Ultra violet light kills pond algae exposed to it and thus prevents green water
Clear water as distinct from clean or purified water is obtained by using an Ultra Violet Clarifier (UV for short). These pond products have been one of the best inventions ever for the pond keeper but surprisingly only a very small percentage of pond keepers around the world know of their existence.
For crystal clear water - use an UVI call the UV unit as used in a pond environment the Blue Light Miracle Worker. You will get a more technical discussion later so that you can understand more about these units if you wish.
Water that is like pea soup is the result of a vast population of algae feeding off nutrients in your pond.
Under these circumstances it becomes impossible to see below about 2 cm from the pond surface. In general the fish do not mind too much but the owner of the fish certainly does.
Correctly sized UV & Biofilter combos GUARANTEE crystal clear and clean healthy pond water. Combo units are available from MacArthur Direct at great prices ... all contain Alfagrog (called Supra in USA)
Buy this click here Combo filter & UV up to 5,000 gallons ponds capacity
Picture courtesy of emperoraquatics.com
Draining the pond and filling with fresh water rectifies the problem only for a very short space of time - until the algae colonies build up again. Algae multiply at such a high rate under ideal conditions this means clear water one day, green water the next literally.
Large quantities of dead algae can sink to the bottom of the pond and create another serious health problem for the fish as the algae decomposes. The message green water is not just an eyesore, it is potentially a deadly serious situation for the fish in your pond.
It does only one thing: IT KILLS SUSPENDED ALGAE and therefore prevents water from going green. In killing the algae it also results in the algae clumping together so that these dead algae can be mechanically filtered out of the water.
This is what happens:
Water is pumped from the pond through the UV unit and normally before the water reaches the biofilter. As the water passes through the quartz tube inside the UV unit the ultra violet radiation from the lamp (acting like very powerful sunlight) bombards the algae cells, which are suspended in the water flow. These algae cells, and only those that are suspended in the water then clump together.
The action of the UV light is to destroy the cell walls of the algae and this allows the small particles to stick together. If the intensity of the UV is sufficient to destroy the algae cells more quickly than the rate at which they are reproducing then the water will not go green. It is as simple as that. This is why the power (watts) of the unit chosen must be matched to your pond size.
The golden rule of pond keeping also applies here. If you are not sure go one size bigger.
So efficient is the combination of a good biofilter and an UV that most suppliers will guarantee crystal clear water when its correctly specified products are used.
If you have never used an UV you will be amazed at the difference it makes to your water.
For guaranteed crystal clear clean and healthy pond water buy low cost combo biofilters and UV units containing the best biomedia, Alfagrog, by clicking this image Combo filter & UV
"The Complete Pond Solver" by Tony Roocroft
2005 Edition. Essential reading for anybody who wants or has a garden pond. Get 12 Excel pond calculators free as well as "Water Lilies and Pond Aquatics" ebook also free
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