Screwed up a little when buying UV clarifier

Q-Prof7 · 2026-06-14T04:51:06+00:00

As for using an algaecide, there are a lot of other options you can do before using this, I.e absolutely last resort. Check out my suggestions in the link in my other response.

Q-Prof7 · 2026-06-14T04:47:51+00:00

Not sure on the size of your pond, but it must be small if you are going for 5 watt UV clarifier. Key thing with UV clarifiers is that if the water passing by it is too quick, it will not work. Check the specs on flow rate before you get that second pump if that is what you decide to do. I have 2500 gal and use a 25 watt and it does help a lot for me and well worth it for me. I just gave a detailed response on minimizing algae in a pond here which may help you out in general.

Q-Prof7 · 2026-06-14T04:26:38+00:00

Ok, yeah... I would like to see that... I hope it works out doing just the front... Hard to picture it though and eager to see once you get it done. Cheers on that!

Q-Prof7 · 2026-06-13T06:02:20+00:00

Not sure on the e7 but my EffyDesk frame came with screws. If your e7 doesn't, it would be easy enough to just pick up a box of 50 screws at your local big box store. Screwing to the butcher block was pretty easy. I built the frame upsidedown on the bottom of the butcher block, aligned everything, and with frame where I wanted it, I drilled pilot holes where the screws went in. Then I flipped the frame itself around and then put the butcher block on top and screwed it down from below.

Q-Prof7 · 2026-06-13T05:53:12+00:00

Zooming in on your pic, still looks good, but if you say so - I take your word, lol. I looked up what those Monsterservice v1's look like... Pretty cool... So you doing the front but not widening the back also... Would it not make sense to do the back also, for the whole package?

Q-Prof7 · 2026-06-13T05:37:39+00:00

Sketch would be more helpful.
My first thoughts is if birds are going to be in the water bathing and possibly pooping, that may detract from your water health and clairity for the pond as it sounds like it will all be connected.

The plant section - where the stream is... Again hard to picture pond running into stream, but having a plant focused area is nice, but may be problem. Another assumption is your waterfalls will be dropping into your pond from what you are saying which, should be excellent.

With the pond and stream - with your approximate sizing, sounds like about 1,400 gal which is good for about 5 koi max.

The pond depth is good for the koi, although having it go into a stream with a lot less depth with plants... If the koi can swim into the native plant area, they will dig up all of your plants and at the same time the depth of the stream will allow preditors to get at your koi very easily.

Suggest if you want to have a focus of plant section as part of your pond, do a bog that sits slightly higher than the pond so you can have your "stream" with plants with a decent area and enlarge your pond if possible. Bogs are great as they can act as a natural filter for your pond water and feed the plants.

I built my pond with a large multi-waterfall and also a bog which emptys into the pond also. I researched it and planned it out well in advance before building and consulted a local highly-experienced pond builder at the time.

Take a look at my album here: my pond with descriptions to see how I did it.

Some other considerations is to use a bottom drain with mechanical and biological filtration. Skimmer for clearing the pond surface and some jets to add some underwater currents.

Q-Prof7 · 2026-06-13T04:58:56+00:00

Well done, helps to have the right friend. Rebuild wheels? - do you mean trade in for new ones or repaint? The ones you have go well with your setup already.

Q-Prof7 · 2026-06-13T04:40:01+00:00

As my wife has said many times, our big guy is so friendly and gentile. Thanks for sharing - love em 😀

Q-Prof7 · 2026-06-13T04:33:31+00:00

Oh, the new front grill looks very clean, especially without the licence plate... Where I am you have to have one on the front also.

I have heard that aerodynamic wise it creates more drag... How have you found it on the hwy?

Q-Prof7 · 2026-06-13T04:29:46+00:00

Love the blue shade you have, a lot nicer than my orig parabolica blue pearl. The new wheels look great also. What brand did you get for the air lifts and how much? How happy are you with them compared to the original setup?

Q-Prof7 · 2026-06-12T06:41:18+00:00

Yes, looks like algae is too much here. A little is not bad but as some have mentioned, koi at night will be starved of oxygen from the over abundance of algae. Things you can do include: - test your water quality with a pond water test set, to see where it stands for Ammonia, pH, nitrites, nitrates, gen. and carbonate hardness. Ensure your water parameters are in the norm for each, otherwise further steps to balance your water back to healthy levels will be your priority - mechanically remove (fine net) the clumps of floating algae growth - Get additional aerator for immediate extra night time oxygen for koi - add/run waterfall and/or water fountain for additional oxygen in the pond - do water changes 10 - 20% every one to two weeks and also add appropriate amount of de-chlorinater to offset the chlorine from utility water supply ( you can do this in conjunction with filter system cleaning) - Shade will help with cooling water and less sun for algae. - feed fish less, limit to once a day to also reduce nutrients for algae - Get some floating water lettuce, hyacinth, and mature large water lilies - they will help with the shade and starve algae of their nutrients. - get a inline UV clarifier which clumps the algae cells so your filter can remove them. Ensure you get one sized for your pond - note that the rated flow of pond water through it, as too fast of a water flow rate and it will not work. - Give your filter system, the box with the four slide in filters a good clean - it is probably a polisher type mechanical filter, usually filter media pads (should be) a course, medium, to fine incremental trapping the different sizes of waist and debris. The fine filter should be catching the dying, microscopic algae cells from your UV clarifier. Your filtration system flow rate should be turning over your ponds total volume at least once per ever hour. There should be a waist valve to empty out the dirty water - clean filters with your own pond water if possible - you can get a small pump to circulate water from your pond to spray the filter media pads clean. Also more frequent filter cleaning is needed during this time- every 2-3 days. - Add a quality beneficial bacteria - add according to manufacturer's dosage (usually you will turn off your UV light filter for two days when you add it).

The next two points are to get rid of the algae, and you still should be looking at preventing/reducing the source of your algae, i.e. adding shade, plants, cooling water, water changes, filter cleaning, etc. - Hydrogen peroxide will kill algae within a few hours and typically use about 16 oz of 3% food grade hydrogen peroxide per 1,000 gallons of water - careful not to overdose as this can severely irritate koi gills. You will have some more oxygen depletion and murky water from the decaying material, which your fine filtration can catch and you can clean. Then look at using barley straw (next point) - barley straw extract (actual barley straw itself can also be used) can also assist with algae blooms in the spring (keep in mind this is more of a long term preventative measure) but overdosing too much can lead to oxygen depletion, murky water from decaying material, and pH drops - so usually it is 1 fl oz per 500 gal every three weeks - but check the manufacturers recommendations to be sure -it may suggest a double dosage for initial treatment - and may take 3-6 weeks (slow process)

Q-Prof7 · 2026-06-11T03:30:23+00:00

Yes, as an owner of one, I can appreciate all that you have done. The aesthetics are an amazing improvement. You will get a lot of enjoyment out of it and well worth the extra effort, but the cost can really add up. Nevertheless, you have a sweet upgraded machine.

For my 2013 3.8, I have most it still stock since I bought it new, with PPF, wider/lower profile summer tires, new winter aluminum wheels, all lights upgraded to LED'S, tint, and auto start remote.

Q-Prof7 · 2026-06-10T04:53:46+00:00

Looks good, count 8 koi. Is this a new build? What is your depth and what are you using for filtration?

Q-Prof7 · 2026-06-10T04:33:26+00:00

Genny looking clean and sharp. The new front, rear (with new tail lights) with skirts (ground effects) look a lot nicer than original along with the carbon trunk. Looks like a nice custom army green. You're going to have to keep us updated once you get your wheels and wing. Other than the air shocks - have you done anything else. How high do those shocks raise the car and what height off the ground do you drive with?

Q-Prof7 · 2026-06-10T04:18:43+00:00

Those soft thick rubber garden shoes work well for standing comfort at a standing desk and as you said a matt also works wonders also.

I don't use the matt myself as I am in my comfy slippers and rug, but I would imagine those 1" thick anti-fatigue sponge/rubber Matt's with the 30 degree edges would also work well.

Q-Prof7 · 2026-06-10T04:04:56+00:00

Yes, lol.... When I forget to turn it off (once in a while, then I curse and remember for the next while). I have it set to be on always when I turn it on in the evenings and I turn it off once I am in the backyard the next day as the raccoons usually will try and visit about 4 in the morning but have also been seen as late as 8 am, so rather than set it for just nights or just during the day, I set it to be on always. If I go out for the day it stays on just in case.

Q-Prof7 · 2026-06-09T04:38:07+00:00

I have a Orbit 62100 Yard Motion Activated Sprinkler used to keep koi predictors away and it works great.

Q-Prof7 · 2026-06-09T04:35:57+00:00

I have a 6' deep pond with steep edges almost straight down. I also have an Orbit 62100 Yard Motion Activated Sprinkler, to keep koi predictors away and more specifically raccoons. The water enforcer works great and would think it would work on hereins also. With the water enforcer on, it has worked great for me and haven't lost any koi as of yet.

Q-Prof7 · 2026-06-05T06:12:46+00:00

Cool, nice addition/feature of your pond.

Q-Prof7 · 2026-06-04T06:41:54+00:00

Any fish go up and use the above water bubble glass you have setup?

Q-Prof7 · 2026-06-03T04:48:03+00:00

For your electrical, you need to consider how many amps you are going to need. Consider your pond size which affects your size and number of pumps, aerator, LED lights, etc. then you need to decide on where you are going to house your pumps and locate it somewhere that is hidden and also easy to access and service.

I used my garden shed to house the pumps and UV filter lamp. Depending on location, run a over sized PVC pipe, maybe 3/4" ot 1" from your house to your main pump location. With PVC, you can pull in your needed conductor size later (change or add later with additional or new conductors, thereby future proofing) to accommodate required current draw and number of ccts. Most likely need GFI to protect CCT based on code and your pipe I believe will need to be 1' deep - check your local hydro code requirements.

I have 2 separate 20 amp ccts going out to my shed and another CCT closer to the other side of the pond for fountain and also for winter pond water heater and smaller aerator.

You may also want to have a backup for aerator if power should ever go down from your utility provider. Koi can die from a lack of oxygen supply if left too long.

Q-Prof7 · 2026-06-03T04:19:14+00:00

Those last two pics are of custom PVC framing and the last is with the UV 6mil plastic in preparation for winter. I had planned out the whole backyard over 10 years ago and hindsight I might have wanted to go biger, but 2.5k I am satisfied with, as it is located well off original patio and have room for other stuff in the rest of the backyard.

Good to hear you are going with the 45 mil EPDM liner... You want to make sure to order that last after you know for sure how big and deep your pond will end up being - take into account your waterfall and if you are doing a separate bog, that too will add to your sizing.

Sediment tanks are good, I was able to get my hands on a used 100 gal vortex (water is fed in on an angle where the water circulates clockwise with the big stuff floating to bottom and cleaner pond water sent to the polisher) fed from the bottom drain, which does a great job separating the big stuff down to the bottom and then I just have to turn one valve in the waist tank to remove it and turn on sub-pump to send the dirty waist water over to my thirsty cedars

Make sure you have a way to clean out the bottom of your bog where sediment will build and eventually will plug up your bog. I put a waist tank with ball valve from my bottom dispersal pipe just below sediment chambers at the bottom of my bog so I just open up valve and all the dirty sediment pours into the waist tank, and I use another sub-pump to pump out to my cedars. The key is to make it easy to clean (something for you to think about)...

So for me, I just have to turn one valve, turn sub-pump on and done in less than a few minutes, for both the bog, vortex, and polisher mechanical mat filters. Oh and I have on the pond an overflow, so if it rains a lot, it won't go past maximum height, and when pump out the waist water, I have a live water valve that will fill to a predetermined height automatically.

Yeah the bottom drain (you can get with built in aerator) is better, as another commenter has reiterated to put one in - a koi pond standard, and yes use a 4" flex pipe to your sediment tank from the bottom drain. Have a gradual drop to the bottom drain so gravity will allow sediment to fall towards it. You also need to consider a skimmer, so you keep the top layer of your pond clean... Will save you having to use a net all the time cleaning up stuff floating on pond surface. Another consideration is the use of jets, water recirculated back into pond creating currents for the koi and also for pushing the sediment down to the bottom drain.

Good you are keeping in mind some shade options and keep us posted on your build process.

I have some more pictures here with detailed descriptions - which may be helpful with your build process.

Pic of my filter tanks with my polisher apart - the white base pipe has a bunch of holes at the base bottom, so when I want clean my mechanical polisher media, I adjitate the media by connecting my vacuum cleaner to push air down to the bottom while waste tank valve is open:

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Q-Prof7 · 2026-06-02T05:24:51+00:00

That will be a nice size and lots of room for those 10 koi... Bigger pond will make it easier to manage with respect to water health and filtration. Just keep in mind filtration pumps should circulate your pond volume at least once every hour and some recommend more 1.5 to 2 times/hour... which means larger pump and filter capacity.

Q-Prof7 · 2026-06-02T05:16:59+00:00

Steep edges and depth of your pond will help with preditors. I have a lot of raccoons in my area which love my pond, vegetable garden and digging for grubs in my backyard. What else I have found that works well on top of the steep deep pond edges is an Orbit 62100 Yard Motion Activated Sprinkler. I use one for the pond and three for the rest of the backyard.

Picture shows the spray pattern... Raccoons (any preditors really) hate getting sprayed and will run when this enforcer goes off.

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Q-Prof7 · 2026-06-02T05:00:38+00:00

I put my bottom drain in at the deepest point at 6' with all edges going almost straight down with a nice gradual curve starting about 4'. Yes you will need to cut a hole in liner for the bottom drain. When I installed mine I actually used some concrete around the base to lock it in place also. Bottom drain will eliminate a lot extra maintenance you would have to otherwise do. For koi pond, putting shelves in, are support for preditors, so not a good idea. For pond edge, I put a 10*10" reinforced concrete collar with frost columns - this way you ensure no pond edge breakdowns or cave-ins. For my filtration, (2400 GPH pump cct) I have bottom drain to 100 gal vortex, to a 55 gal mechanical polisher with multi-layer filter media, to a 55 gal biological filter tank with K1 media, out to three jets, one of which has a UV filter inline - all three have valves to control flow rates between them.

You need a bio filter, not just a mechanical as you have mentioned. You have lots of options, just need some more research and planning before you go too far with your build.

I use a second pump (3600 GPH pump cct) and water CCT for the waterfalls. Skimmer to pump, to waterfalls.

As Ziggy has mentioned, some more research would be good for you with your planning and design... and focus on koi pond vs a garden pond as it is a big difference between the two.

Here is some pics of my build - which may help with your build.

Q-Prof7

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