http://sanantonio.craigslist.org/for/1485813609.html is this a good deal on a uv sterilizer for a 600 gallon pond going to be used for green pond algae water
Is this a good deal on a uv sterilizer
- Thread starter Tjend
- Start date
Find out how much it will cost for a new bulb before you decide. The bulbs are only good for 6 months so I would automatically replace the bulb on any unit.
Personally I would put the money towards a biofilter. With proper biofiltration the green goes away. On something as small as a 600 you could use poly stuffing to mechanically pull out the green. Add in a coagulant like koi clay and the green will bind together to filter out as well as benefit any fish/plants if you have them. UV if it does actually kill the green leaves it in the water to decompose and start a new green cycle.
I think the 36w chinese units are about the same price new on ebay. If you just want something to use during blooms they should work on a pond your size. Run the water through it very slow, about 100 gph.
Personally I would put the money towards a biofilter. With proper biofiltration the green goes away. On something as small as a 600 you could use poly stuffing to mechanically pull out the green. Add in a coagulant like koi clay and the green will bind together to filter out as well as benefit any fish/plants if you have them. UV if it does actually kill the green leaves it in the water to decompose and start a new green cycle.
I think the 36w chinese units are about the same price new on ebay. If you just want something to use during blooms they should work on a pond your size. Run the water through it very slow, about 100 gph.
Some details on the pond and your goals for it would help a lot to make an overall plan. There are many ways to achieve good results from cheap to pricey depending on what you want.
You can get poly stuffing at walmart for cheap in the craft section. Its pillow stuffing.
To keep a pond nice it often takes more work than tanks due to the sun and environment, but its not all that tough.
You can get poly stuffing at walmart for cheap in the craft section. Its pillow stuffing.
To keep a pond nice it often takes more work than tanks due to the sun and environment, but its not all that tough.
i had koi and goldfish but most of the koi either jumped out or died because of the algae infestation i tried the coagulants and alge killers nothing really worked so im going to get that poly stuffing and try to filter it out and if that dont work i will get a uv sterilizer
Balance is key. Additives are trying to balance out something that is out of balance as a temp fix and often make more problems.
Do you have a bio filter and pump?
A simple biofilter out of rock or synthetic filter material and a pump will go a long way. The biofilter eats up the food for the algae and it wont grow. Circulation is important. Air or water pump will work. Healthy growing pants will also help starve the algae. A filter can be as simple as pupming water up through a trash can or barrel with media and waterfall back into the pond.
Once your biofilter matures a UV should not be necessary unless there is extreme sunlight and other circumstances.
If you try to simply mechanically filter out the algae without starving it the maintenance will drive you crazy. A uv kills the algae, but it stays in the water to create food for more algae which is where the mechanical filtration (poly stuffing) comes in.
Do you have a bio filter and pump?
A simple biofilter out of rock or synthetic filter material and a pump will go a long way. The biofilter eats up the food for the algae and it wont grow. Circulation is important. Air or water pump will work. Healthy growing pants will also help starve the algae. A filter can be as simple as pupming water up through a trash can or barrel with media and waterfall back into the pond.
Once your biofilter matures a UV should not be necessary unless there is extreme sunlight and other circumstances.
If you try to simply mechanically filter out the algae without starving it the maintenance will drive you crazy. A uv kills the algae, but it stays in the water to create food for more algae which is where the mechanical filtration (poly stuffing) comes in.
If you have enough bio and circulation than a UV may be the next step. Keep in mind the 6 month bulb lifespan if you end up buying used.
As I mentioned before, if everything is balanced out algae should not be an issue. You mentioned draining and starting over. That is a fine plan, but if you do keep in mind any remaining algae will feed more down the road. So clean everything out well including pond walls and filter. When you refill there will be little to no bio so most likely it will turn green after 2 weeks and then should clear out a few weeks later.
Excessive rain can add phosphates and encourage growth. If you add city water directly without treating it is also a problem. That was my main problem when starting out. The chlorimine knocks back the biofilter then turns into ammonia as it breaks down.
If you decide to combat it chemically hydrogen peroxide, H2O2 is the same as barley extract, but more effective and cheaper and can be used to kill algae. Do some research on it first though.
As I mentioned before, if everything is balanced out algae should not be an issue. You mentioned draining and starting over. That is a fine plan, but if you do keep in mind any remaining algae will feed more down the road. So clean everything out well including pond walls and filter. When you refill there will be little to no bio so most likely it will turn green after 2 weeks and then should clear out a few weeks later.
Excessive rain can add phosphates and encourage growth. If you add city water directly without treating it is also a problem. That was my main problem when starting out. The chlorimine knocks back the biofilter then turns into ammonia as it breaks down.
If you decide to combat it chemically hydrogen peroxide, H2O2 is the same as barley extract, but more effective and cheaper and can be used to kill algae. Do some research on it first though.
i have not done any recent water changes and it is a 600 gallon about 3 feet deep and it shouldnt turn green though cause its winter cold water algae shouldnt be as likley to happen again right
how am i supposed to get 600 g of treated water should i put in a chlorine remover