Looking for a cheap, effective UV sterilizer for a small fish pond (pond pics inside)

[char]

I've had a small plastic fish pond in my backyard for about 5 or 6 years now and every year I've had terrible problems with algae and will have to spend hours emptying the entire thing out, scrubbing off the sides, and refilling it with fresh water only to have it all green again a few weeks later. I do have a pump/filter in there but that doesn't seem to help much. So I've decided on getting a UV Sterilizer to hopefully finally take care of the algae problem. The cheapest one the local garden store has is $190.00 which is much more than I want to spend, especially considering it says it's designed for ponds over 1,000 gallons which mine is nowhere near.
I'm really not sure what I should be looking for as far as GPH and wattage for the sterilizer though, since I haven't dealt with these before...I'm still not even exactly sure how they work. So if anyone could give me any recommendations for an inexpensive (but effective) UV sterilizer that would work for my pond, it would be much appreciated.

Here are some pictures of my pond for reference (and how bad the algae has gotten):

I've been thinking of this 9W Odyssea UV Sterilizer on eBay for $30.00 but I don't know if it would get the job done...plus cheap ebay things have a reputation for not working, but I figured someone here might know more. Thanks again!

 

[cauzeneffeckt]

Re: Looking for a cheap, effective UV sterilizer for a small fish pond (pond pics ins

i bought one of those odyssea in a pinch and i still have it till this day, and it works, i have a bigger wattage one.

 

[jason081180]

Re: Looking for a cheap, effective UV sterilizer for a small fish pond (pond pics ins

from what i see you don't have a filter in your pond the little prefilter on the pump is not a real filter and will do nothing for your pond. i would build something like this

[ame="[MEDIA=youtube]NgZWOXOonZo[/MEDIA]"]DIY Pond Filter[/ame]

then if the water is not better then you could buy a UV but a filter is a must to start. you could also downsize one of the DIY filters on this site.

 

[bsr8129]

Re: Looking for a cheap, effective UV sterilizer for a small fish pond (pond pics ins

if you want a UV filter get the odyessa one of e-bay i have one, the 36w and it has been working great, there are two kinds on e-bay the older model, the one you have listed and a newer one that is a little bit better, try to find that one.

 

[koiguy1969]

Re: Looking for a cheap, effective UV sterilizer for a small fish pond (pond pics ins

You do not need anything near a 36 watt u.v a 9 watter works on my 12 -1300 gal pond in full sun. and that 5 gal bucket in the pic will make a fine filter for your puddle of a pond....good luck with everything

 

[koikeepr]

Re: Looking for a cheap, effective UV sterilizer for a small fish pond (pond pics ins

That water is thick. Are you doing partial water changes every week of at least 20%? You can't just change water when things get ugly, you need ongoing maintenance.

Koiguy is right about using something smaller. No need to waste the wattage.

 

[bsr8129]

Re: Looking for a cheap, effective UV sterilizer for a small fish pond (pond pics ins

i wasnt saying they should get the 36w, thats just what i have, the 9w would do perfectly fine on thier pond.

 

[char]

Re: Looking for a cheap, effective UV sterilizer for a small fish pond (pond pics ins

I have a second question...is that odyssea sterilizer on ebay that I linked to in the first post all I need or would I need a pump and/or tubing in addition to it? The same seller has the same 9W sterilizer on ebay in a different auction but for $10 more, the difference being that it includes a "free powerhead/pump." Then he has the same 9W sterilizer for sale yet again for $20 more than the original, the difference being that this one says it includes a pump and 10 feet of tubing. You can see what I mean by searching "9W uv sterilizer odyssea" on ebay.

So are the powerhead/tubing in the more expensive auctions just extra or would I need them in order to get the sterilizer to operate? Basically, would the $30 sterilizer I linked to in the first post work on its own or would I need the $50 with the added powerhead and tubing for it to function?

I contacted the seller and asked him but haven't gotten a response yet.

 

[bsr8129]

Re: Looking for a cheap, effective UV sterilizer for a small fish pond (pond pics ins

you will need a pump and tubing o be hooked up the UV filter, but it looks like you already have a pump, just need tubing and a different adaptor then the one thats on there.

by the way you want to go with this style, this is a newer style then the other one, and i have heard some issues with the older style.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Odyssea-Pond-Aq...tem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item23076ffff9

 

[jason081180]

Re: Looking for a cheap, effective UV sterilizer for a small fish pond (pond pics ins

a UV will not clean your pond!! you still need a filter. just having the pump tubing and UV will only take care of the green water. and that's only after you scrub it all out and start over. if your just have the pump tubing and UV your water will still be toxic and smell terrible and disgusting. you must have a filter for the fish poop and other stuff.

 

[stroppy]

Re: Looking for a cheap, effective UV sterilizer for a small fish pond (pond pics ins

have you got fish in the pond ?

 

[cauzeneffeckt]

Re: Looking for a cheap, effective UV sterilizer for a small fish pond (pond pics ins

Harbor freight sells decent pumps, get one and build that filter someone posted. You can also get the uv an have that in place. You should have no more issues once that gets going

 

[Melott]

I have I think the same liner about 50gallons? Is that right. I had the same problem but I ended up getting a floating filter/pump that has uv for $68 on Amazon and it has worked wonders. It took about 2 and half weeks but it has cleared my pond up. Do you have fish in there? I also added a few aquatic plants like a water lily and Amazon frog bit to it which has helped. They are pretty cheap. I have also added a few fake floating lotuses and now I'm working on getting my pond shade. Mine is in full sunlight which added to the algae problem. Also when you empty it out you start again all over with bacteria, water every is in your tap water and etc. You can get a pond test kit to also see if you have issues with your ph and other thing that may need to be balance in your pond. There about $30 at petsmart/online and you get alot of testing possiities with it. So it's more than one test run with it. You could test your pond like over 300 times with the kit, so it's worth the money in the end. I have heard the green killing machine is good too. It's about $50. With your current filter make sure you are cleaning it a couple of time a week. Do you have a sponge filter that goes around it? If not you could make a pre filter to go around it. Google videos of it and you will find the one for your type filter. I like pinkys filter for this.
Here's the floating filter on Amazon. Hope this helps

 

[tbendl]

@Melott this is a 7 year old thread.

 

[Melott]

@Melott this is a 7 year old thread.

Oops!! My bad