Liz: Now the last thing I need is another plant or tree resource. I too, have overspent the budget on the garden. Daves isn't the only place I do co-op's, I also do some on Yahoo.com Your tree is cute. I like the look of the two tone white and green evergreens. I put in a droopy hemlock near the pond last year and this spring I plan to rehome him a bit further from the pond because it dropped a considerable amount of needles into the water that i couldn't get out easily.
BTW: Check on the Texas Water Lilly co-op. It's worth the time. You will not be sorry!
something I learned.
I did - I have not so much as put a shovel in the ground and I'm already out of room for water plants! I measured the area that I have free in full sun in front of my house, it will fit that preform pond I have perfectly (irregular shape, about 8' x 7' and 18" deep). That will hold my lotus but that is all I have room for...sigh...
With everything under so much snow, I don't know what I have planted where - so many of my conifers are minis and completely buried. Right now it looks like there are plenty of open spaces, but come spring things will reappear that I completely forgot I had and I'll be left thinking "Uh-oh, I bought something to put in that spot..."
ic, you'll want, need and use that UV from the git-go. It takes green algae about a week to get started. While cooler waters slow it, it's a modest drop off and you'll still be plagued with it by winter shutdown. In fact, right now, in water that's 37 degrees and mostly ice covered I have pea soup algae. I suspect you've figured this out already but just in case, time on the UV bulb is measured in hours of operation. If a bulb is rated for 1yr, you'll get two 6 month ponding seasons. Whichever filtration method you choose, it will likely be better and easier to incorporate the UV in the initial installation rather than retrofit or add it on later.
As tetley explained so well, UV's do not harm the filter bacteria.
Thanks for the clarification snapple, I didn't realize that it was a constant year-round problem! I thought that green algae was only a spring/early summer problem. Sheesh, I still have so much to learn.
LOL I'm still learning after eight seasons.
There are two algae types that you will be dealing with. Green, or pea soup algae is controlled by barley, chemicals or UV light. Chemicals can be hard on pond plants, some won't allow any pond plants to grow at all, some alter the pH of the water.
A lot of ponders use some form of barley for green algae control. The component of barley that actually works against algae is hydrogen peroxide. Barley releases a weak form of HP. It takes several weeks to get the barley working and it works best placed in the water flow. Hence, it doesn't work in all pond installations and it can take an enormous amount of barley to get the job done. It's not the prettiest stuff to have hanging around in the water and needs to refreshed with new from time to time.
The cleanest most effective pea soup algae control is UV. UV's work right now and they keep on working without any effort on your part, other than keeping the quartze sleeve clean, a minor maintenance issue.
String algae is the other type of algae most ponders grapple with. UV's have no effect on string algae. It's much more problematic in full sund ponds and it especially loves full sun waterfalls. It can choke a full sun pond in no time. Dosing with hydrogen peroxide (1pt per 1000 gal.) will kill it. Then you quickly get a big debris load and lowered oxygen content in the pond from the decaying biomass. Rapid regrowth of string algae starts within days of a hydrogen peroxide treatment.
I've only found one product that eliminates string algae with no side effects other than the one on your wallet. The product is S.A.B. Extreme ( String Algae Buster) by Aquascape. Because I have one full sun pond with a vigorous waterfall and one part sun with a brisk waterfall, string algae is a constant. The S.A.B., used regularly, eliminates it entirely. It's hard to determine how much, if any, string algae you'll have to deal with. Small spots of string algae can be dealt with by using a salt scrub. Shut down the water flow. "Salt" the surfaces or rocks the string algae is growing on. Let it sit a while, then scrub. It will grow again, so it's a slow "Lather, Rinse, Repeat" cycle. You'll soon learn how much string algae your pond will produce and the best way for you to deal with it.
so will the pricey stuff get rid of pea soup algae?
or just the stringy kind?
I don't have string algae but I am sure I will.
I don't have a UV sterilizer either, probably need one, but I'm 'frugal' lol
is it ok to use the UV or the checicals if you have plants in the pond?
The UV will not harm plants. It will only kill the algea that passes directly under the light. UV lights will not get rid of string algea for that you need the SAB that Snapple was talking about. Be very careful with chemicals some will kill every growing thing in the pond including your fish.