struggling with algae and filtration problems

[new2natives]

1)
Can i get away with no biofilter on a 1100 pond stocked with koi and goldfish?
i have 8-10 12" fish, and 30-40 3" fish and i am running a 1000gph pump through a UV, and when i'm sitting outside, i split the flow 50/50 between the UV and a fountain.
Can i get away with just doing water changes??


2)
i never truly "cleaned" it after the winter ... once it thawed, i ran a big net through the water trying to get as much particulate out as possible, but there is still a lot of tiny green particles of algae clouding my water.
All my parameters are good.

I've had my pump and UV are running for about 3 days and once it flows out, it hits the net (strainer) to pull the algae out. The water is a little clearer, but it still has a long ways to go. If i remember correctly, last year it was pretty bad. I set it up for the first time, then 3 weeks later it was pretty green, and the UV handled it in about 4-5 days. Then later in the summer it turned green again, but i also didnt do perfect maintenance (which i will this year)


3)
Should i do a massive water change, or put in an algae killer, or just let the UV do all the work ??
The pond gets quite a bit of direct sunlight.

 

[Muske]

1. Absolutly not. With that stock load you need bio. and mech. and a few water changes. That is why you get repeted green water outbreaks....

2. Keep the UV going til the water clears up....
UV is only effective for free floating algae (green water).

3. Don't do a massive water change, 40-50% is a good start. Repeat in a few days if needed or to dilute pollutants more.

 

[shelbyzman]

For that many fish you will need alot of bio and mechanical filtration.
If you don't your fish will most likely start to die off.
Buying a filter or making a diy filter would end up being alot easier than massive water changes all of the time (which can harm your fish
)

 

[new2natives]

thanks guys

the UV has the water 80% clear already !!!! i can actually start to see the bottom!


i ran a biofilter on it all last summer, it just seemed like overkill for as few fish as i had last year (less than 10 7" fish).

i will start up the bio filter today !!!