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Remember when everyone had those little plastic ponds? I finally switched to a natural bog filter.
I put in a small plastic pond kit about 8 years ago, the kind with the black liner and a tiny pump. It was a constant fight with green water and cleaning the filter every other weekend. Last spring, I dug it all out and built a proper planted bog filter on one end, using pea gravel and native marsh plants like pickerelweed. The water cleared up in under a month and now it's almost zero maintenance. I just top it off with the hose sometimes. The difference is night and day. The old system was a closed loop that just moved dirty water around. The bog actually cleans it by letting the plants and gravel do the work. Has anyone else made the switch and found a specific plant that works really well for them?
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murphy.mason11d agoMost Upvoted
My old plastic pond kit was basically a science experiment for algae. I spent more time cleaning that little filter box than I did actually enjoying the water. The switch to a gravel bog felt like cheating, it works so well. I've had great luck with water celery, the stuff grows like crazy and seems to suck up all the gunk.
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susanb3411d ago
Ever notice how many things are just overcomplicated versions of a simple fix? We keep trying to manage problems with more gadgets instead of letting a natural system handle it. Your bog filter is the perfect example of that.
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