New pond owner in VA

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My wife and I put in a pond last summer and we have been kind of battling over it ever since. To my mind, we have a HUGE amount of Algae in the water and I'm not sure how to fix it.

Stats on the pond: roughly 10'x12' with a sloped bottom, 3' deep at the deepest point. On one end we've got a skimmer with a pump and two removeable filters, the line out from this goes to a UV light we recently added, and then to the waterfall outfall where we have a bag(s) of lava rocks in the bottom of the tub that makes the waterfall.

The thing that drives me crazy:
We had to shut the pump off for a couple days and the water cleared up beautifully.

Turned the pump on, and the water goes green with a max visibility of about 8".

We talked to the local pond shop, and they suggested we rent thier "Big Blue" for a week, a mechanical filter (basically a 2nd pump, UV light, 2 layers of the green plastic filter and 7or 9 layers of a fine blue filter material in a 50 gallon drum. the water cleared up Great! Crystal clear water, I can watch the snails moving around on the bottom of the pond in the deepest part. The week was up, so I pulled the rented filter on Saturday and returned it.

Monday, Today, call it 48hrs later, I've got 8" of visibility again in the green water.

What are we doing wrong?
 

sissy

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not sure if you have fish or plants and of course they want rent there stuff so you will buy it .Make your own filter real easy


 
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You already have the solution, the UV filter. 100% effect in removing green water in 3-5 days when installed correctly. Most common problem is pushing water through the filter too fast.

The deal you rented probably had a pump with a low enough flow for the UV. Smart of the retailer. The rest of the filter probably did little or nothing because you didn't mention having to clean it. In many ponds if you run the UV properly for a couple of weeks it gives bacteria that kills green water algae a chance to grow (the algae inhibits the bacteria). If the bacteria can get the upper hand the UV can be turned off and the pond will stay clear for months or years.

There is a difference between clear and crystal clear water. The closer to crystal clear you want the more things you have to do. Lots of options.
 
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Well, they told me to clean the media every few days and I did. I didn't think it was important to mention having to clean it out. Did I >need< to clean the filters? I don't know. I remember that the water that was coming out of the filters in it seemed to be clear, with a green film on the top most filter. The water from the bottom of the rented unit was QUITE green when I drained it to clean it all out.

As for the UV light, we've had it installed for at least a month. I've not noticed any real difference in the amount of green in the water since we put it on. How can I judge the water flow to know if its going to fast? If it is, what do I do about it? Replace the pump? Add a 2nd light?
 

sissy

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The uv should say what size pump is recommended to get optimum performance .I have never used a uv and just use quilt batting to pick up all the fine free floating algae .I don't fertilize my plants in the pond and most plants in there will use up all the nutrients fish produce .I soak all my quilt batting in peroxide and water after i rinse them off with water from the hose and let them out in the sun to dry and put a fresh one in and go back and forth everyday for about a month after that seems everything in the filter starts working .
 

addy1

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welcomefromgang4.gif


to our group.

Check out the diy section, there are some good step by step builds for making some filters. A lot use them, some don't like them, but the ones that make one and use it say it clears their pond beautifully. They are called skippy style filters.

You can make one without a big investment of money.
 
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Well, they told me to clean the media every few days and I did. I didn't think it was important to mention having to clean it out. Did I >need< to clean the filters? I don't know. I remember that the water that was coming out of the filters in it seemed to be clear, with a green film on the top most filter. The water from the bottom of the rented unit was QUITE green when I drained it to clean it all out.
That's actually pretty impressive imo. Not many retailers know much and this is the first time I've heard of one renting a filter. I used to do a similar thing where I'd come out to a pond, install temp filters like this and only be paid if the pond was clear in 1 week. But I said the pond might not stay clean and we'd get into additional options. What impresses me about your retailer is the 1 week rental...they expect actual results. Most retailers say their solution takes weeks and have complex instructions no one can follow so the buyer feels it's their fault when the solution fails.

As for the UV light, we've had it installed for at least a month. I've not noticed any real difference in the amount of green in the water since we put it on. How can I judge the water flow to know if its going to fast?
There is a simple test, which you've already performed...if the water is still green after 5 days the flow is too fast. Of course you also have to do the normal things like making sure the light is actually on and that the bulb isn't old. Bulbs in new units are fine.


If it is, what do I do about it? Replace the pump? Add a 2nd light?
Put a ball valve after the pump and before the UV. Use valve to limit flow. Turn it down maybe by 25% and see if the pond clears in 3-5 days. If not, turn it down some more.


You can add a smaller pump, but valve is easier, and the smaller pump may still be too fast for your conditions.

If you have the cash a 2nd UV is of course great just from the standpoint of there can be little weird problems that are hard to track down. You reduce the risk of some rare problem happening in 2 units at the same time. A 2nd unit would also help if the first unit was too small for the pond. That would have to be checked.

It does also depend on the size of your pond and size of UV. You can't turn it down to a trickle and expect it to clear a large pond. So then you need to consider other options. Maybe the bulb wasn't good after all. Maybe the unit wasn't big enough.

You will sometimes see UV filters call a sterilizer or a clarifier. These are related only to the amount of water going thru the filter. If slow enough the filter is called a sterilizer meaning 99.9% of all living organisms going into the unit are dead coming out. Run water faster and more things get thru alive, but it damages algae cells that given enough rides thru the filter they die or can reproduce, so that would be caller a clarifier...same filter unit. Run water thru even faster and algae is even less effected and that is called "worthless".

The amount of algae in the water can also reduce the effectiveness of the UV. Some cells can be "shaded" by other cells. So that would also require slower water, giving each cell a better chance at full exposure.
 
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Or you can go with an endless variety of filters and treatments that promise clear water but rarely deliver.
 
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That's actually pretty impressive imo. Not many retailers know much and this is the first time I've heard of one renting a filter. I used to do a similar thing where I'd come out to a pond, install temp filters like this and only be paid if the pond was clear in 1 week. But I said the pond might not stay clean and we'd get into additional options. What impresses me about your retailer is the 1 week rental...they expect actual results. Most retailers say their solution takes weeks and have complex instructions no one can follow so the buyer feels it's their fault when the solution fails.


There is a simple test, which you've already performed...if the water is still green after 5 days the flow is too fast. Of course you also have to do the normal things like making sure the light is actually on and that the bulb isn't old. Bulbs in new units are fine.

Yea I was quite pleased w/ the results after just 2-3 days w/ the rented unit running. It looked great. It just kills me 48 hrs later after disconnecting it, It looks like nothing was done in the first place.

Put a ball valve after the pump and before the UV. Use valve to limit flow. Turn it down maybe by 25% and see if the pond clears in 3-5 days. If not, turn it down some more.

Am i risking any damage to the pump for putting a restriction on it like that?

If you have the cash a 2nd UV is of course great just from the standpoint of there can be little weird problems that are hard to track down. You reduce the risk of some rare problem happening in 2 units at the same time. A 2nd unit would also help if the first unit was too small for the pond. That would have to be checked.


It does also depend on the size of your pond and size of UV. You can't turn it down to a trickle and expect it to clear a large pond. So then you need to consider other options. Maybe the bulb wasn't good after all. Maybe the unit wasn't big enough.


From what I can tell, the bulb in the new unit we installed, the light apears to be good. You can see a glow at the upper end at night when its on. Its not like a "flashlight" beam of light, but the clear plastic at the end has a dim blue glow. The UV unit on the rental on the other hand was of a similar size and had a much dimmer glow. I'd assumed that the rental unit was either dirty or an older bulb.
 

sissy

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All you need to do is divert some of the water coming out of the pump with another hose and connector which you may have to figure out which parts to use to do this .My pump was to big for my filter so another hose and parts and the left over water goes to the waterfall and some just comes out into the pond
 

sissy

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I have never used a uv as long as you control the pond and what goes in it you should not have much algae after awhile .
 
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When you clean your filters are you using existing pond water or water out of a garden hose from the house?
 

sissy

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City water has chemicals in it and should be treated before it goes in the pond dechloronator is used
 

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