If you want to see some of the DIY pond filters I've built around my yard this is a good playlist to check out- • OZPOND DIY POND FILTER... For helpful products and articles visit ozponds.com
Hi Kev the bog filter is still going strong almost 2years now and have nearly 30 koi and 2 sturgeon and never have a issue was the best decision I ever made and watching you videos on how to construct one was so easy 👍 good to see your at nearly 50k in subs 👍
I’m so happy mate. This is what makes it worthwhile. I love when people reach out and tell me that the videos helped them in their pond journey. Thanks for all your support over the years 🍻👍
@@benjaminwillems8839 16000Lt including filtration I do still run a EA nexus 220 for mechanical filtration with a uv off a bottom drain and the bog runs off my skimmer line.
A person who knows what he's talking about. Most aquarium edutubers just give instructions, but not explain the science behind it. This is a good channel. Subscribing...
I swapped the sponges in my filter barrel for 3 sizes of rocks and I'm absolutely amazed at how clear the water is now. I first found one of your video's a couple of years ago so it took me a while but worked a treat. Thanks Kev.
As a biologist, it is delightful to see a RU-vidr that understands pond ecology and is giving actual good advice ❤. It is exhausting seeing over manufactured artificial plastic systems being pushed while sitting on the sidelines jumping up and down yelling "adjust you ecological balance with micro habitat zones and well selected maintenance organisms!"in my head. "Noooo, not a giant empty drum with a plastic box in it ... No, no why are you cleaning the filter weekly, what are you doing?!" Lol.
@darcieclements4880 Hello,Darcie. Having the day off, I was grazing the internet and just found this. A water feature has been on my bucket list for a while, and I may be able to do this soon. Having kept planted fish tanks and some success with raising some fry, I am aware of a bit of this biological process. I found a book several years ago called Dynamic Aquaria. It was mind-boggling to verify the complexities of nature. Anyway,I had a lace plant seed and sprout over 90 plants. I have never been able to reproduce that. If you have any suggestions as to where I might find some information, I would appreciate that. Thanks.
I am planning to make a pond for my 3 year old, thinking of making 2 parts one for 5-6 fishes and another for him to play inside , thank you for all your support ❤
I'm glad I found your channel years ago. The detailed breakdowns and instructions were super helpful. I was able to build a bog filter in 2021 that was 6feet x 3feet and 3 feet deep. It flows out through a wide stream and is an absolute powerhouse of a filter that I only need to clean out twice a year. My pond water is always crystal clear, all the fish are healthier, and tons of native frogs populate the bog during springtime and breed in its shallow waters.
Commenting so the matrix puts the video infront of more people, superb video as always chap. Soon I will have all the fittings to make my mk2 bog filter, my test bog filter made the world of difference - thanks to you and your channel.
Having a bog filter for 1 year now and wow, just amazed by results. I have around 10 koi and now the water is crystal clear, I'm still amazed. I used to clean the barrel filter ever 2 weeks and never had water quality even close to what it is now, hell I could barely see my koi.
This popped up in my feed, so thought I'd have a squint at it. Glad I did, as I've learnt something new. I live in a tenement building, in a city, however, if I ever win the lottery I'll buy somewhere out in the country and create a crystal clear pond, now I have the knowhow. 😂😂😂 Thanks for uploading!
i encourage you to go have a look at prices in small villages around 600 people or so. away from cities. you might be shocked at the prices and be able to stop dreaming and start doing. I miss the city life sometimes, but then just today, i set up my pond for the year. so theres that
This same concept applies to aquariums as well, with undergravel filters- except water flow is usually top to bottom instead of bottom to top.. If outdoor space is completely out of the question, maybe you can an aquarium.
I think of the bog filter as part of the pond. Yours are just as lovely as the pond itself, and that is my goal - to make my bog filter a beautiful functional plant growing part of the pond. I'm trying out a couple different plants this year, I've got hydrocotyle tripartita, bacopa, water sprite, and rotala. I hope the hydrocotyle will take off and shade the top of the bog a little, plus it is so interesting to look at. I haven't had much luck with water sprite in the bog, but it grows like crazy in baskets in the pond, maybe I will have better luck with it this year.
Thanks Mandy. I’m quite sure your bog and pond are incredibly beautiful. Thanks for always commenting and supporting my efforts 😊. Good luck with the new plants. It’s always trial and error 👍
I have been saved by small stock in my ponds. Just as you said, the water was always crystal clear. This worked with my old 5m x 4m x1m large backyard pond to my new 3m x 1m x .4m one. My small pond has no mechanical agitation but a healthy ratio of surface area compared to depth, and a couple of hand fulls of frog friendly fish with plenty of plants and snails have produced the same results. Next to no maintenance and beautiful water quality. Love it ✅️
There's a large run-off pond on my parents' property, and duckweed takes over every year. I hope to manage it a bit this year, and finding your video was very helpful.
Thank you so much, Kev. I’ve just discovered you & although I have a small pond system, it wasn’t working well. I’ve been scratching to find a solution Brilliant, now I know which way to go. So grateful for your generous sharing of I formation. Torquay/Vic.
The cormorant came back😞. The fish in this video have left us. At least some of them. There might be a few still hiding but I haven’t seen any for a few days.
Thank you. It is such a wonderful video and your pond is truly so clear! I don’t have a pond and I wasn’t even interested but YT recommended your video. I’m happy I watched it. Your voice and explanations were so clear and soothing as well. One day if I have a chance to build a pond, I’ll do what you said here. Thank you again.
Instant subscription! Thank you so much for this (and I'm assuming all your other videos too). This is exactly what I've been looking for. I'm so happy I found you!
Very well explained, I have a Aquaponic greenhouse I built a fluidized sand bed to give nitrifying bacteria a home, it works great. I think I will set up a bog filter for my pond soon, Thanks for your informative video, cheers 🍻
Kev this was an excellent explanation of the nitrogen cycle. No math to scare off new-be's. They can delve into the math once they get the concept. Again, well done.
@@Ozponds Pond is now fully finished, had fish in for 2 weeks now and water is still crystal clear, although I'm expecting a few changes as the pond gets established. Just wanted to say a huge thank you for your videos and website, my project was 80% made from information from you, and was built for about 10% of the cost someone would have quoted me. Thank you!
There is another way to have clear water I use. I go to local stream which is overflowing with invasive pond weed, pull out large amounts and throw them in water and they filter it. These need to be changed once pond gets cloudy. Your way is by far superior though.
5:38 i made something similar with 5 gallon bucket of lava rock (for a small pond), works great. no flush valve necessary. who would have thought keeping the water crystal clear is so easy? no need for expensive filter media or a UV filter. thanks kev.
@@Ozponds With the traffic as I remember it there that probably puts you in about Dandenong 🤣 Too much water here in rural scotland - especially after the snow. I will try to build a pond here.
My bog filter has canna lilies but the problem is the rooting system is very invasive thereby restricting upward flow from the manifold piping. Still working but flow is bit slower
Yes the canna is great at consuming nutrient but those roots! Boy oh boy do they get thick. Here canna go dormant in winter that’s the time to dig it up.
I usually only have an issue if it’s in the tap water. In summer I need to top the pond with city water. Tends to encourage string algae for me, not so much green water.
I have no first hand experience in this. My assumption is that it’s perfectly fine as the biological activity in the pond over winter is also dormant. In spring start it all up again and off you go.
If you search for “how to winterize a pond” you will get great explanation. From what I found most northern ponds will get a clean in spring to manually remove string algea, they are active when the bacterias are not yet, and then as soon as the water temperature rises to around 10c the beneficial bacterias will be active again.
Hi Kev. Great videos. I have a solar pump, like most, and was wondering if this is enough to provide enough water for a bog filter? The pond is quite small, I'm not great at DIY which is why I've been looking at those ceramic pot filters with charcoal etc....the ones made quite easily, but a bog filter and the idea of the beneficial bacteria really appeals to me. Thanks 👍🏼
Great video. Thinking of making g a bog. Regarding the pebbles. Can they be placed in a net bag like a Landry net. Would this affect the bacteria growth.
@@Ozponds thank you. Can I just also please ask. I plan to have water coming from two different sides of the rock waterfall due to the slimness it will be due to room. I planned on have two outlets from the big filter. As long as the filter is dead level and the outlets are cut exactly on the same level do you think this will flow ok. I’m not interested in fast flowing water. More like a trickle of rocks and eventually into the pond.
There is an area of my local park where water always ends up. I want to take a mattock to it and maybe make it into a natural pond? How do you avoid pond liners? It might be just a seasonal pond?
It could. There’s a few issues though. One is you have no control over the quality and quantity of water coming into the dam. Two it becomes ridiculously expensive as everything is much bigger, pumps, filter, aerator, liner, etc. Three the filters and pumps will need maintenance every now and then and because everything is so big it would be a real chore. Better ways to spend money in my opinion.
@@s-c.. you should do some research into it. I think that when you go up to a certain size nature reaches a balance by itself. I remember the swamp not far from the house I grew up in had always crystal clear water we could see every detail of the mud in the bottom. It was a swamp fed by rainwater with no water change to speak of and had lots of waterfowl and fish in it. I guess it was all the reeds and underwater vegetation that helped balance the system. Btw good luck with getting your farm! 😊
@@pansepot1490 Thanks & thanks : ) I’m planning to plant lots of marginals & aquatics, if just for an experiment - at the least it will hopefully look nice! We all used to swim in my friend’s dam when we were growing up, & lived to tell the tale, but I’m a lot softer now!
I live in central austraia and every pond or dam is like muddy brown water, would this work to clear the sediment that suspends in it? We have loads of native fish in there and seem to do well regardless, but unless you chuck a castnet in there you wouldnt know they where there.
Unlined dam is almost impossible to keep clear. The clay stays suspended in the water even with filtration. You can use flocculent but it would be expensive.
Oh I would love to try this on our dam … would you be able to turn on and off the filter? Say over a hot dry summer. Would the big filter come back to life or just become a sludge pit. I suspect the latter. Just worried that there may be too much evaporation at some points of the year.
Hello, Kev. I have been wanting to build a water feature for a while now and may be able to do this in the near future. I live in Texas and during the summers, I definitely would have to top it off occasionally. I would probably have to create a drum container to mix the water. My biggest question is about all the leaves that would certainly accumulate. I keep planted fish tanks and use natural things in them,but certainly not a bottom full of leaves! And suggestions as to where to find information on building a small pond right the first time would be appreciated. Thanks.
I did a video about a year ago on designing and building a pond. I think it’s a two part video. It will certainly contain plenty of useful information for you.
I am struggling to get this clear water. I have 2 skimmers and 2 bio water falls with the bio balls in them. Would you suggest to use rocks instead. I have a 10000 gallon pond. What would be the maximum flow rate you would want through a bog filter so to speak.
You need to watch a few of the bog filter videos. First you need to figure out the size required, then you can work out flow. I have videos teaching how I scale mine.
I like too know more about ponds we have a small pond in our yard and it's ugly because of the pond LG be great for fish but we have a lot of frogs in the pond just like too now what I can do to get it clear pond instead of it being gross and green
Thank you for your tips. Was also wondering what plants to go for; given that the filters top area will be a feature to enjoy. I was going to try to keep it uncomplicated or natural and have two Iris with a little cress in patches. I know the Iris will do well in a clay soil, but will the clay be a bad idea for the top. Of course I have to leave open shingle? I was also wanting to pump the water from the bottom of a "Skimmer" yet that will have to somehow dictate the water level. I think that I will have to raise the bog up a little, so that it can run back to the pond. Will the filter work better with less pressure and if so, should I use a smaller pump from the pond directly. Then have the main pump at the bottom of the skimmer run water to the waterfall and stream? What do you think? p.s. Oh one last Q. Do you think a wall/barrier made of cement blocks, maybe home made ones, then rendered with strong cement will be waterproof enough?
Does it freeze where you are at? This kind of filter looks perfect for my dad’s pond, but we are in Michigan and I think it would be tough to keep running in the winter.
I have a small outside pond plastic one that you get at the store, but my water is green and I have a small filter in it. Can you help me tell me what to do? It looks like algae and I have goldfish in it.
I'm battling cloudy green water now😫. it's just so cloudy. It was crystal clear last week. It's getting really hot here in AZ now. So I'm hoping it's just trying to balance itself out.
@@OzpondsThank you. I just added a big matala aerator a few days ago. I hope it clears up soon because I REALLY miss that clear water😫. I don't know what else to do but patiently wait😢
String algae is a funny unpredictable beast. I find it’s about pond maturity that makes the biggest difference. New ponds are like pimply teenagers. Old ponds are like Sean Connery.
Like Dan said or get a plant pot some course filter sponge and make a cover. It’s all about increasing the surface area that the pump can draw water from. There’s a recent video I made on this very topic 👍
