Best forumla for Clear & Safe Water?

[addy1]

My bog and plants keep our pond clear and healthy.

 

[shanezam203]

My bog and plants keep our pond clear and healthy.

What is a BOG?

Thanks,
Shane

 

[JohnHuff]

You've got new pond syndrome. Adding chemicals would be a very, very last resort. Check your pond chemistry. Check and clean your mechanical filters.

 

[shanezam203]

It is all buttoned up for Winter but I am anxious to start working on it in the Spring.

 

[shanezam203]

What is a good size UV light and pump for my size Pond?
my pond is L shaped, 6 feet deep and around 8,000 gallons total.

How often will I need to replace UV bulbs?

Thank you,

Shane

 

[Waterbug]

Each manufacturer rates each product and defines how often bulbs need to be replaced. I like Aqua Ultraviolet mainly because they provide actual information. Many of the mass market makers don't say much.

Because it's difficult to tell how much UV a bulb is putting out, it goes down over time, a standard rule of thumb is to replace the bulb once a year. But there is a simple test, if the pond turns green and the bulb is more than 1 year old it's probably time.

Keep in mine that once clear for a few weeks many ponds will remain clear if the UV is turned off. So worth a test. Turn off and if green starts to come back turn it back on. Otherwise you're golden.

 

[shanezam203]

I may try to pickup a UV pump but also slow down my waterfall pump so I am certain the water has the chance to get filtered by my media.

 

[viggen]

Yea, aqua uv does make excellent stuff! I had a 80w aqua uv on my saltwater aquarium for many many years.... Setup a new tank and it wouldn't fit where I needed it so threw it on my pond for a while.

Presently my ponds use advantage plug n play systems, their 6k and 15k setup. Advantage/sacrimento koi uses emperor aquatic uv's their HO units. For a 8k gallon pond I would give a HO UV a consideration be it from aqua uv, emperor miata le or one of a few other top quality brands. Might cost more up front however you do not need as powerful of a UV and bulbs can be cheaper and last longer.

Also like stated a uv does not need to be on all the time so you could possibly get a bulb to last years. Uv light might only need to be on for a hour or a few hours a day and is not needed when the weather is cold.

 

[shanezam203]

I'm afraid my water is going through the filter and media too quickly and down the waterfall.
Should I put a ball valve on the big pump and try to slow it down so the water has a chance to get filtered?

 

[shanezam203]

My bog and plants keep our pond clear and healthy.

What is a bog?

 

[Jason]

I have a small pond around 450-500 gallons and it's much harder to keep clean lol, I just use a larger than recommended filter with a 13w UV light and a couple of small lilies and hyacinths. When I clean my filters twice a month, I set my Filter to backflush that runs over my fence into the woods and turn on a water hose with full power with nozzle and hold it near the bottom of the pond to stir things up and at the same time adding a 30% water change, this has worked for me so far