Keeping algae under control in ponds is a constant struggle for many water gardeners and it’s no secret that there are many methods to tackling algae; some that work better than others. Of course there are algaecides available but unless you know how many gallons you have in your pond and use the product correctly and carefully, you can risk damaging plants in your pond and possibly killing your fish. There are other somewhat off the wall options such as products that round up the algae in your pond and sink it to the bottom. These can cause serious clogging in filter systems and may give you a bigger headache than you started out with. If nothing has worked well for what you’re trying to do, you may want to consider investing in an ultraviolet sterilizer.
When ultraviolet sterilizers first came onto the market, many people were skeptical about the safety of the product. Some thought that the sterilizers would virtually sterilize everything to the point that the ponds would be complete sterile causing the koi to die because their immune systems would shut down. Those concerns, however, have been put to rest. There are so many influences that affect ponds that there’s really no way to keep it completely sterile-certainly not by the sterilizers that are offered.
UV sterilizers are used in so many ways and in so many industries with successful outcomes that the idea of using them in koi ponds seemed only natural. The sterilizers keep the pond clean by eliminating water-born algae and reducing the amount of viruses, fungi, bacteria etc. that’s present in the pond. The technical description can be summarized in that a shortwave UV light is released and when it comes in contact with the problem (algae, fungi, protozoa etc.) long enough, it will destroy the DNA chain resulting in the prevention of reproduction.
Of course there are different units for different size ponds. Contact your dealer or stop in at a local water garden store to ask some questions and gather information before taking the next step to a cleaner, healthier pond.
Excellent points!
Your point about immune systems of the fish being compromised is well put as this is an unfortunate myth that is still common here on the internet.
Another lesser known benefit of UV Sterilization is improvement in the Redox Potential (reduction of oxidizing radicals).
Posted by: Carl Strohmeyer | March 15, 2008 at 02:24 PM