I love seeing how people take the principles I talk about and adapt them to their own backyards.
Barry built a simple, budget-friendly bog filter for his 300-gallon pond using a garbage can and a few bits of PVC —
Here’s Barry’s story, in his own words:
This is a thirty-gallon garbage can I used for my 300-gallon pond — roughly ten percent of the pond volume, just like Kev recommends.
Water is pumped in from a skimmer box with a netting-type filter to catch bigger objects like leaves and sticks. From there, it’s pumped from the top of the garbage can down to the bottom through a 1-inch PVC pipe, which connects to a 2-inch PVC pipe capped at both ends. In the middle is a tee fitting with reducers that adapt it back to the 1-inch down-pipe.
The 2-inch pipe has around 100 holes drilled in it (3/8″ size) and is as wide as will fit inside the can.
For the return to the pond, I used a modified toilet flapper valve. You could buy any fitting that works for you — this was just what I could get at my local hardware store.
I also installed a 1-inch flange fitting and a valve at the bottom for draining and flushing waste sediment.
The can is filled with rinsed riverbed rocks, up to about 8 inches from the top. On top, I added a screen to catch leaves and debris before they get into the drain — important because this filter sits under an orange tree. The drain hose is 2-inch pool filter hose, and as the water flows back to the pond, it drags air bubbles along, adding oxygen to the water.
I’ve also added a few plants (could add more), but even as it is, this setup is working really well.
It took about three to four weeks for the filter to really kick in and work perfectly. The build itself took me two easy-going days. Now I’ve got clear water, happy fish, and a happy pond owner.
This is pretty much what Kev teaches, and I can confirm — it works wonderfully.
I hope this helps some pond people out there.
— Barry.
💡 Want to size your own bog filter like Barry did?
Try the free bog filter calculator on my website. It’ll show you exactly how big your filter should be and help you get your pond water crystal clear — without spending a fortune.