Ultra violet light ensures no more 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.
The blue light miracle workerSouth Africa is truly a land of sunshine. It is a country offering a wonderful climate to our fish and us. However if we did not have Ultra Violet on our side we would not see much of our fish. You see; warmth and sunlight mixed with nutrients emanating from fish secretions and food excesses create perfect conditions for algae to grow no matter what kind of biofilter we have and no matter how good it is.
These normally green plants replicating at the rate of 30 times per hour under ideal conditions can quickly give a pond a pea-soup appearance. This pea soup needs to be seriously avoided if we want clean and clear water.
Persistently green water can easily lead to fish deaths from oxygen starvation and ammonia poisoning.
Technically it is a source of light enjoying a particular wavelength and it appears to be blue. What is important to us is not what it looks like so much as what it can do for us. Equally important is what it wont do. Heres the summary below this next table:
| Ultra Violet Light Clarification | |
| Will | Will NOT |
| Kill any algae exposed directly to the UV rays - ie those algae circulating in the pond water | Kill any algae not exposed directly to the UV rays eg Blanketweed, or algae attached to pond surfaces |
| Do the best job when designed to cope with the system installed | Kill bacteria or viruses. The design is such that pond units cannot reach sufficiently high radiation levels. Sterilisation UV units are required for this purpose. |
| Provide clear water when designed and installed correctly without any doubt so long as murkiness is due to algae presence | Normally effect medication so does not have to be switched off during treatment |
| Do any harm to plants, fish or filter bacteria | |
Buy the low cost combo pond filter and UV containing Alfagrog or Supra as it's called in USA
"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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