A Community and Forum For Aquaponic Gardeners

UV lights

I am in the process of replacing my bio filters in a existing Koi pond with grow beds. In my Koi pond I used a UV light to control algae, there is no shade at all on my pond. Does anyone have any idea on how the UV light would affect my vegtables if I connect it back up?

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Permalink Reply by matthew ferrell on January 18, 2013 at 8:21pm

It will have no effect. It only treats the water passing through it. And if you haven't replaced the bulbs in the last year, its not doing anything anyway. UV bulbs need to be changed every year.

Don't replace your beds fully until your system cycles. In fact it's not a bad idea to run the filters pre bed anyway.

Permalink Reply by Vlad Jovanovic on January 19, 2013 at 3:08am

Matt, do you if the UV lights (when used in that way) affect our ammonia oxidizing bacteria?

Wendell, you should be able to control the algae (at least to a degree which is wholly manageable) just by blocking out any excess light/sunlight from hitting your water. (At least I've always been able to).

Permalink Reply by Wendell Ford on January 19, 2013 at 6:23am

Thanks Matthew and Vlad for the response. What I wondering is does the UV light adversely affect the plant growth? If it does then I will not connect and deal with algae by making a sun shield.If it doesn't affect the growing of food then I will keep it since my pond is in direct sunlight and it is a easy way to control algae.

Permalink Reply by Elan yadan on January 19, 2013 at 9:12am

Wendell have you considered algae suckers? I'm new to all of this but had some algae issues before, added some algae suckers (the turtles ate the first batch lol but figured it out the second time now they are all friends) no more algae problems.

I was considering using a uv light to control powdery mildew but heard mixed reviews about their affect on the plants so I stuck it out and fingers crossed made the necessary changes in my grow room and took down the last of the infected plants. Hopefully saw the last of it. Was a nightmare for this beginner gardener!

Anyone know if the uv light would help for that in case it comes back. Thanks. And good luck w the algae.

Permalink Reply by Paul Holowko on March 3, 2013 at 10:25pm

UV lights are very efficient at sterilizing water. It first is used in water treatment plants in the mid-1960s by the EPA. It's still used today to sanitize human waste water processing plants. You can use it in your hot tub. Using the combination of UV irradiating and Ozone injection removes the need for using chlorine or bromine; however, you will never get a chemical company to admit that. I've made hot tubs with this method for 20 years with no problem.

UV lights are good for people who have a decorative pond and want to minimize clouded water. UV bulbs need to be changed yearly if running 50% duty. The cheapest place to get them is from a saltwater aquarium store. And the glass case needs to be made of quartz, not glass. The killing wavelength will be blocked by regular glass. It will slow down your oxidation of NH4 and in turn there will be less NO3 available for your plants. Please remember that killed bacteria/algae will produce more NH4, H2S and CH4 because of decomposition. Your pH will be affecting depending how much AP sludge you have at the bottom of your tank/pipes.

I'm assuming you are complaining about clouded water. If you have algae growing along the sides of the tank and the fish are not eating it, you may be adding too much food causing an NH4, NO2 and NO3 ripple spike. :-) This would cloud the water as well. My system is 5 years old with no UV sterilizer, in direct sunlight and the water is really clear. There are a lot of algae on the tank walls the fish eat. I have not fed my fish ever.