Basic DIY pond. Simple bog filter!

[@Flossy_tops]

Thanks to you I’ve developed my pond Eco system. Originally all I had was a mechanical filter which was okay to start with. Until this year when I had a fish population explosion which meant the mechanical filter was struggling. The water wasn’t clear and an algae bloom soon followed. So earlier on this year, after subscribing to your channel I built a small basic bog filter from a planter, and within days the water began to clear. And although the algae bloom was still very much evident, I was at least on the right track. Since then I’ve built a 2nd larger bog filter with aerator The water runs slowly from the new bigger one into the smaller original bog filter. The results are now even clearer water. However I’m still learning, and thanks to your channel I’ve gained some valuable knowledge on pond keeping. I’ve also installed a small wildlife pond further up the garden which houses common newts and frogs. 2 weeks ago I was clearing that particular pond out and came across 6 baby newts about 3/4” long which has made me really happy! … So anyway I just wanted to thank you from me here in the Uk. 👍🍻

[@Ozponds]

I’m so glad that the videos are helping you and the local wildlife. Keep up the good work 😊👍

[@moomoon1410]

He is the best. Amazing infos about ponds.

[@StraightOtohGunga]

I really liked how you presented this one and explained each step of the build. This one also pertains to me as I am working on an above ground pond

[@Ozponds]

Glad it’s helpful 👍

[@kymbo72]

the Heron/Cormorant gets food especially bred for it to eat at your place! you are too generous Kev 😄

[@Ozponds]

😂 I know I’m becoming a fast food joint for predatory birds

[@DogsDirtandDandelions]

Sweet! My bog filters that I built from your videos work splendidly! My fish are so happy, they had babies! Love your videos! Cheers!

[@Ozponds]

Yay! 😊👍

[@stewart9788]

thank you very much for sharing your knowledge, your large pond looks fantastic, for anyone interested in ponds this is one of the best channels on utube, just a shame i live in tassie , the choice of pond fish we can legally have is very limited, but still i have 2 ponds and am about to start on a 3rd 😄

[@Ozponds]

Thanks for the kind words Stewart. What are your fish choices?

[@kcvrules]

I built a bog filter after watching your videos. I will be adding some beneficial bacteria to speed up the process.

[@Ozponds]

Sounds great! 👍

[@StarGazer0270]

This is a great relaxed presentation and detailed explanation of the pond and bog filtration system. Thank you.

[@Fredward1986]

Unbelievable timing, I've been planning my trough pond for a number of months and picking up a trough this weekend hopefully! Now my wife won't think it's just me who wants to make a pond in an old trough.

[@Ozponds]

😂 you’re not alone!

[@ScottRawdin]

Brilliant, thank you Kev ;o) I know how I will start, with a simple project, following your advice. And then I'll work on a natural lap-pond 25 meters ! with solar water heaters to warm the winter waters.

[@Ozponds]

Sounds wonderful 👍

[@darylclarke6312]

Iv just built a new bigger pond for the 3rd time because the fish are getting bigger and i enjoy it but dont enjoy the poor water quality and not seeing the fish very well 😢 Been watching your videos on bog filters for some time and thought iv got to give one ago! Well built one and im only on my 3rd day of it running and i have to say the result is amazing so a big massive thank you to you for educating me 👌👌👌 your ponds and the working information 👌👌👌

[@Ozponds]

Great to hear! That’s why I do it 👍

[@Pinkteeth8]

Your channel is very helpful! I’ve been binging your videos and doing research because my turtles are getting big so im gonna attempt to make a pond for them outdoors in a rubbermaid tub! ❤

[@Ozponds]

Awesome 👍

[@robertwood1256]

Loving the new haircut. 😉 Nice use of old equipment. Should give you a good steady supply of home grown fish.

[@Ozponds]

😂 I think I’ve been bald since I was 17

[@robertwood1256]

@@Ozponds you have hair in the promo. 😛 I have been shaven for over 25 years now. Bald is beautiful.

[@Ozponds]

I always, usually have a hat on, maybe you thought my shaggy hat was hair… but yes bald is beautiful 😂.

[@suzannemoran7281]

Thanks for this video Kev it's really very clear and useful with qll of your diagrams. I must of missed it when it first came out. 😊 hope the breeding pond is going well.

[@Ozponds]

I just stuck my phone in the other day, it’s a jungle underwater, the plants have grown so much. I didn’t see any fish. I’m hoping they were just hiding 🤞.

[@suzannemoran7281]

They are good at hiding .😮😂😂 😊 I should be able to set up my new pond by June. I am trying to decide if I should put stones and gravel down over a false bottom. Kev you have a lot of success with this don't you ? Could you please recommend one of your videos for me to re watch about how and when to clean your pond.

[@Ozponds]

@@suzannemoran7281 I think if the goal is looking at the fish and you want the pond to look really clean, you don’t need the pebble, just a nice sized bog. I like the pebble it provides a more diverse habitat for all kinds of organisms, some of which the fish will graze on. Here’s the latest video I made about cleaning/ maintenance- Pond and filter maintenance | DIY kzbin.info/www/bejne/foKaZ32Jq8d-eM0

[@scottdaniels3033]

Kev i really enjoy your videos. Keep them coming Mate.

[@Ozponds]

Thanks for the encouragement Scott. I’ll do my best 👍

[@scottdaniels3033]

@Ozponds Kev can you show us a prown pond?

[@Ozponds]

I’ll do a short for you 👍 it’s just a tub, false bottom, sponge filter and a whole bunch of eel grass.

[@scottdaniels3033]

@@Ozponds looking forward to see it 😀

[@CODX10]

One thing that my boss did when he had a problem with pigeons making a mess on his roof was to place an eagle statue on top of it. It kept the birds away. XD

[@Ozponds]

I tried some other bird ornaments. But not an eagle, worth a shot.

[@MarvinBowen]

Very nice. I've been breeding rice fish in a non-filtered barrel and it is working nicely. I'd imagine if it were filtered they would do even better. I just have a LOT of plants. Mostly frogbit and water hyacinth. I few more that I've forgotten the name of, non floaters.

[@Ozponds]

No necessarily, rice fish are very happy in still water with lots of plants. I like to keep them in my no pump ponds.

[@markfranklin8831]

Love it . Thanks for sharing ✌️👍💗💯🔥

[@Ozponds]

Glad you enjoyed it 😊👍

[@jamesnguyen7069]

very very very cool pond

[@Ozponds]

🍻👍

[@AaronHahnStudios]

Wow, A Jenifer Aniston Movie advert came up on Your video Kev! You must be going up in the world mate. That's top shelf advertising. 😎

[@Ozponds]

😂 her people got together with my people and made it happen

[@AaronHahnStudios]

Woooaaahh.. kicka*s, I know a Celebrity. I'm never gunna wash these finger tips after typing this. (I typed kicka*s as such to not violate any censorship issues)@@Ozponds

[@Ozponds]

😂 smart move.👍

[@MandyJane123700]

This is awesome. Your stock tank is only slightly bigger than the one I use, and you've just given me some ideas for how I can improve the bog when it comes time to clean it out. I still haven't covered the pond, and I think a raccoon got my favorite snail (it was a big native Florida apple snail). I'm also thinking about how I'm going to keep it warm enough during our mild winters. We do get a few freezes in January and February. I was thinking about building a brick and dirt wall around it to insulate it, and covering it with heavy plastic when it freezes overnight. I'm hoping I can manage to keep my common pleco in the pond all winter, because it is too big for any of my aquariums and it is also very hard to catch. lol If I can keep the pond above 50F I think it will be fine. There are tons of these fish living in our rivers and lakes around here.

[@Ozponds]

Sounds like a good idea with the brick and dirt let us know how it pans out 👍

[@mjanderson437]

Do you think a solar cover like for swimming pools would help to keep your water warm enough?

[@MandyJane123700]

@@mjanderson437 I looked into those, and they need to be touching the water. I think they would probably prevent gas exchange, and the fish would smother. I ended up using a 1,000 watt aquarium heater and covering the pond with a tarp when the sun went down. I was able to keep the water between 70-71 degrees even when the temps were near freezing.

[@yucelsaygn6267]

Thank you for sharing your experience. I did not see any liner or special insulation. I was wondering if the concrete tub may leak water.

[@Ozponds]

I’m not sure about all concrete but this was really old, been sitting there for years it holds water just fine 👍

[@drsues-ol2pi]

had me at tickle the thumbs up button.

[@Ozponds]

😂 I’m so glad you gave it a tickle 😉👍

[@ricardoroelse1018]

Good job! What exact species of rainbow fish do you keep in your ponds? You mentioned that you experience some frost in the winter. Just trying to find out if i can keep them year round in my pond as well. I live in the netherlands with a temperature zone of 8.

[@Ozponds]

Murray river rainbows. I’d assume most of the ones in fish shops over there are more tropical.

[@briansbuildsandoutdoors4936]

Thanks for all the great info Kev. I have a question though, if that's ok. I have set up a half wine barrel pond with a bog filter. The barrel must've had red wine in it because the water in the pond has a red tint. I've changed the water a couple of times but there is still a bit a red tint. there is no smell. It has been about two weeks since the last change and the water is not getting any darker but it isn't get any clearer either. Should I change the water again or just leave it. Will it be okay to put some fish in it? Sorry that's two questions. I have some plants in it that seem to be going ok. Thanks Kev and keep up the good work.

[@Ozponds]

I’d just try a couple of hardy fish like white clouds or rice fish. See how they go and go from there.

[@oldhamegg]

Do you heat your pond during the colder months to keep the fish alive?

[@Ozponds]

No I don’t. The water will get as low a 5C in the middle of winter.

[@PeterWinnett]

Hi Kev, I have a small pond, which is about 1/3rd covered with plants. I built a Bog filter almost exactly the same as you have built here, The water is quite brown/green and fairly murky. I have been running the filter for about 2 weeks so far but I don't see any improvement yet. You say in this Vid that your pond cleared a a few days !! what am I doing wrong?? Cheers, Pete

[@Ozponds]

Dunno Pete. It’s all biology. If I size the filter right with my flow right I get clear water every single time.

[@dianachern4234]

It looks great. Would you recommend rainbow fish for outdoor patio pond?

[@Ozponds]

Yeah they are pretty small. Just a few and you need to be in a warm area for most species.

[@dianachern4234]

@@Ozponds I live in Sydney. All my goldfish died even pond tests are perfect and water super clear , I think because the temperature gone up here above 30C. So, I am thinking rainbow fish 🐠

[@Ozponds]

Very small bodies of water like patio ponds really should be in the shade. What was the temperature inside the pond? Aeration is also important in hot temperatures.

[@LetsDuDiss]

Hi Kev, I have followed one of your earlier videos to add a bog filter to my small pond for a few Orandas in Sydney around March last year, it worked great, the water went from pea soup to crystal clear with a week or so. Everything was perfect until Nov when it starts to warm up, the pea soup water came back and had been this way to this day. I have backwashed the filter as soon as the water became dark but did not seem to help, I have also made sure the pump isnt clogged and has been flowing non-stop. Do you have any advice to point me to the right direction please?

[@Ozponds]

It’s always the demands on the filter. If the filter cannot process the waste the single celled algae grows. So something has changed, the fish are bigger, they are breeding, too much food. Basically you need more surface area for bacteria.

[@awayfreedom]

Hi Kev! What you think of expanded clay as filter media?

[@Ozponds]

I’ve used them in a few builds. I like them.

[@simoncochrane6311]

I'd love to know a bit more about how your pump works? I have a similar set up (based off your design!) but the pump fills with algae after a few days and then flow is affected. I know you often use some sort of skimmer in your bigger ponds, but what about for this size?

[@Ozponds]

In this video you can see how I set the pump inside these smaller ponds- Building a container pond with bog filter kzbin.info/www/bejne/f2G2qKabgaZ7hpI

[@simoncochrane6311]

Legend thank you!@@Ozponds

[@nanak828]

Is this video proving that pond hold with clay instead of HDPE/EDPM can still get clear water through BOG?

[@Ozponds]

I don’t think so. Concrete is much different than clay.

[@FINTASTIC_KOI]

Do we have to clean the boghfilter? If yes then how often?

[@Ozponds]

Yes. As often as is needed. Every pond is different. What works for me might not work for you.

[@srts8945]

Could anyone give advice on my pond please. Ive got a 500 litre pond with four fish it's now crystal clear with plenty of oxygenating plants under the water. And i've recently started to get some string algea developing since the daylight hours have started reducing. Is it possible the fish are eating the plant rather then eating the algae? I have two air stones and plenty of surface area using alfagrog and pebbles and a few marginal plants. Any advice would be much appreciated, i really don't want to use and algaecides especially without knowing the root cause.

[@Ozponds]

My views on algae are always evolving. This was the latest video I made discussing my own algae issues. Pond algae | Prevention & treatment | My thoughts kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y5nPiIuqetCSras

[@CiaranInIreland]

What type of pump and what is its flow rate? Can i put barley straw in the bog filter?

[@Ozponds]

Pretty sure this was a resun king low volt pump, delivering 1000L per hour. You can add barley straw to your bog if you want.

[@CiaranInIreland]

@@Ozponds great, i bought one last night, just needed to get the rest now. Thanks

[@bodi_lionlook]

What if small fish fries get sucked into the bog filter?

[@Ozponds]

It’s survival of the fittest in this pond. I want the clever fish 😉. The fry will eventually live out in the big ponds where they are exposed to all sorts of perils.

[@mradvats]

Can grey water be cleaned through bog filter?

[@Ozponds]

Yes.

[@wimpletzers3411]

My pond has brown/dark grey water!

[@FFTuk]

So my check valve that I just buried under 12” of gravel is useless then 🤣👍

[@Ozponds]

Maybe you’ll get lucky. 🤞

[@dudusiagata3117]

Pozdrawiam serdecznie miłego dnia życzę zachecam do odwiedzin mojego konta

[@Ozponds]

I’ll check it out 👍

[@WallaceAubrey-b2m]

Lopez Kenneth Lewis Nancy Lee Linda

[@MarekLabrenc]

.

[@Ozponds]

🍻

[@Terboven-Aquaristik]

very nice, thank you for the inspiration! sub for you and keep it up

[@Ozponds]

Thanks for the sub! 👍