The Water Garden News
  May                                           2004 Vol.7 No. 4

Greetings From The Water Garden! Your number one source for all your water gardening needs since 1987, offering the most complete online watergardening catalog since 1995.

Welcome to the May 2004 issue of The Water Garden News. This newsletter is published ten (10) times each year by The Water Garden.
http://WaterGarden.com/index.php?html=404home

* The Facts About UV
* Pond Points Rewards Program
* New Products
* Frogs, Toads, and Tadpoles
* How to Subscribe or Unsubscribe
* Store Hours & How to Contact Us

UV or Ultraviolet light has been used in many industries. It is used for sterilizing instruments in the medical field and for sterilizing drinking water. It has also been used for aquariums and ponds for several years for algae control. Basically there are four main components of the ultraviolet sterilizer: a germicidal lamp, a quartz sleeve to protect the lamp from the water, a ballast to provide the correct electrical requirements for the lamp, and the housing which holds all of the other parts and the water flows through it.

What UV Does & Doesn't Do
There are a lot of misconceptions regarding the use of UV in water gardens. One concern is that you will sterilize your pond and kill all of the beneficial bacteria. This is impossible. Not all of the water will pass through the UV in one circulation and there is always going to be beneficial bacteria inside your biological filter and on everything in the pond, including the liner. What the UV will do, when properly sized for your pond and flow rate, is reduce some bacteria, including harmful bacteria, as well as microscopic organisms that could be harmful to your fish. It will also destroy the DNA in single cell algae thereby killing it very efficiently. This will provide clear water when the turbidity is due to suspended algae. UV provides 100% success for achieving clear water from single cell algae in a pond.

UV Is Not Filter
While UV will provide clear water it does not filter the pond water. One concern of using UV in a pond is that some people will look at their perfectly clear pond and think that the water quality must be good for the fish. You can have clear water and still have water that would be detrimental to the fish. Always use good biological filtration along with the UV in your pond. You need the biological filter to break down the ammonia given off by the fish and to break down dead organics including the dead algae that is killed by the UV. If you don't have enough biological filtration then you may see one algae problem disappear (green water) and another one (filamentous algae) replace it.

Clarifier, Sterilizer...What'S The Difference?
When shopping for a UV you may find some confusing statements. Some companies don't even call their UVs sterilizers. They call them clarifiers. Company x says that their 25 watt UV is for ponds up to 1200 gallons and company y says that their 25 watt UV is for ponds up to 2300 gallons. What's the deal? There are actually two reasons for the discrepancy. When a UV is sized as a clarifier it may not provide crystal clear water and a large number of plants are required to assist with the clarity. If a UV is sized for sterilization then you can have crystal clear water even without plants in the pond, although the plants will certainly make for a healthier pond. Another difference you will see is the efficiency of a particular brand over another. Some companies use parts that may not perform as well as another brand. Some make claims that are not backed up by facts. As an example, one company states that because their UV is made from stainless steel you get reflected UV increasing the output. This claim is not backed up by scientific data. They base their information on data that is over 20 years old from experiments conducted with UV reflected through air not water.

Aqua Ultraviolet is one company (there are a few) that only uses the best materials available. In fact, based on independent test, their 25-watt UV produced more than double the output of another popular brand. This test compared a lamp from Aqua Ultraviolet that was 14 months old and the competitor unit was new.

Adding a UV to your pond can provide some real benefits but get the facts before making your purchase and be sure to include adequate biological filtration as well.

LINKS TO UV PRODUCTS
http://store.yahoo.com/cgi-bin/clink?watergarden+53PMcf+ulster.html

POND POINTS REGISTRATION PAGE
http://watergarden.com/Pond-Points/index.htm?html=404pondPoints

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Artificial Stone Cover for Floating Island Planters
Make your floating island even more decorative by adding the artificial stone cover. This cover hides the black foam ring that makes the islands float. This cover is available for the 12, 16, 20, and 24 inch islands. (Scroll down Floating Island Planter page to see Covers.)
http://store.yahoo.com/cgi-bin/clink?watergarden+53PMcf+flispl.html

Mooring Frog for Floating Island Planters
Anchor these islands with the Mooring Frog anchor. This small frog inserts into the island allowing you to tie it off to the pond edge with fishing line. This will keep your islands from harming other plants or being pulled to a skimmer.
http://store.yahoo.com/cgi-bin/clink?watergarden+53PMcf+mofrforflisp.html

NEW PRODUCTS PAGE
You can always see the newest additions to our catalog on the New Products page of our Website:
http://store.yahoo.com/cgi-bin/clink?watergarden+53PMcf+newproducts.html

by RANDALL TATE
Chief Manager
The Water Garden

There are several types of frogs that may inhabit our ponds. Some frogs being aquatic will live a large portion of their lives in the pond while others will live nearby using the pond for breeding and for the food that it offers. Toads will also take up residence near a pond for the same reasons. Frogs and toads eat a lot of insects including mosquitoes. Their offspring, tadpoles, initially eat algae and as they grow they add insects to their diet. Some of these amphibians breed only in the spring while others will lay eggs several times throughout the year.

Frog or Toad?
"What's the difference between a frog and a toad?" you may ask. Toads are dry and have warts. Frogs are wet to the touch and have smooth skin. Toads hop as they have short hind legs. Frogs have long hind legs and jump. Toads do not have teeth but frogs have tiny teeth. Toads lay eggs in long strands while frogs lay eggs in clumps or large globs. These eggs are enclosed in a jelly like substance.

Some people are concerned when they first see the large mass of eggs in the pond. After they hatch you may have hundreds of tadpoles in the pond. At this point we get a phone call asking, "what am I going to do with so many frogs, my pond will not support this many". There is no need to worry. A lot of the tadpoles will never make it. If the tadpoles are toads then they will leave and take up residence elsewhere helping to rid the area of unwanted mosquitoes and other insects. If the tadpoles are frogs they may not be a type of frog that lives in the water. As soon as they mature off they go looking for a home. Some of the frogs that live in water will choose your pond for home and a lot of them will look for new ponds to inhabit.

What's In Your Pond
There are a lot of different species of toads and frogs that could be using your pond as a nursery. Depending on where you live in the US you could have American toads, Spadefoot toads, Fowler's toad or others. Common frogs that you are likely to see are Spring Peeper, Gray Tree frog, Green Frog, Leopard Frog, or Bullfrog. The Bullfrog is probably the least desirable species since they tend to dominate the pond eating the other species to extinction. They also will eat some fish. With amphibians being on the decline worldwide your pond may be the best hope of recovery for many species. Amphibians provide a necessary environmental benefit and we can help by providing shady cover and areas of moist mud or mulch for them to use for winter hibernation.

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