Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Help Help building a natural 285,000 clay lined pond

We recently bought a large property and, in an effort to keep wildlife and our flock of ducks out of our pool, we are building a natural pond. Currently we have:

Red Clay lined Pond

Size: 145' x 65'

Average Depth: 4 feet

Based on my calculations - Gallons: 283,000 (give or take)

We want to build a bog to filtrate and aerate. My research has led me in a hundred different directions and I'm having a difficult time finding solid information on the needs of ponds this size. Most are for smaller garden ponds or aeration kits. The pond will be used by our ducks so filtration will be important. Are bog cubes a better option? We will populate with aquatic plants. We have a lake so frogs and turtles tend to show up in any available water sources. We will also populate with fish. The idea is to incorporate the bog into a waterfall. Any recommendations or source materials are greatly appreciated. The pond is already filling due to rain and well water and with summer around the corner I want to get everything in place before we have a literal cesspool. Thank you!

I am definitely not understanding your question. Why do you need to filtrate and aerate a duck/wildlife pond?

Are you promoting vegetation in the clay pond? When you say you will populate with aquatic plants, does that mean the clay pond, or just your bog.

There are a few "duck pond" people in the forum. I believe they actively manage the vegetation of their duck ponds.

Can you easily control the water level in your clay pond? If so, I believe they draw down their ponds for part of the year, and then re-flood when optimal.

If you are aerating the clay pond to reduce the build up of organic muck, then a waterfall is a poor aeration device. Pumped air systems with diffusers will aerate a much greater volume of water for the same amount of electricity used.

There are a lot of experts in the forum on the topics you are discussing. However, I think they are going to need some more information to provide you with useful answers.

Good luck on your new pond project!

If you google natural swimming pools, you will see that the bog has to be the same size as the pond is, and filled with plants. You will have to build it in such a way that you can pump water from one end of the pond to one end of the bog,and let it slowly filter through the bog to the other end of the pond where it enters the pond.