Topic: bulrush natural pond filter? anyone tried

[Andy H]

Was thinking of making a bog filter. The only way I could do it is run water through the filter and into a bed of bog plants then back into the pond. Has anyone tried this?

Any advise on plants and where to buy?

I was thinking of building a rectangle bed raiseed off the ground with plants in it.
with water which is gravity fed into a sunken settlement tank then pumped into the 4 compartment filter and gravity fed back to pond, I was thinking of gravity feeding out of filter into bog bed and then flowing into pond?

[Ishard]

Andy you may get cloud problems doing this as the fines from the soil around the plants will leach into the pond adding to the TDS :(

I have heard of a moss filter similar to how you describe the bulrush filter.

[froglets]

Check out the information from CAT - The Centre for alternative technology in Machunchlyth ( My spelling!!) in Wales.  They advised us a number of year ago on reed bed filtrations systems.

[Andy H]

According to guy at Charlewood Aquatics, it is not a bog I want and the plants in that don`t like to be wet all the time but he said about 4" pea gravel and about 3-4" of water above that and I could use most of the marginals he has so I may build a raised bed with the plant in and let some of the water from the filter go through that.

[Ishard]

Andy be very aware that as the plant roots grow they will cause matting and  the water will 'channel' through the gravel which will leave plenty of dirt to cause hydrogen sulfide.

Besides in 2 or 3 years you will need to clean this and its one heck of a job!!

Been there, done that, NEVER again!

OH and BTW
 
Human inhalation of hydrogen sulphide causes lack of sense of smell, sensitivity to light, vomiting, breathing difficulties, lung congestion, nerve damage, heart damage, internal bleeding, brain-damage, coma and eventually death.

Scary eh?
 

[Andy H]

Thanks for that, will bear in mind but would like lots of opinions on this from various people.

Would I need to remove plants and trim/wash roots a bit?
Then wash the gravel?

It would be a raised bed on legs on a liner so maybe? it would be an easier job?

[Ishard]

Firstly can I ask why you are looking for these 'natural' filters?

No you shouldnt need to trim the roots, remove the plants and then just grab a big stick/broom handle at least once per year and really dig the stick in and move all the gravel round whilst running a hosepipe through it. Its a 2 person job to do it well.
Pick out any plant roots that havent been removed with the plants. The plants will need to be replanted after the cleaning.
I would do this in spring and just before settling your pond down for winter.

Make sure the cleaning water doesnt go in the pond and make sure you move ALL  (really get into the corners) of the gravel or you will still get pockets of dirt that you havent reached. You will need popeye type muscles so good luck . ;)

You may with this type of filter see 'foam' on your pond, these are protein bubbles. If you do then scoop the foam out.

Once every couple of years remove the gravel and really clean it out.

I never, ever have plants in with my koi as they tend to hold bacteria and nasties I and my koi dont want, plus more plants = less fish.

I do have plants in my goldfish pond and in the wildlife pond. These ponds have pressure filters on them.

Jackie

[Andy H]

My intention was to hoover out all the gravel, clean and replace.

I was just trying to think of a way to get a cleaner pond in the strong sunlight.

Also as the pond was not designed to have a ledge of plants, I thought it would be an alternative way.

And finally, I have read of bulrush beds completely cleaning waste in some areas although I dont think they are used now I still assume they are great water cleaners.

[Ishard]

Hoovering the gravel out to clean it will do the job just fine.

Now what exactly is wrong with your pond in strong sunlight because we may be heading down a wrong track here to find a solution to the problem.

I remember when making my gravel filter and because I could not guarantee the gravel was not from a river bottom which would bring fresh water diseases to my koi I boiled all the gravel in large pots in my kitchen, lol it took me 3 days!!!

Bulrush filters are used with a huge settlement tanks so the 'fines' drop to the bottom of the tank and the clean water is removed from the top only. This isnt suitable for koi ponds as the fines will carry over into your pond adding to the dirt.
Think of it this way, all the soil those rushes are planted in will eventually slip downhill (gravity fed you said) into your pond and you dont need that.

Jackie  :)

[GrannieAnnie]

This is a bit off topic but might apply. I saw on a tv garden show that folks had built a natural looking pond type swimming pool all the water filtered through layers of gravel and plants, no chlorine. I don't remember any fish in it but they swam in it and had for years. Water looked crystal clear, too. There was no mention of cleaning out the gravel.

[Ishard]

Annie this link explains it for you. Gravel works exactly the same way :)

http://www.happykoi.co.za/2.%20filter%20systems/sandfilter_sand_filter_and_koi_pond.htm

http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=_1SIOSjFr2QC&pg=PA52&lpg=PA52&dq=channeling+problems+gravel+filters+koi&source=web&ots=_gwW5AOQkY&sig=ly6RTctbvV4cG_Tv0xniDZ5Xdbs&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=3&ct=result#PPA51,M1

The main difference between what koi and us (humans) do in the water is 'we' dont pooh in it, koi do. :)