a clean out valve: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-oFc0oT5Zhks.htmlsi=BlpQNmyrx9B0mO-- And the bog filter in this build is a good example of a clean out snorkel: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-u2czx6wGV8g.htmlsi=1jH3J66KCBIAcYlX Hope that helps!

Hi Vicky, i used 21.5 in this bog filter, but all you really need to do is to make sure the input pvc pipe can fit to your pond pump hosing.. also, even though I didn’t do it with this filter, it’s often a good idea to use a larger diameter for the output, as this allows the water to flow back into the pond more easily, and should stop the bog filter from potentially overflowing. Also, just to let you know I made a similar bog filter to this, but with a few upgrade in this video: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-oFc0oT5Zhks.htmlsi=e7v0NKbI2oRUcPDZ

Thank you! Yeah, I think it was a speedfit. I think that’s all they had at Wickes. 👍

Hi there, your wildlife pond sounds great! The size of the bog filter needed will depend on the amount of fish you are planning on keeping.. but usually, if you’re not over stocking fish, your bog would want to be at least 10% the volume of the pond. But if you are planning on having a lot of fish, you may want to go nearer 30% the volume of the pond. Hope that helps!

Thank you! Sometimes the tanks connectors are known as bulkheads. Failing that, you could look into using a uniseal instead, they’re a similar sort of thing. 😊

Hi there, yeah this was just really simple design that I had to build quickly to replace my old filter that had started leaking. Ive got better bog filter designs that I’ve built since. The one for my patio pond was a good one. Here’s the link if want to check it out: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-oFc0oT5Zhks.htmlsi=fB8rtrMe0E--iNdt

Hi there, yeah the filter/pump really needs to be running 24hours a day. The good thing about bog filters though is that they work best when they have a low flow running through them, and therefore work well with smaller pumps that don’t use too much electricity 👍

Yeah, plants will do great in there. Wouldn’t recommend using aquatic soil though, as it will cause excess nutrients to get into the water column, and cause algae. Just plant straight in to the gravel, and the plants will grow nicely 👍🌿

If you’re planning on making something like this for koi, it’s probably a good idea to add a clean out valve. I made a similar filter to this for my diy patio pond, but it included a cleanout. You can see the video here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-oFc0oT5Zhks.htmlsi=bTjSFiLnX6_uZTOu Also depending on the amount of koi you are keeping will depend on how big the actually bog filter will need to be. It will probably need to be a fair bit bigger than what I made in this video. 👍

Thank you! The pump is placed just inside the pond, slightly off the bottom. If you check out the video that I did after this one called ‘Pond Spring Clean-out’ I show the pre-filter and pump placement in that video! 😊

I’ve never had any issues, but always best to do your own research 👍

Gracias 😊

Yeah, there’s no easy way to clean it out unfortunately. But if you check out my video ‘DIY Patio Pond with Bog Filter, I show a step by step of a different bog filter design, which includes a clean out valve. I’ll link the video below if you want to check it out! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-oFc0oT5Zhks.htmlsi=mpxb0Uq_RxHHMTro

I think as long as the hole that the water exits out back into the pond is big enough, you should be fine. Also, so long as the bog is maintained by trimming back or pulling out any plants that get too big or invasive, that will stop it from getting clogged. Obviously having an extra spill way would just be an extra added level of security. Also, so long as you don’t put your pump on the the very bottom of the pond, the pond can never be completely drained, so even if the bog did get clogged and overflow, it wouldn’t be a complete disaster. Hope that helped! 😊

@@GingerFishyOfficial Thank you very much!

Yeah, the water is being pumped from the pond, using a submersible pump. I think the one I’m using is a 700LPH Blagdon Mini Pond pump (I’ll put an Amazon Affiliate link in the description of this video). I also added an extra valve so I could adjust the flow rate (although this is not always needed as you can adjust the flow rate on the actual pump itself, the extra valve just makes it a bit easier). One thing to remember though is that it’s generally safer not to place to pump right of the bottom of the pond, just in case there is a leak with the filter. Having the pump raised up a little bit, means there is no way that the pump could completely drain the pond. Hope that helps, and good luck with you pond and filter build! 😊

Thank you mate! Had to work quick on this one, the previous bog filter had started leaking, so had to get this one built asap!!! 😀

Too big is better than too small.

This was just a very quick build that I wanted to keep as simple as possible. If you check out my video ‘DIY Patio Pond with Bog Filter’, I include a false bottom and clean out valve in that one. 👊

​@GingerFishyOfficial could you put all the pvc parts and pipes in a list,can't see the instructions to good

I’ve not found horsetail too bad on that front, especially compared to typha, which does a great job cleaning the water, but has a massive root mass..Have you tried iris?

Yeah, that should work just fine. 👍

Thank you!

Yeah, I’ve used lava rock in the past, it’s good stuff 👍

Hi there, it’s in a container (pre-filter). You can see it in this video: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-4ZY5w_6yaK8.htmlsi=_GtVDX2NUxqzGRw-

@@GingerFishyOfficial Thank you. Do you have a video how you made the DYI pre-filter?

Good question, the top spray bar is really just to stop the gravel from going into the outflow pipe, which could potentially block it up. The bottom spray bar is to disperse the water more evenly throughout the bottom of the filter. So they’re doing 2 completely different things really. You could have a spray bar at the top and the bottom, if you wanted. They’re are pros and cons to using the spray bars though. For example if you have one at the bottom, there is always a chance that one day it could get blocked up. And the same with the spray bar at the top really, as by having a spray bar at the top, it could potentially more likely get clogged with plant roots. I think I prefer to not have one at the bottom, and to just have one at the top, because if you do have one at the bottom and it does get blocked, you might end up having to take all the gravel out to unblock it, which would be a massive pain. Where as if the top one gets blocked, it’s pretty easy to reach and easily unblock. Sorry for the long winded reply, it was a bit hard to explain… hope it helped though! And thanks for watching!!

I think that pond was only about 500L/ 130 Gallons, it was also a very lightly stocked pond (just a few minnows). But generally, when it comes to bog filters, you want to aim for the actual volume of the bog filter itself being between 10% and 25% the volume of the pond. 10% for a lightly stocked pond, 25% for a more heavily stocked. Also, I’ve made a couple of diy bog filters since this one, that include a clean out valve, which is a handy addition. You can see them in these two videos: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-oFc0oT5Zhks.htmlsi=9SjPLQ3r5duH2Lv2 ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-u2czx6wGV8g.htmlsi=iGRe1aNDctHoN2Xo

Hi Sally, I used some 19mm (3/4inch) pond hosing, and a couple of 19mm horsetail elbows. The pvc pipe fitted nicely over the horsetail elbow, and all fittings were held in place using metal hose clips. I also added a flow control valve so I could turn the flow down, because the pump I was using was a little too powerful. Hope that helps! 😊

Thank you! 😊

Hi there! Are you in the UK? I got them from Wickes, unfortunately though, I don’t think they sell them anymore as they have changed to a push fit system.. which is annoying.. You should be able to pick them up from any good pond shop though. 👍

Hi Robert, it depends on the stocking level of the pond really.. if your pond is just lightly stocked you may not need to clean it out as the plants along with micro organisms and bacteria’s and that will grow in the filter will be able to break it down quick enough that it won’t build up too much. On the other hand if your have a well stocked pond with bigger fish you may need to clean it out from time to time. If this is the case I would suggest adding some sort of clean out valve like I did in my DIY Patio Pond Build, which enables you to clean out the waste from the filter without completely dismantling it. 👍😊

@@GingerFishyOfficial Thank you!!!!

Pee in it before the frost comes.

Not really any tips.. I’ve never really overthought it, when I installed the tank connector in this video, I just made sure the rubber gasket was on the wet side of the filter. However, apparently that isn’t always the correct way of doing it.. If you can find a tank connector with 2 rubber gaskets, you could always put one either side of the filter, that may well help add an extra layer of protection to help prevent leaks. Some people add silicone, but I didn’t use any when I did mine, and I’ve had no issue. Also, one thing to remember is not to over tighten. Hope that helps!

Thank you! 😊👍

Hi Chris, yeah that’s the idea. Mosquitos aren’t too bigger problem where I live, but I’ve seen people build similar things in tropical climates, and yeah like you say they really just make sure the rocks go over the water line, and that should hopefully help stop the mosquito. If you do build something similar, you’ll probably find that after a few weeks you may need to add some more rock as it all settles/ sinks down a bit 👍

@@GingerFishyOfficial thanks will top off today

Thank you! I forgot to show it in the video, but what in did to prevent that was to put some slightly larger rocks around the outlet, which held the gravel back, and stopped it from going down the outflow pipe. I’ve got another video (DIY Above Ground Mini Pond, Pt2) though where I built a pond with a similar bog filter, which I show this step in more detail. Thanks for watching! 😎🐟🌿

You can also use filter media mesh over the pipe to prevent it from going down the pipe as well.

Yeah, I should have done that really

Hi there! Yeah, you can replace the gravel with any type of filter media you’d like. Just standard gravel like I used here will filter the water though, as it provides surface area for beneficial bacteria to grow, that will break down waste, just like any other filter media would. The plants will also act as a filter by pulling out any excess nutrients and ammonia out of the water. But yeah, if you’d prefer you could add layers of sponge, that way you could take the sponges out to clean every now and then, and that would probably polish the water little better. But obviously you wouldn’t be able to add plants then, which I think are beneficial. But, yeah using a media that can be easily removed for cleaning likes sponges or bags of bio balls would l make be easier to clean out. Hope that’ll helps, and thanks for watching! 😊

Hi Lisa, I’m not 100% sure, as it was quite a while ago now that I built it. But i think it was a 6mm drill bit. As long as the holes are big enough to let the water through at at a quick enough rate, but small enough so that the gravel won’t end up getting stuck in it. 👍😊

Hi Lisa, I’m not 100% sure, as it was quite a while ago now that I built it. But i think it was a 6mm drill bit. As long as the holes are big enough to let the water through at at a quick enough rate, but small enough so that the gravel won’t end up getting stuck in it. 👍😊

Yeah, worked all through the winter, no problem! 👊

I will try adding it to the description when I get a minute 😊

Hi there, it depends on the stocking level of the pond, but generally you want to make to bog at least 10% of the size of the pond, for an average stocking level. But if you’re planning on heavily stocking, you’d want to go for around 30% the size of the pond. So for a 40 gallon pond you’d want your bog filter to be between 4 and 12 gallons. 👍

As long as the outflow from the bog filter is higher than the surface of the pond, you should be all good 😊👍

Cheers mate, yeah I’ve got the flow rate turned down quite low as there’s only few White Cloud Mountain minnows in there at the moment. But with the flow control valve I’ve got on there, I may turn it up a bit as the weather warms up!😃

No reason really, you can put the inlet at the bottom, I was just trying to keep this one as simple as possible. Having it come in over the top though does reduce chances of a leak, as theres one less hole to drill. Which pipe down to the bottom do you mean? The one connected to the outlet? 😊👍

@@GingerFishyOfficial the pipe in which the pump is fed in which goes to the bottom of the container. One I'm getting at is i already have a old water barrel which has a hole already drilled. So my plan would be water comes in through the bottom, rises up through the stones and exits via a pipe at the top back into the pond. I have a raised box pond so the height of the water barrel is idea for an outlet at the top back into the pond. Does this make sense?

@@kurtis8384 yeah, that’s make sense. In that case there is no reason or need for that pipe to the bottom 👍

@@GingerFishyOfficial thanks so much. Really appreciate your help

Depends on what your stocking the pond with really.. in this pond I’ve only got white cloud mountain minnows, so I probably won’t ever need to clean it out.. the bacteria’s growing in the filter will break down the waste, the plants will use it also. However, if you’re planning on keeping larger fish that produce a lot of waste, you probably will need to clean it out, and so installing a clean out valve at the bottom would be a good idea. If you check out my video ‘DIY Patio Pond with BOG FILTER’ I include a clean out valve on that build. 😊👍

I got them as a gift, but I’ll see if I can find out for you and let you know! 👍

Yeah, just a standard small pond pump. The one I used was a 900L (198Gallon) per hour pump. This did turn out to be a bit too powerful though, so I ended up having to add a flow regulator/ control valve thing to reduce the flow rate. I also made a diy pre filter thing that I put the pump inside, which helps to collect a bit of the physical debris before it reaches the bog filter. I’ve got a video called ‘Pond Spring Clean out’ that shows how I made this pre-filter. Thanks for watching! 😊

@@GingerFishyOfficial perfect! I’ll go watch that now. :) we are building a turtle tank and debating on now what to do with filtration. Everyone said bog filter… so here I am. Great video!

@@katiecurtis5944 That’s awesome, and I’m glad you enjoyed the video! I’ve never kept turtles, but I know they can be quite messy, so you could consider adding a clean-out valve to the bottom of the filter. It would probably really help with maintenance. There’s a channel called ‘Ozponds’, and Kev, the guy whose channel it is, is a bit of a bog filter guru. He has a few different bog filter designs that incorporate a bottom clean out valve, that would be really good for a turtle setup. Might be worth checking out to help you with designing your filter. 👍😊

I don’t really clean it out.. I just let the bacteria’s break down the waste, and let the plants use it. One day it probably will become blocked/clogged but with the small fish I have in the pond, it think it will run for a good few years without a problem. I got a video called ‘DIY Patio Pond with Bog Filter’ that has a built in clean out valve, if you are looking for a bog filter design that allows for easy cleaning! 😊

I’m hoping not. I think an average winter in the UK, it should be ok. I have run a similar system in other ponds the past couple of years, but I heated them over the winter enough to stop them freezing. Because of the current energy prices though, I am hoping not to heat any of them this year. But what I will do is cover them. And as far as the actual bog filters themselves, what I think I will do is make sure it’s well filled with gravel so the water isn’t visible and in direct contact with the air, and I might even add a polycarbonate lid to the top of the filter to stop it from freezing. Haven’t fully decided exactly what I’ll be doing yet though, but I will be making a video on it when the time comes!

@@GingerFishyOfficial right on thanks!

It was a while ago that I build this, but I think it was a 900LPH pump, but I remember it being way to powerful, and having to use a flow control to dial it back. 👍

Yeah, you’re definitely right.. a clean out valve would defo be a good addition!! To be honest though, this was just a real quick and simple build that I had to get done asap, as my old filter had broken and I just needed something going straight away.. plus the pond it’s on only has little white cloud mountain minnows, so I think it could probs go for a long time before it would need cleaning! Thanks for watching!! 😊

@@GingerFishyOfficial Yep nice build! Minnows should last a long time in that tank

@@Stratiis thank you! 😊

Kind of depends what you’re stocking in your pond. I have this filter on my white cloud minnow pond, so the waste load is very low which means I don’t really need to clean it as the bacteria breaks down the waste to the point where the plants will use it all. If you were to have goldfish (which are high waste producers) you may need to clean it, which would be tricky as this design doesn’t include a clean-out valve. If you check out my video ‘DIY Pond with Bog Filter’, the filter in that video is better designed for an easy clean out! 😊

Never mind, thought more than 30 seconds about it. The rocks would crush the pump pipe.

@@Wordsalad69420not if you leave room for it to go between them.

Skip the glue and thread the pipes

No cleanout on this one unfortunately. I really wanted to keep it as simple as possible, with the potential for a leak to a minimum.. Also, the pond only has a few White Cloud Mountain minnows in it, so there shouldn’t be too much waste, and I’m hoping what waste there is the plants can use! I put out a video more recently of a diy patio pond I built, which has a similar bog filter, but I did include a clean-out valve on that one, if you want to check it out! Thanks for watching!! 👊

Hey man, i just don’t clean it out to be honest. I keep stocking low, and rely on the bacteria’s breaking down the waste to the point where the plants can use it. I imagine one day it may get blocked up though. I do run a pre-filter as well though (which I probably should have mentioned in this video) which should help stop too much muck from reaching the bog filter in the first place (I show this in the video that I put out after this one called ‘Pond Spring Clean-out). That being said though its not a perfect design, I was just aiming for simple and easy to make. I have got a video called DIY Patio Pond with Bog Filter, and in that build I include a clean out valve, which you’d definitely want if you were planning on stocking a lot of high waste producing fish. Thank for watching! 😊👊

@@GingerFishyOfficial very pretty build though 👍👍👌👌

Yeah, you raise some good points. It would be better to have the water pumped directly into the bottom of the filter, would definitely look cleaner. This build had to be done quickly as my old filter had started leaking, plus I wanted to keep the design as simple as possible, plus I’m still experimenting and learning I thought by going in at the top would mean one less hole I had to drill and therefore one less place for a potential leak. I do wish I had trimmed the pipe down a bit though.. I’m planning to rebuild my main pond in the Spring, and it will be sort of a similar design (using a bog filter) and I do intent to pump the water directly into the bottom, and keep as much equipment hidden as possible. In my next video though, (that I’m hoping to have out this Friday) I make a DIY patio pond with a bog filter, it’s a bit of a upgrade to the design in this video, but the water does go in at the top again, but you’ll have to forgive me on that one! Anyway, thanks for watching and good luck on your build! 👍

@@GingerFishyOfficial right on. I come from reef tanks and just started into ponds. I noticed a lot fo these builds make things so complicated. I look forward to your next video.

@@devisissy1so hypothetically you can just cut a hole in the backside at the bottom,insert the pump hose,layer the rock,fill in the top with a plant and pea gravel,and then cut a hole in the front? No pvc or anything needed? I’m talking just the basic principle no clean out value or anything extra.

Hi there! It’s all been dismantled now, the tub that I used as the liner for this pond is now the bog filter on my big pond that I built last summer. The bog filter in this video was just a quick emergency build after the old bog filter on the pond started leaking. It ran fine for about a year though.. I should really have included some sort of clean out valve/ snorkel on it though.

@@GingerFishyOfficial what pump do you use?

Hi there, I planted 3 different plants into the gravel.. they are Horsetail (Equisetum Japonica), Water Iris and Water Cress. Thanks for watching! 😊

All 22mm 👍

Ok !

Yeah, its not my usual style of video.. Usually I do try to talk through all the different steps, but in this case my old filter had broken that day, and I had to get this one made and hooked up as quick I could. This unfortunately meant I didn’t have time to talk and explain all the different steps. I almost didn’t film it at all for this reason.. Glad I did though, because weirdly this video has ended up being the most viewed on my channel. Thanks for the feedback though, with it being my most viewed video I was starting to think that people prefer me not talk… 😂

@@GingerFishyOfficialso just edit it with a voiceover

Different strokes for different folks. I do enjoy having things explained, but I also do enjoy the occasional “silent” video because often times when someone is talking, they spend too much time explaining something and the video is almost an hour long.

You here for the music or the video??

​@@mariao9613 He's here to learn how to make a bog filter, in school did you learn everything with music blaring and the teacher silently teaching you with actions instead of words? I think not

Thank you! Yeah, a couple of people have mentioned the music on this one, so I haven’t used that track since.. 😁

Yeah, that is a bit of a problem, but the only fish I have in this pond is a few White Cloud Mountain Minnows, so the waste produced is very low, so would take a long time to build up. Plus, it is sort of a temporary measure that I had to build quickly as the old filter that was on there previously had started leaking. I am planning a big pond rebuild soon though, in which I will build another bog filter, but it will include a clean-out valve at the bottom. Thanks for watching!

You can easily add a drain line for solids removal. The inlet at the bottom, make that a T piece with one end going out the back of the tub with a tap so you can close it off. Cleaning is simple, turn pond pump off, attach a hose, turn the 'tap' on and water your garden with the gunge as you hose from the top. Something this size would only take 5 minutes to clean every 6 months, and your garden will love it too. Check out a channel called "Ozponds" for a far better explanation than mine.

Seems fairly difficult but I sure after 10 re-watches and a few beers I'll be ready to pay someone to build it if if they'll agree to let me film it