Tag Archives: algae

Mechanical Pond Filters Keep Your Pond Fish Healthy

If you are lucky enough to have a Koi or goldfish pond in your back yard then you know the importance of keeping them clean.  To keep your pond clean you need to change at least twenty percent of the water in your pond on a regular basis is because most biological filters harbor a type of bacteria that coexists with good bacteria. This eats nitrite and excretes nitrate. Nitrate is non-toxic to fish in small quantities and is used by plants as fertilizer.

 

There are basically two types of mechanical pond filters: gravity filters and pressurized filters. Gravity filters need to be placed at some height above the pond and are best concealed behind a waterfall.  If you need a filter that needs to be positioned lower than the pond or several feet away from the pond then you need to use a pressurized water filter. Ultima II filters are a recommended brand because they can be cleaned with a twist of a valve.

 

You might also want to note at this point, that a swimming pool filter would not work on a fish pond. The reason is, in a swimming pool you use chlorine, and the pool water has very little solids and ammonia (fish wastes) in it. A swimming pool filter used on a fish pond will require frequent back flushing. Also a high powered pump will be required to push the water through the filter. Remember, that no matter what kind of water pump you choose, you will need to run the pump 24 hours a day, and this will likely show up as a huge cost your electric bill.

 

Chemical filters are also solutions that are added to the pond to correct the pH level for you and also rid the pond of excess ammonia and nitrates.

 

A recent and very simple innovation is an item called an ultraviolet sterilizer, which although expensive, are easy to install and keep your pond water crystal clear.  However those going for a more swampy or natural effect may not want to opt for a filtration system at all and instead depend on a hand held skimmer and solutions that correct the water’s pH to clear the pond of debris and algae.

 

In the koi world, these nitrates are like smog.  A lot of pollutants in your pond is life threatening, but a, long term exposure to a medium amount is also unhealthy for your fish.

 

 

U.V. Light Cleaners for Koi and Other Ponds

One of the most contemporary products for a Koi pond is the ultra-violet (U.V.) sterilizer. A U/V light easily kills planktonic algae (or pea soup as most pond keepers usually call it). U.V. light bulbs look like fluorescent light bulbs. Ultra-violet disinfecting has been used for many years in hospitals and in water purification and it also cleans up ponds and aquariums.

 

As effective as U.V. lights are for killing algae they will not clean up everything. However an ultraviolet light will not kill disease pathogens or parasites such as the Aeromonas bacteria. Essentially, the parasites can grow faster than the U/V light can kill them. Many fish owners use a combination of chemical and U/V light therapy to keep their ponds clean.

 

Pea soup algae on the other hand are light sensitive and are controlled with ultraviolet light treatment. However, the U/V will have a minimal impact on the growth of stringy algae attached to the pond walls.

 

A U.V. unit is not meant to replace a bio-filter. You still need a bio-filter for removing the ammonia wastes. You should not expect the U.V. unit to sterilize your pond. There will be bacteria on and in your fish, in the biological filter bed, and on the walls and bottom of the pond. What you can expect is to control harmful bacteria, algae, and other waterborne microorganisms by reducing their numbers.

 

Before selecting a U.V. light sterilizer for your fish pond you need to keep some factors in mind. First off make sure that the U.V. lamps can be immersed in water as they are much more efficient than the model of U.Vl lamp that is suspended over the water.  The unit must also be surrounded in a quartz glass sleeve and the bulb should operate in colder water without shattering.  A high quality bulb will have a life of 7,000 waters.  To be sure of the water quality the bulb should be changed at least one a year.

 

One drawback is that U.V. sterilizers can be expensive. Usually a normal sterilizer unit looks like a 3 inch white PVC pipe with inlet/outlet connections on the side at each end and a U.V. tube running through the center. The ends of the tube (U.V. bulb) will be sealed with o-rings and the wiring connections covered with rubber boots.  If the unit is cheap it might be poorly designed or meant for an aquarium and not a koi pond!