DIY Dream pond update | 18 months

This is an update on my largish backyard, well in this case front yard pond. This pond was built utilising DIY bog filters, DIY intake bay and DIY high-flow filter. If you want to see how the pond was built this playlist will do just that plus include any previous updates.
• Dream pond build
The pumps I used on this pond are the jeboa DCP-15000, here's an amazon link if you want to check those out. amzn.to/3WBwoKt
You can view links to the products I like to use in my ponds at ozponds.com

[@spinningdragontao]

I love this channel and your work. You really should be hired as a consultant for many aquariums, wildlife parks etc. Top man.

[@Ozponds]

That would be cool

[@youwonder472]

I used your channel and dream pond as an inspiration for my pond with stream which Im currently digging. It will be half the size of your pond. Thank you for this channel, it is really informative.

[@Ozponds]

I’m glad you find it helpful 👍

[@StraightOtohGunga]

The pond is looking great 👍 I love that you give realistic updates and don't try to hide some of the issues or algae

[@Ozponds]

Thanks 👍

[@Brad-lt4lw]

Absolutely amazing Kev..

[@Ozponds]

Thanks mate 🍻

[@AaronHahnStudios]

Waters looking excellent. 🐟

[@Ozponds]

I’m starting to get a bit of algae. I’m not 100% sure the cause yet. I think it might be the tap water I’m topping up with.

[@AaronHahnStudios]

@@Ozponds Try a different Tap .. I'll mail you some hose 😜

[@Ozponds]

🤣🤣🤣 just 3000km worth!

[@schneelutz]

spectacular!

[@Ozponds]

Thanks 👍

[@smithmiesterman]

still love your pond mate!

[@michealadderley9081]

Thanks for the update definitely worth the hard work now it's starting to settle and mature it's an awesome place to sit and relax taking in the sounds of water and wildlife and watching the fish / plants grow . I agree with you on the pumps mine have never let me down there easy to maintain and clean the impellers in my case there in large planting basket's safer for my fish and I found thay work better with the supplied cage left off . Easier to get vacuum out and remove build up of mulm etc . Be interested to see the video when you decide to flush and drain your barrels /filters as I find it quite rewarding when the efforts can be seen and proof the design and build has performed well .

[@Ozponds]

I’ll definitely do an update if/ when I clean the filters. 👍

[@mrbanjofrog]

Beautiful pond.

[@Ozponds]

We really enjoy it! So do the frogs 👍

[@mrbanjofrog]

@@Ozponds banjo frogs? ;)

[@Ozponds]

Of course 👍

[@calvintran3390]

I love your pond. Thanks for your sharing

[@Ozponds]

Thanks for watching!

[@IJm3]

Love your work Kev, Used one of your bog filter designs to run my patio pond and its been flawless. your pond is 100% a dream pond!

[@Ozponds]

Great to hear!

[@kymbo72]

stunning Kev. the ponds aren't bad either 😋

[@Ozponds]

😂 thanks.

[@samchanning22]

Hi Kev, hope your well mate 👍 the pond looks incredible and the space you created is amazing love seeing all the updates. My bog has been going strong now for 9 months with no issues be interesting to see what comes out when I do my first deep clean 👍

[@Ozponds]

Thanks Sam. Happy to hear your pond is doing well 👍

[@andrewevans8456]

Love your channel Kev. We have converted our old swimming pool into a trout pond with bog filter and waterfall for aeration. Your channel has been great for helping me understand many things and issues such as algae etc. The pond is now crystal clear and we only have a little bit of string algae. The trout and large gold fish are doing really well. Your ponds look sensational especially the dream pond!! Keep up the great work and helpful videos!!

[@Ozponds]

Thanks mate. Glad your pond is doing well 👍

[@kylekahant6028]

I want to build one so bad but i dont want to do it at the house i own now. Right now i have 120 gallon and a 400 gallon pond above ground setups. Both on bog filters and doing great. I have built everything off your specs and works amazing. Thanks for the big pond update looks amazing!

[@Ozponds]

Great to hear 👍

[@Sandra-Armstrong]

Your pond is looking wonderful, and it's really amazing that you DIY'd that beautiful space yourself. Thank you for your honesty about vacuuming and the overall progress of the water quality. It helps a lot to have honest that feedback on such a big project!! Keeps me motivated with my process, for sure!

[@Ozponds]

Thank you so much!

[@Sandra-Armstrong]

@@Ozponds You know, I keep looking at my yard, thinking to myself, "it won't work, there's too many trees, and the filters will be clogged up in no time," but I just looked at this video again and noticed that you have a ton of trees too!! How do you do it when all the leaves start coming down in the autumn? Does your pond get full of leaves? 😬 Do you cover it? By the way, I just saw your website again and noticed that you added a few more things in there!!!

[@jamiewhite5063]

Awesome work brother. All your ponds need glass shrimp and flathead gudgeon. Both awesome overlooked natives. Keep up the channel

[@Ozponds]

I think I need to capture some local shrimp. The glass shrimp I ordered online didn’t survive.

[@jamiewhite5063]

Being a kid with a net again is worth it. A net and bucket and a lake or river with plants on the banks. Nightlight brings them out. I recommend flat head gudgeon too. Beautiful red from spring to summer and not shy. From freezing water to tropical. An overlooked favourite. Cheers for the reply and your channel Kev. I’m a regular viewer and really appreciate your knowledge.

[@pux0rb]

Found your channel a little over 2 years ago when I decided to make my own DIY pond. Its well seasoned now and looks fantastic! It's my favorite thing I've ever built by far. Your pond is the ultimate dream! I would love to have a longer stream and a massive intake bay. I love how your pond is stocked with native fish too. If I ever get my own house, and a ton of extra cash, I will be trying to replicate what you've done here. Amazing work!

[@Ozponds]

That’s great to hear! I hope one day you’ll get your dream pond 👍

[@jamespuig4858]

Impressive work and I'm sure you enjoy the view and satisfaction of a job well done! A bit too old to tackle a job like this but I'm presently in the process of using your ideas to make a miniature version of your impressive pond. Thank you

[@Ozponds]

Thanks James. You’ll create something awesome I’m sure 👍

[@kenmcguire2427]

Love this. Thanks for the update.

[@Ozponds]

Glad you enjoyed 👍

[@stayawhileandlisten.3249]

Stunning.

[@Ozponds]

Thank you!

[@silicondave2797]

I have learned to have an appreciation of the algae. In the bog it does a great job at catching those little bits that the mechanical filter would miss. Also the addition of oxygen.

[@Ozponds]

Yes algae can look unsightly but it’s incredibly important.

[@MIKEZG]

You know what m8 i would like my pond this big

[@Ozponds]

Like Nike. “Just do it” 😉👍

[@AndrewMarcHarris]

Looks like a dream

[@Ozponds]

Cheers 👍

[@rochelle6006]

Love it

[@Ozponds]

Thanks 👍

[@mcnonnie013]

Toatly enjoy your videos so enjoyable only if I had enough land

[@Ozponds]

You could fit a little wine barrel or patio pond 👍

[@FredDavis-oz2qg]

Hi I love your videos and I have been looking into creating a swimming pond in our backyard for the kids. Im looking at something around 20x40 and 6 to 7 feet deep in the center. That said I still have a lot to learn on what all I would need for such a pond and bog for it. Anyway its something that I was thinking of doing real soon.

[@Ozponds]

Sounds good 👍

[@MrSamurai137]

Omg great work mate. Must have cost a arm and a leg but a lot of fun to make

[@Ozponds]

Yeah cost me about $10,000 Aussie dollars.

[@Randhart]

hi Kev, I love this nature pond of yours, I just binged the whole playlist! I'm quite interested if you have tracked the Shrimp population, did they survive, are they thriving? In the my planted aquarium my Ammano Shrimp does a great job of dealing with hair algae.

[@Ozponds]

The shrimp that I ordered online all disappeared. I put in some cherry shrimp from my sons tank and they were breeding in one of the bogs. I haven’t seen them through the winter, the Pygmy perch might have got them. I recently collected some shrimp from a local river, at the moment they are in an aquarium, I’ll try and get their numbers up before releasing some in the pond.

[@dwh2c]

Thanks Kev. Love this dream pond build! I appreciate all the hints and tips you've provide along the way and this 18mth update too. Could you just comment on whether you think the bottom jets are effective/worth installing? Also the effectiveness of the pump vault that is not part of the intake bay: I think that was intended to draw debris from the bottom of the pond? Would you do either of these differently now? Thanks.

[@Ozponds]

I still like them as an idea and I think they do make a difference. I also think they need more flow to be more effective at removing the build-up of sediments. The problem I see is that there’s some type off string algae that prefers the higher flow areas, so it’s possible that the higher flow may help clear sediment but encourage that kind of algae.

[@TylerTervooren]

Looking incredible Kev. Been away on other projects a bit, but catching up on all your progress. Glad to see your Jebao pumps are still going strong 18 months later. My expensive, fancy external pump has been nothing but problems and finally kicked the bucket after I accidentally flooded it last week thanks to my sub-par bog plumbing design that is now soon-to-be-fixed. I think I'll be switching to some cheap, low voltage submersibles like yours soon. I have one running a different circuit of the pond and it has been trouble free so far. Do you find yourself having to clean the intake cages frequently?

[@Ozponds]

In summer I scoop almost daily, that’s more cause I want it to look good and I love being out there. In winter it’s the opposite it gets dirty and neglected. As I’m typing I’ve realised you mean the pump cages. Haven’t even looked at them in the 18months. It’s all getting pre-filtered by the rock and pebble. Eventually I’ll drop the water level and have a look, haven’t noticed a drop off in flow, but I guess it would be gradual and not instantly noticeable.

[@Lee-re1by]

🐠🐸👍🏻🍻

[@Ozponds]

😁🐟🍻👍

[@DylanWade]

Beautiful!!! Glad everything has played out nicely so far. May I ask what type of wood you’re using for the accents? I love the pieces sticking straight up but know a random branch will just rot. :P

[@Ozponds]

Those were some cypress we cut down years ago. I still think they will rot overtime, just like in nature 👍

[@DylanWade]

@@Ozponds Good to know, thanks :)

[@vb6060]

Hi Kev, I love watching your channel all the time. Due to very low temp in winter and limited space, I'm thinking at least 4 feet deep pond, with boulders and gravels in 3 shelves shape. Is there any technical issues or consideration to build a pond with more depth? I'm wondering if it will increase the possibility that walls or shelves might collapse inward.

[@Ozponds]

Not really. Only if there’s ground water you’ll need to have a way for it to either drain away or be pumped away. This pond is 4ft deep and you can see how it was built.

[@vb6060]

@@Ozponds Thank you so much.

[@petedavies7544]

Hey mate, you said you haven't captured the purple spotted gudgeons on film? check the video at 3:44 behind the Lilly in the pot.

[@Ozponds]

You bloody genius!! How did you spot that?? That’s definitely one of them 👍 thanks for pointing it out.

[@petedavies7544]

@@Ozponds I'm an Australian native fish lover haha catch them in creeks all the time 👍 love you channel btw mate! I can't wait to make myself a pond.

[@Sarragota]

I was just about to comment the same thing. 😅 Rock dwelling fish are always hard to spot in a big Pond, but what a magnificent gudgeon male that was.

[@eloisecamire3741]

Best looking diy pond in the world!! I wondered if you ever considered larger looking rocks in your design. I think it’s the only noticeable difference from these massive aquascape pond builds we can see online. Have you ever considered faking big rocks with concrete? I’m thinking about this and wondered if this can mess up the water ph or if I’m missing anything. I binge watch all fake rock videos on yt and I’m confident and could do it, but I never saw a fake rock pond ecosystem… it’s always more like a traditional pool with chlorine. I’m curious what you opinion on this. faking huge rocks looks like the laziest option 😂

[@Ozponds]

😂 I’m all for lazy options 👍. I did want larger rocks but I couldn’t afford to have an excavator just sitting around (I had to build this in my spare time, few hours here and there). I don’t think the concrete would muck up the pH, people use concrete all the time in pond building.

[@eloisecamire3741]

@@Ozponds thanks so much for your input. I really want to try that. Once the moss grow on it you can’t see the difference.

[@adamkirk6648]

Hey Kev, how much depth is there between your water surface and the start of your rocks and gravel in the intake bay?

[@Ozponds]

There’s about 45cm of water above the surface of the rocks. But the shelf that creates the pulling action allows much less over it. That fluctuates but can be anywhere from 2.5cm to about 20cm depending on the level of the pond.

[@yamuna5585]

Hi Kev, I'm Audrey, from France. I would like to thank you so much for your insane videos, that inspire me so much. I already built 2 ponds in my life, and now that I live in the Nederland, I'm gonna start a new one. I am so inspired by your video "DIY Backyard Garden Pond" and I want to go in this direction for my pond. But the thing is, I would like to switch the bog filter, to a bell siphon with a flood and drain system. Do you know about the pipe work how I could do that by any chance ? Because the water from the raised bed (instead of the bog filter), will deliver the outflow from the bottom, from the pipe of the bell siphon. But then, If I want to have a stream, in the same idea of yours, how I can manage the water to get threw my stream ? I'm stuck in the design conception. Doing something similar as you, and a mix with the system of Jonathan, from Aquaponics Revolution. He built a natural pond, with an aquaponic system. His designed is called "holistic aquaponic", he lives in Melbourne by the way. It would be useful, in my opinion, to be inspired by your design, the bog filter that you use, and also some production of veggies, in the bog filter. BUT, veggies need some oxygen... Then you need the flood and drain... And I will not let go the stream of my dream ^^ HOW CAN I ACHIEVE THAT ??? lol (by the way, I was 23 years old and no experienced when I designed a pond with a stream of 8 meters betwen the fish pond, and the pond as a bog filter with a lot of papyrus. It was indredibly peaceful and so much wildlife...

[@Ozponds]

G’day Audrey. I’ve seen Jonathan’s pond on KZbin. I like it! Much more aesthetically pleasing form of aquaponics. I have used flood and drain systems before and it could absolutely replace the bog filter. There’s a link on my website if you want me to help you personally, otherwise you can figure it out pretty easy watching a few different KZbin channels like Jonathan’s, backyard bob and of course mine 😉

[@yamuna5585]

@@Ozponds Hi ! Thank you for your answer, I may have finally find a solution. 😄 I think that the extern U siphon system is the best in my situation. The pipe work will be on top of my raised bed, and then I will be able to hide the bog filter, the raised bed, with earth like you did, in the natural way. And then my stream will start when the pipe of the U siphon outflow will begin. I will hide it with a stamp. Thank you for the inspiration!! 🙏 keep on goin your beautiful ecosystems my friend!

[@Ozponds]

Sounds like a plan. 👍

[@SzerdzsoCortez2]

I am just wondering how could you moving and positioning the larger boulders. My bog filter is halfway there. 110 cm wide and 7,5 meters long. Laid down the perforated 200 mm PVC pipe along the bottom and two vertical 200 mm pipe for cleaning. Added 2 x 15 cm plastic palett as "Aquablox" and one layer of large gravel about 20 cm. Now i don't want to disturb the fishes so i add the two remaining gravel layer at Spring, some plumbing at ready to start. I am very curious the effectivness because i heard from everywhere the benefits of the bog filter so i hope the water will be transparent after some time. So i hope the fishes become healthy and happy in the clear water.

[@Ozponds]

Bog filters are my favourite. The rocks were very hard to move. Almost all of them I moved with a fridge trolley. My back has only just recovered.

[@SzerdzsoCortez2]

@@Ozponds I have all my trust in bog filter and i don't need an another failure. Take care of your health.

[@istoppain62]

Where did the debris in the intake bay go after you churned it with the net? Did it go to the bog through the 3 pumps?

[@Ozponds]

Some of the small stuff would.

[@MeganNissen]

Hi Kev, thanks for the videos, it's helped my son and me out so much and we are coming to the end of our build. I do have a question is that's ok? We are building a turtle pond that is about 1500ltrs. I have bought a 600l/h pump but am thinking it might not be big enough. It also has to be solar-powered. The next size up in the brand I purchased is 1700l/hr. Just wondering if I need to go up or will the 600l/r be ok? Hope it's ok I'm asking this. Thanks M

[@Ozponds]

That would be ok for a bog that’s around 150L. For your pond I would have probably oversized the bog filter. I determine the pump size based on the filter. What size is the filter?

[@MeganNissen]

@@Ozponds Thanks for responding Kev, I truly appreciate it. This pond building is confusing. I haven't built the filter yet but am looking at 100ltr (I'm making the one you did with the half olive barrel).

[@Ozponds]

Your pump is fine for that sized filter. But I would go a bigger filter for a turtle pond. Probably 20% of the pond size.

[@MeganNissen]

@@Ozponds Excellent, thank you :) Looking forward to seeing your dream pond. I'd love to have room for something like that.

[@lunch2102]

What are your KH and GH levels? I'm an experienced fish tank keeper but I've only recently become custodian of my first small pond, KH and GH both tested at 0, the tank side of me wants to raise these levels, im curious, do you add buffers?

[@Ozponds]

To be honest I never test.

[@sdqsdq6274]

lol not sure you want to dabble in kh and gh in ponds , isnt the cost higher in pond systems

[@jaysonbackes9279]

What's the average and min/max I temperature of the area you live in. I'm interested in the same thing but I'm wondering if huge temperature differences may result in different outcomes.

[@Ozponds]

Usually overnight winter temp will get down to 0C. Summer highs will be 40C.

[@jaysonbackes9279]

@@Ozponds thank you! Here in the southern United States we have about the same range but about 10° cooler.

[@AbboyTopan]

"Hi Kev, I was wondering if you could provide the names of the plants in your pond and bog. I'm interested in keeping them. I'm sure the plants in your area are quite different from what we have here in Jakarta, so it would be really interesting to learn about them. they looked little bit different. Thanks in advance for your help!"

[@Ozponds]

Here’s one I made a while ago- Plant ideas for in and around a backyard pond kzbin.info/www/bejne/f6jRioOQbq19l7M

[@user-qd1be4yj7z]

HI . It is not clear to me where and with what system to position the suction pumps. I don't understand English well. Can you give me a link or make a new video? Thank you . congratulations for everything.

[@Ozponds]

You should really watch multiple videos. Once everything is repetitive you’ve got a good basic understanding.

[@gundur7193]

I do not understand your language. But I'm trying to learn from videos. Is such a large pond cleaned only with a swamp filter?

[@Ozponds]

Yes 👍

[@MatthewBayard]

Whats the yearly power bill for this pond?

[@Ozponds]

I did a video on it. I can’t remember the number off the top of my head. The video is probably a couple of months back.

[@MatthewBayard]

@@Ozponds thanks! I just found your videos. I'm about to bulk watch them all.

[@Ozponds]

You poor soul. You’ll soon find I’m incredibly boring!