I'm putting together plans for my next pond. It's gonna be a big one at 10,600gs. I'll be using conventional filtration but I have a friend who was telling me about bog filters. It's basically an area of the pond that's walled in and densely planted. You pump the pond water through the gravel of the plants and they filter the water biologically. The filtered water then exits the bog via a spill way.

Here's my questions. Would it be worth the cost to add a bog filter to the cost the already big bill to set the pond? And could I use the bog filer as an enclosure to keep maturing fry?

If I got the money, I'd do it. My gut feeling just says if you can keep everything natural, then it's the best thing you can do to your fish. And I don't see why can't you put fish in the filter, as long as the current flows gently enough. More research needed, maybe?

PS: I think water hyacinth makes the best plant for that type of filtration.

If its really worth the cost then i'll spend the money. If it can be used with dual purposes (like a safe place to raise fry too) then that would just seal the deal!

Bog filters take a while to actually start seeing the water get clearer but they look great. I was always told to run water quickly through them but I have also seen some with enough room to keep fish in it. I would ask that a koiphen.com... more koi keepers their. Or ask Jackie at backyardpuddle's board. She has one and really loves it...Plus it looks great.

I was planning on using it in conjunction with a conventional filter system. I'm a firm believer that you can never have too much filtration. Thanks for the tips I'll check those sites out.

I've never heard of it, but it sounds like an awesome idea

Yeah but I have to keep in mind that I have a very brown thumb so I'll have to find plants that are capable of withstanding natural disaster! LOL

I love bog filters, Olivia - especially the aspect of added natural filtration, plus the looks of all the plants. What are you planning to do with the plants in the winter? Getting winter hardy ones, or put them someplace protected?

There are plenty of plants that aren't even meant for the pond, but will do splendidly in water. The papyrus plant is one of them, and mine get gigantic in the pond, even though I bought one dwarf variety. That "dwarf" grew to 6 ft tall, multiplied like nuts, and I have those things now left and right. Not too happy at the moment though, since they are all inside, and they miss their water.
Those white lily kind of things are also great for the pond, yet both of those need protection from freezing temps.

Definetely, as at Koiphen.com, or even at koivet.com, for any suggestions. It is well worth it! With a little playing around in the plant arrangement itself, you can create spots in the bog filter where the water flow is interrupted by the plants, and where fry can live happily. I would just put some sort of finer netting near the spot where the bog water enters the pond, so that no fry get accidentally swept into the main pond and become a snack.

Thanks Andrea! I'm going to do the bog filter in addition to conventional filtration. I'm looking at $3500 to put this all together. I've got most of the money set aside but since I can't break ground on it until spring anyway so I've got time to save up the rest. I don't know what kind of plants are going in it. I don't do plants. That's my sister's department LOL. She plants all my flowers and pond plants. She could kill a fish just by looking at it but she has quite a green thumb!

Hey do you think I should add a skimmer or would that be a waste?

A skimmer just for the bog filter, or the entire pond? I wouldn't put one just in the bog, but its a big help for the bigger pond. Leaves and other debris might fall in, and since its your sister's place, she might not want to fetch those leaves from the bottom of the pond every single day. I wish I had a skimmer on my hubby's ponds.

You and your sister are a perfect pair then, hm? One takes care of the fish, the other of the plants!

One of the most beautiful ponds I have seen is a very large display pond [one of many] at a pond store/nursery in South Haven, MS [Memphis suburb]. That pond has a big skimmer that pulls water from the main pond and pumps it into a bog. The water passes through the bog then drops gently back into the main pond. That water is pristine and it is the only filter system on the pond. The fish are spectacular, too. Bog filters are way cool. I was told that the only downside is they do have to be cleaned from time to time, which means digging everything up. The best way to distribute water through the bog is with a network of pipes underneath, so it passes evenly through. I was told these pipes can clog over time.

CK