Ponds can be one of the most creative ways to add distinction and diversity to your landscape. Ponds can be a lot of fun with all of the different fish and plants that you can add to them to make each one very unique, but they can also be a huge headache once the warmer weather comes on and the algae starts to take over. In this article I want to explain how beneficial UV sterilizers are and help you keep your pond as carefree and serene as you had hoped for when established in.
Any type of filter you can put in your pond is very beneficial. Skimmers are great for catching any large debris that might be floating on the water surface. Screen-type pad filters help with catching smaller particles in the water. Biological filters such as bio balls are great for creating a home for beneficial bacteria to grow on. Any one or all of these will help to keep your pond clean, but all are going to need help from an algaecide and a clarifier to keep your pond water clean and clear.
The best way to keep a clean pond without all the chemicals is with the use of a UV Sterilizer. UV sterilizers work by pumping water over a tube that produces ultraviolet rays. This will remove any unwanted microscopic bacteria from the water, such as parasites, fungal cells, and even pathogens. Best of all it will also prevent a lot of algae growth in the pond as the UVC rays will destroy a high percentage of algae spores. This works by UVC rays penetrating the living cell and destroying their DNA making them lifeless and therefore quickly die off. A UV sterilizer is by far one of the most effective ways of getting rid of algae and keeping it gone for the life of the bulb, which should be about one to two years. Then you simply replace it just like you would any other light bulb.
UV sterilizers can be quite expensive, but when you compare them to algaecides and clarifiers and the amount and frequency you have to use them, you come out way ahead with the purchase of an UV sterilizer. Most Algaecides have to be applied to your pond every seven to ten days until the algae is gone, then continue applications every fourteen days for the rest of the season. Each application can cost up to $20.00 depending on how big you pond is; multiply that by the sixteen weeks you will be running it and that equals $320.00. With that in mind, plus all the time used to tend the pond every two weeks, a UV sterilizer could pay for itself within the first year you have it.
A great bonus to having a UV sterilizer is that you minimize the amount of chemicals in your pond. This makes it very safe for any wildlife that might be around including birds, cats, and dogs. In fact, if you add a biological filter like plant life you should not have to add any chemicals at all, the pond should be completely self sufficient. UV sterilizers really do make having a pond fun and relaxing, they do a lot of the work for you. Most brands are very easy to clean and to replace the bulb is usually just two screws away.