UV filter recommendations?

Technicaly there is no such thing as "nitrate",(unless you wish to consider what some one working in the hours of darkness gets paid, it his night rate) but let's not go there. I merely pointed out that for most people a veggie filter is not a viable option

 

If nitrate doesn`t technically exist there wouldn`t be any need for the uv for algae problems :wink:

I understand that most people dont have space for a few hundred litres of gravel in tubs etc, all i`m saying is it would be far more effective if you can find a way to incorporate it.

If the uv is the only viable option thats ok too, but it isn`t quite the magic bullet the adverts claim it is.
The uv lamp will kill the algae if its exposed it to the light for long enough. The now dead algae will end up going "somewhere" as it doesnt simply disappear under uv light, it breaks down the cell wall and kills it.
So it will either sink to the bottom of the pond to decompose which will inevitably lead to an increase of goodies in the water for yet more algae blooms or more likely it`ll end up in your biofilter.
If its the latter you`ll need to clean it out pretty often in order to keep water flowing to the uv and also to prevent the ammonia from building and poisoning your fish.

Heres an interesting link, scroll down to the Balancing Act paragraph
http://www.pondcare.com/reference-center/articles/Article.aspx?ArticleID=6

 

As i said nitrate technically does not exist, it never has, and never will. However I am being very ****** about it because its actually (for example) Ammonia Nitrate not nitrate, since it could also be calcium nitrate (but it isn’t)

It’s a similar “story” regarding the U.V. some will tell you it’s a steriliser, (in that it sterilises) and others will say it flocculates (causes stuff to clump together) I believe the latter.

Yes it is then removed by the filter (But as you said its not really removed, as in no longer there, its removed from the pond but collected in the filter sponges) But any good pond keeper will keep an eye on the filters and clean them as and when required.

I would say at the end of the day a U.V is the easiest option for most pond owners since it can be up and running within minutes unlike a veggie filter that has to grow before it does anything of value, and unlike a veggie filter a U.V, is small and compact

But getting back to the original question, the makers will specify a maximum pond size (usually in gallons) that a specific UV can be used with, if your budget allows go for the next size up.

Since a U.V will require at least annual maintenance go for an easy to maintain one, one that is easy to disassemble / assemble, because not only do you have to change the lamp, you have to clean the quartz sleeve. Why not pop along to your local aquatic store and see for your self which U.V. you fell happy with, a good store will show you how to change a U.V. lamp

 

Hi there. As I remember, it's 10 watts per 1,000 gallons, but as water-garden says, go for the next size up, if you can afford it. Cheers...freddy.

 

Thanks for all the suggestions We went down to our local friendly acquatic store and they suggested a Blagdon 9W UVC. So now we've just got to wait for it to stop raining so we can go and plumb it in and see what happens .

Thanks for the link, Walnut - we looked at it but decided to stick with the main bio filter we have as it should be very good (its an Oase Biotec 5) and is very easy to maintain.

Fingers crossed I'll be able to show you a picture of a pond with some nice clear water soon :D