Decent Skimmer

[AngelaM]

I guess I should first figure out what skimmer is compatible with my pump then. I plan to replace the pump eventually so I didn't really want to have to do that.

 

[audioenvy]

Depending on your budget you may want to just buy an additional pump for inside the skimmer. You'll also need to figure out where the water from the skimmer will go--or maybe you know that already.

 

[Tula]

Be careful about placing your pump on the pond floor, because if a hose or seal fails...it could drain your pond completely. You could put it on top of something like a crate.

 

[AngelaM]

Be careful about placing your pump on the pond floor, because if a hose or seal fails...it could drain your pond completely. You could put it on top of something like a crate.

What?! I wasn't aware this could happen! Thanks for the warning!

 

[AngelaM]

Depending on your budget you may want to just buy an additional pump for inside the skimmer. You'll also need to figure out where the water from the skimmer will go--or maybe you know that already.

Are there decent skimmers that come with their own pumps?

 

[audioenvy]

Are there decent skimmers that come with their own pumps?

Not that I know of but most submersible pumps are made to fit inside a skimmer.

 

[audioenvy]

What?! I wasn't aware this could happen! Thanks for the warning!

It is a risk--but there are any number of things that could go wrong that would cause your pond water to end up elsewhere. You just have to be careful when installing the piping.

The risk of not sucking the water from the very bottom is that you don't end up filtering out the gunk that sinks to the bottom and it either builds up or requires regular maintenance with a pond vac.

 

[Tula]

It is a risk--but there are any number of things that could go wrong that would cause your pond water to end up elsewhere. You just have to be careful when installing the piping.

The risk of not sucking the water from the very bottom is that you don't end up filtering out the gunk that sinks to the bottom and it either builds up or requires regular maintenance with a pond vac.

I only have koi, but they stir things up pretty well and stuff enters the water column and gets filtered out. I have a long poled pool net I use to occasionally scoop the deepest parts of my pond.

Only my opinion, but I wouldn't sleep well, thinking about my pond draining completely

 

[bagsmom]

I don't know how big of a retro-fit project you want to get into, but I will share my two cent's worth.

My pond is probably half the size of yours. I have a savio F100 biofalls (I think it's called) waterfall filter. The thing I like most about it is the drainpipe at the bottom of the waterfall receptacle (which looks like a giant trash can.) The drainpipe comes out from the bottom, which is where all the funk and gunk settles. I have a buried pipe that shoots out into the nearby garden. When I want to do a small water change, I just pull up on the gate valve and all the cruddy water shoots out into the garden. It smells to high heaven for a minute, but the plants love it. This gets a lot of settled-out gunk without having a pump at the bottom of the pond.

My skimmer was super expensive, but is everything I hoped it would be. I postponed building my pond so I'd have time to save up for a Helix skimmer. The submersible pump is inside the Helix, which is much safer for fish than other skimmers. It does a good job of skimming debris and I have one of those blue pads in it as well. That blue pad gets mighty nasty, but it's easy to shoot clean with a hose.

The waterfall filter is filled with a spring-coiled media "tape." I haven't looked at that since my pond install. Maintenance on that is suggested once a year, I believe. So far, I am really happy with how everything is working. Happy fish, nice water, very minimal maintenance.

 

[bagsmom]

The skimmer is under the flat rock on the right.

 

[audioenvy]

I also have a Helix skimmer and love it.

 

[Tula]

@bagsmom , Your pond is beautiful !! When my pond was built there wasn't any filtration in the waterfall. If I ever have to repair / replace it, I'd like to add some

 

[Abe]

What a beautiful gem of a pond!
My approach was different but not sure yet if it will work as I'm new to this. Simplicity above all,
no plumbing , no moving parts machinery of any kind in the pond except the one main pump,
Gravitation only. And no boulders either - only stones/ rocks I can move with my own hands,
hopefully without breaking my back, Again - your pond does look awesome with these boulders,
love the stairs leading to it, A masterpiece.

 

[saugeye tom]

My skimmer is also on the right 1600 gallon pond 3000 gph pump

 

[saugeye tom]

The skimmer is under the flat rock on the right.View attachment 104694

beautiful!!!!!