You know that feeling...  It's been a couple of days since you filled your pond with nice, clean water.  The waterfall is flowin' just right.  The fish are lovin' their new home and the water is sparklin' --- but wait!  What happened to that beautiful clear water!  It's suddenly as green as a 4-leaf clover -- but you don't feel lucky at all.  You feel those low down green water blues comin' on!

Duh, duh, duh, duh, dum.

There's no need to worry.  The Pond Doc has the cure for them blues and it's an ultraviolet water clarifier.  You may have heard of it.  It's also called a UV Light or UV sterilizer. 

What is an Algae Bloom?

To understand why a UV light works you must first know a little about algae bloom.  Algae bloom is one of the most natural things that can happen to your pond so it is not a sign of water problems.  It's just not appealing to the eye and it prevents us from being able to see our beautiful koi and goldfish. 

Fish poop, decaying leaves and other organics in the water are fueled by warmth and sunshine to create algae.  Some algae clings to the walls of the pond and on the rocks in the waterfall.  That kind is called string algae and that's not what we are addressing with this article.  If you want to know about string algae, click HERE.  The kind of algae that causes algae bloom is free flowing and microscopic.  As it grows the number of free floating algae cells multiply so quickly that you literally end up with millions.  An algae bloom is basically when the free-flowing algae is at its healthiest stage.  An algae bloom can make your pond so green that your hand can disappear completely under the water.

Algae Blooms happen in early spring when the water begins heating up.  It's notorious for happening on new ponds just days after it is filled for the first time.  It always corresponds with the pond water heating up and the more fertilizer in the water the more nutrients to feed the algae.

How Does an Ultraviolet Water Clarifier Work?

The way a UV light works is that a long lamp that emits high ultraviolet rays is inserted into a quartz (glass) tube.  The quartz sleeve is then inserted into a housing (most often PVC) and water is pumped through the PVC and over the sleeve.  As the water passes over the sleeve the ultraviolet rays from the lamp zap the microscopic, free-flowing algae cells and sterilizes them - thus the name "UV sterilizer".

Choosing the Right UV

Choosing the right size UV light for your koi pond or water garden and installing it correctly will make the difference between it working well or not working at all so special attention needs to be taken when evaluating your pond's UV needs.

First you need a quality UV.  A housing of either stainless steel or hard PVC is a must.  Don't purchase a UV if it is thin-walled or the connections are not well-made.  Though "cheaper" priced UVs may seem to save you money you will pay BIG later for saving a little now.  Thin walls crack easily.  Poor quality fittings allow water to seep into the electrical part of the UV and that can blow the lamp, the power pack and your household circuit.  To replace these items can become very expensive.  In our experience we know that replacement parts for "cheap" UVs are generally much higher than replacement parts for quality UV lights.  Emperor Aquatics is our perennial favorite when it comes to UVs for the pond or water garden.  Their customer service has always proven to be much better than their competitors' and their products are of the highest quality!  Click HERE to see Emperor Aquatics' line of ultraviolet water clarifiers.

Choosing the right size UV is trickier than it seems.  We do NOT generally follow the manufacturer's recommendations because they can be soooooo over-exaggerated!  There are no regulations that monitor UV products for ponds so we rely on our experience.  We give you our recommendations for that reason.  Our recommendations take several factors into consideration as should you when choosing the right UV for your pond.  The number of gallons of your pond, the amount of sunshine your pond receives and the flow rate of your water all factor into the decision of the size you need for your particular pond's needs.  The amount of fish load also can be a deciding factor.

Sunnier ponds require stronger UV lights.  The faster the water flows through the unit -- the less time the water has over the UV lamp -- the less sterilization effect on the algae.  Even the size of the tube plays into it.  Sometimes the addition of a simple by-pass will do wonders to make a UV work for you.

The easiest thing to do is to trust our experience with UV installations.  If you don't feel comfortable with choosing one with the information we provide you can always call Pond Doc and ask him.  His telephone number is (770) 663-6325 or you can simply email him.    

Can a Pond Clear Naturally Without a UV?

The short answer is an uneasy "yes" but not for the majority of the ponds!  What happens is eventually if a pond has enough plants (to compete with the algae for nutrients) and is not in a sunny spot it "can" possibly clear up on its own.  I always say it takes plenty of plants and patience.  More patience than anything and sometimes patience doesn't pay off.  I've seen people try to balance it for as long as a year and not get a clear pond.  Even if it does balance it will go through an algae bloom at the start of every season and it won't be the beautifully clear quality that a UV will bring.

If you choose to try to balance your pond use something like Microbe-Lift PL.  It helps set up the environment to give the pond as much of a chance of clearing as possible.  Remember - plenty of plants and patience.  I guess I should also say plenty of PL too!  Do NOT expect instant gratification.

If after months of trying and your pond is still green or not pretty and clear you can always add a UV light onto your existing system.

Will Chemicals Clear the Water?

No!  Not unless you put the fish and plants in danger.  You could pour algaecides in but don't expect your expensive koi or goldfish to live or be healthy.  Also - don't believe chemical products that say they "clear the pond of algae bloom" or something to that affect and are fish safe.  Labels lie - especially in the pond business.  They get away with murder.

The bottom line is that nothing will clear up a pond from algae bloom (and keep it sparkling clear) like an ultraviolet water clarifier.  Choose a quality UV and don't be swayed by unbelievably cheap UV lights.  Follow our guidelines to get a practical and "real" idea of which to choose.  Lastly, you can depend on us to help you choose and install your UV.

The Pond Doc knows how to cure your low-down green water blues.  He'll have your koi pond or water garden rockin' and rollin' in no time!