Habitat - Outdoor :: Algae in a small pond

[julesmims]

Hello... I have a small pond, about 100 gallons I think. I dug it myself and put in a large pond skin. It's kind of a kidney shape. Roughly 6 feet long 2 1/2 feet wide and 9 inches deep at the deep end. I have a submersible Pondmaster pump and filter which are supposed to handle up to 500 gallons. But, in the last 4 days, the water has turned pretty green. I've added an algaecide to the water without any luck. I have heard that I really need a UV filter to get clear water. I've looked at a few of them on the internet that are not submersible. I'm not very mechanically inclined and don't want to spend money on something that is incorrect. Can anyone make a suggestion for a UV attachment that does not cost a fortune and is also easily installed?
Thank you!

[michaelg]

I purchased a 9 Watt UV filter made by Beckett. I purchased mine from Home Depot. You'll need a diverter on the pump's output to send the output to the UV filter, which sits outside the pond, and then a hose from the UV filter will return the water to the pond.

Most people say that it takes 2 to 3 days to clear up the water. I have a 330 gallon pond and it took about 4 days for the algae to disappear. The UV filter will not do anything for algae that grows on the sides of the pond or on any fixtures in the pond. It can only kill algae that passes by the UV light. The bulb lasts about 6 months and is pretty cheap to replace. The nice thing about this UV filter is if you decide to increase the size of your pond, you can go with the 13 Watt bulb in the same filter to filter up to 1400 gallons.

-Michael

[julesmims]

Thank you so much Michael. Yesterday, I purchased a Pondmaster filter with a 10 Watt bulb. Already this morning it is looking better. Thank goodness. Ah, the process of becoming a good turtle parent.

Take care -

Julie