Filtration/Algae Question

[pwncpa]

I have a pond that is around 750 gallons. We have some plants, and gets mixed sunlight and shade. It is about 8 months old. We have 2 large koi and 5 small.

I currently am using this pump inside a basic home depot pond filter:

http://reviews.lowes.com/0534/3044432/reviews.htm

We have algae of course, which I don't mind too much, but the floating stuff makes the water pretty murky, and I would like to control that a bit. So, my questions are:

1. Do we have enough filtration? I generally swap out 15% of the water each week, and clean out the filter at the same time.
2. If I get something like this: http://www.ebay.com/itm/18-Watt-UV-...ltDomain_0&hash=item46029138b6#ht_2323wt_1139 can I just hook it up to my pump from time to time to clean out the floating algae?
3. Is there a chemical or biological additive solution that I should consider using from time to time when it is particularly bad?

Any info would be much appreciated!

 

[addy1]

The uv light is for the green water look, the tiny algae that turns your water green. The stuff that floats won't be controlled with a uv light, if in your post you mean stuff floating is on top of the pond.
The pump you have says it has a uv light built in. Is your bulb still working?

 

[pwncpa]

Yeah, sorry, I knew that - when I was saying floating stuff, I meant microscopic floating stuff that turns the water green, and thick. Yes, I actually replaced the bulb a few weeks ago, but I think it is really weak.

 

[addy1]

lol is ok. I don't use them but those that do say they work fine. Turn on for a week or so, clear up your water and store the bulb away, until the next green water hit.

 

[koiguy1969]

the pump your using...must be a smartpond...dont even need to look. if youve got one of those little box filters that sit on the the floor of the pond and the pump goes inside...theyre garbage!!...and if youve got one of the foam mesh filters that go on the pumps inlet..those are prefilter only. they keep the pump from clogging. now, the final product of any bio filter is nitrates. nitrates feed plants,be it plants you bought or alge. the U.v should take care of the green water which is "single cell alge". but it doesnt do anything for filamentous algeas (string alge). your current U.V is 9 watts? if so it should be plenty to clear up a 750 gal pond. my ( watt tetrapond would clear up a 1200 gal pond in 4 days with 1200 gph running thru it. now adding a nother U.v would definately quicken and ensure you clear water. you might consider a external filter for the pond as well ...a simple easy DIY filter. theres some decent designs in the DIY section here...just down size if you like.

 

[sissy]

remember whatever uv you think of buying check out the cost of replacement bulbs as you will be buying them in the future and if the bulb is really expensive then the uv price is low you may not get what you want or expected .I have never owned a uv but my neighbor has one and the replacement bulb is almost 30 dollars ,not cheap .She got the uv free from a friend and it was great but not so great when she had to buy a new bulb

 

[koiguy1969]

a U.V bulb should last you for years...you need only run them untill your water clears. its true that some bulbs are pricey. but they dont have to be!! they only make 2 styles. a 2 pronge and a 4 pronge. lowes wanted $27.00 for the tetrapond bulb. but i get them 2 for $12.00 on ebay thru LSE light source enterprizes. your smart pond bulbs are $10.00 at Lowes...same exact bulb as the tetrapond 9 watters. if you buy a 2 pronge 9 watt bulb it will likely fit any 9 watt U.V.... of course the manufacturers dont want you know this....i ran my U.V 10 days a year, in 3-4 days the pond was clear and an extra week for good measure. my 450 gal pond would clear in 2 days (basically overnight) ...i used my same bulb for 5 years and it it still worked great.but at 2 bulbs for $12.00 i replaced it anyways. bulbs are meant to last for 11 months of continuous use. slowly losing effectiveness starting at around 8 months. it used the same bulb as my fishmate pressure filter, and the smart pind U.Vs of 9 watts. the 4 pronge bulbs are the expensive ones and theyre mostly 50 watt and up. according to Smart Pond their bulbs last 2x as long as ordinary U.V bulbs. so you should get 10 years out of a bulb if you only use it when needed (10 days a year) but i dont know if you can turn the power on and off to just the U.V on them.
***side note; a U.V bulb will continue to light up long after its lost its ability to kill alge.***

 

[pwncpa]

Well, I was pretty sure my bulb was out, and so I bought a replacement one, this one here:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/170703978968?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2648#ht_500wt_864

It is so small, that it is my assumption that it is not strong enough to clear my pond. But, you guys are making it seem like it should be enough? Based on that, I am starting to think that maybe something is not working right.

 

[koiguy1969]

a 2.5 watt bulb? is that for a birdbath or what?... is that the one in the pump? why bother if it is? you need a 9 watter ...for 700 gal pond and a 700 gph pump. and i just reread your first post..the 15% waterchanges probably arent helping...no need for them untill warmer weather and regular feeding is going on. and i hope your not using tap water to clean the filter, if you expect any bio filtering to take place in it. are you dechlorinating the water for the changes?

 

[brandonsdad02]

I just got a UV light for my pond. I have a UV light build thread in the DIY section. Ive seen some UV lights that make direct contact with the water and ones like mine that are encased in a glass sleeve. Koiguy....have you been the using the same tetrapond uv light just like the one that I just got with the glass sleeve?

Edit...the same uv light with great success?

 

[koiguy1969]

yep...exact same one as the 2 you bought!!!

 

[brandonsdad02]

I was hoping to see some improvement by today with the water but haven't really noticed it yet. It hasn't even been 24hrs yet but one can hope. Not sure on how many gallons mine is, I just know it takes about 4 1/2 hrs to fill it.

 

[pwncpa]

I hadn't even looked at the wattage below (I guess I am learning). I will call and see if I can the correct bulb. Thanks!