A backyard pond depends on good, or beneficial, bacteria to balance the water and process nutrients and waste products, however awful, or harmful, bacteria thrive at exactly the exact states and can take over a pond. A UV filter, which uses light wavelengths to destroy bacteria, can prevent the bad guys from taking over without destroying all the good bacteria your pond should thrive.

UV Effects on Branches

UV affects both good and bad bacteria by damaging the DNA in the bacteria, leading to death or the inability to copy. The bacteria must move directly in front of the UV lights or they are not affected. Most filters pull water in so a constant stream is passing beneath the lights. Any bacteria floating freely in the pond water are eventually exposed to the UV wavelengths and destroyed. Most manufacturer’s recommend altering the UV light bulbs every 12 to 14 weeks to make sure they retain enough intensity to destroy bacteria efficiently.

Bacteria Differences

Good bacteria do not harm fish or plants at the pond. Instead, they help provide filtering by feeding bad bacteria and other organisms that would otherwise thrive in the water. Very good bacteria are also necessary for nutrient cycling, because many of these organisms feed on the sulfur and other waste products produced by fish or plants. Bad bacteria can infect plants and fish, resulting in death or disease. Bad bacteria usually roam freely round the pond, while great bacteria tend to congregate along the seams and sides of the pond or at non-UV filters inside the pond. Although some good bacteria will float freely and might die in the UV filter, the filter rarely destroys enough to upset the equilibrium of the pond should you provide great bacteria feeding grounds from the UV filter, like in a sand filter or from putting stones on the base of the pond.

Sand Filters

A secondary mud filter provides a nesting Landscaping ideas Cape Coral cheap Salt Lake City, UT for great bacteria which keeps them away in the UV filter. Using both types of filters at the pond ensures the bacteria colonies stay balanced so the fish and Shrub Removal companies Littleton near house Fort Lauderdale life can benefit from their presence. A pond having too few excellent bacterium can become poisonous with ammonium nitrogen. Small ponds that contain fish are particularly prone to this issue if only a UV filter is used. Providing a safe area in a sand filter to get good bacteria to survive from the UV light is essential if the water contains too much waste material.

Pond Inoculation

Analyzing the pond water using a water testing kit provides a manual for the quantity of ammonium nitrogen in the water. If levels are too high, your pond either contains too many fish or not enough bacteria. You can boost the levels of good bacteria by inoculating the pond using a bucket full of water by a natural pond or a landscape pond using a suitable water mineral equilibrium. It takes time for the good bacteria to copy, so turn off the UV filter for 24 hours and introduce new fish slowly rather than fully stocking the pond immediately.

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