Every now and then I get an email that really makes me smile — and this one from Alan is a perfect example of how a bit of creative thinking can turn a tricky setup into a stunning, low-maintenance pond.
He used the ideas in my pond design guide and adapted them to suit a very tight space.
Here’s what he had to say:
Hi Kev,
Last September, I bought your book on pond/filter design and used your ideas to create a bog filter for my pond, which was always full of string algae.
My pond is built from limestone blocks and surrounded on all sides with paving, so there was no feasible way to hide a buried bog filter next to it.
Instead, I used a 220L vertical water storage tank as my bog filter. Water is pumped into the bottom of it, and it has an internal overflow at the top that returns to the pond. The top of the tank has a decorative planter bowl, which I modified for water flow and then filled with hydroponic pebbles and some plants.
Results? Zero maintenance. Crystal-clear water. Healthy fish.
The water tested extremely clean the last time I bothered to do so. I’m very happy with how the filter blends in and looks like it’s meant to be there, despite its size.
I’ve attached a few photos. If you’re interested in more of the internals as I built it, just let me know. I thought you might like to see it, as it’s your principles — just adapted to a pretty constrained situation.
Cheers and all the best, Alan
Why This Is So Clever
Alan’s setup is a great reminder that a bog filter can take on many different shapes and sizes. In his case, a vertical tank and a decorative planter allowed him to work with the space he had — and still follow the key design principles I recommend:
✅ Water enters from the bottom ✅ Rises through plant roots, pebbles, and media ✅ Returns to the pond via overflow — all powered by gravity
It’s a compact, elegant, and highly effective solution — and it looks great too.
If you’ve built something using ideas from the Pond Design Cheat Sheet, I’d love to hear about it.
Whether it’s traditional or totally outside the box like Alan’s, it’s always great to see how these principles come to life in real ponds.
G'day, I'm Kev.
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