Actually Sissy, UV light do work for clearing green water algae 100% of the time, and they can be a pretty quick fix too. There are certainly other ways that work too, but they don't all work 100% of the time, or they don't work as fast, or, as in the case of some chemicals, they just aren't safe.
Personally I think UV filters are great for pond use. Not just for green water, but used as water sterilizers too. They have been used for this purpose in the aquarium hobby for years.
In ponds and aquariums fish live in very close quarters, kind of like people crowded together in an airplane, or kids at school. If one person gets sick, it can easily spread to everybody else by airborne germs. With fish it's obviously waterborne pathogens and parasites that can be a problem. A powerful enough UV light set up with the proper flow can aid in curbing the growth of these things, and stop them from turning into a full blown outbreak. Anybody who is so worried about introducing these things to their pond that they take the time to wash the roots off plants before introducing them to there pond certainly would benefit from having a UV sterilizer in their pond.
Because a pond is open to the environment you can never totally control foreign harmful bacteria, fungus, pathogens and parasites from being introduced to your pond from carriers like birds, animals, or the wind. So you pretty much have to accept that there will be those things in your pond, but with a UV sterilizer you can curb them from ever building to such levels that they might overwhelm your fishes natural immunity and ability to deal with them.
A really informative page on UV sterilization.
.
Personally I think UV filters are great for pond use. Not just for green water, but used as water sterilizers too. They have been used for this purpose in the aquarium hobby for years.
In ponds and aquariums fish live in very close quarters, kind of like people crowded together in an airplane, or kids at school. If one person gets sick, it can easily spread to everybody else by airborne germs. With fish it's obviously waterborne pathogens and parasites that can be a problem. A powerful enough UV light set up with the proper flow can aid in curbing the growth of these things, and stop them from turning into a full blown outbreak. Anybody who is so worried about introducing these things to their pond that they take the time to wash the roots off plants before introducing them to there pond certainly would benefit from having a UV sterilizer in their pond.
Because a pond is open to the environment you can never totally control foreign harmful bacteria, fungus, pathogens and parasites from being introduced to your pond from carriers like birds, animals, or the wind. So you pretty much have to accept that there will be those things in your pond, but with a UV sterilizer you can curb them from ever building to such levels that they might overwhelm your fishes natural immunity and ability to deal with them.
A really informative page on UV sterilization.
.