Hi,
My pond is about 9000 gallons I think and I am making the following submersible skimmer filter to connect to a waterfall on the opposite side of the pond. Please give me you suggestions, ideas and opinions.
I am currently using only aeration filtration. I have a 4" diameter corrugated drainage tube as an airlift tube rising from the bottom of the pond to the surface aerating and keeping the body of water moving.
The end of the 4" wide corrugated aeration tube at the bottom of the pond is stuffed with 1/2 of this foam to pre-filter the water coming in from the bottom of the pond.
There is a 1/2" clear air tube connected to an air pump with a homemade air stone fed thru the tiny hole at the bottom of the filter foam to filter the airlift. The end of the 4"corrugated pipe at the surface of the water is fed into the side of an open tote stuffed with more filter medium so the airlift water is filtered again as it comes out at the surface of the pond water and agitates the surface. I have a pillowcase inside the tote stuffed with pinky filters, activated carbon and those hollow black bio balls.
Here's the pond so you can see it .
I've cut off all the excess black tube and anchored it with slate stones so it's no longer visible at the water's surface. I must also tie some stones to the end of this tube that must be weighted to live at the bottom of the pond otherwise it would just float.
I'm thinking I may modify this by replacing the pre-filter foam with a coarse grate so that some larger gunk and solids could be sucked up from the bottom to the filters in the sack in the open tote at the top.
The problem I forsee with that of course is that my fry would be sacrificed in the filter along with the gunk.
Now for the skimmer I'm making. I have this 4' wide 50 gallon tote from Walmart sitting inside the shallow area of the pond.
I put a 2" bulkhead near the top on one side and another near the bottom on the other side. A 4500 gph water pump is inside the bottom of the tote connected to one bulkhead to push water out. I use this type of 2" hose routed from that bulkhead outside the tote, around inside the shallow waters, then up to the waterfalls on the top of the mound.
The tote has utility netting across the top inside to catch leaves. Under that are pinky filters, blue and white filter medium. Below that are activated carbon, bio balls and a couple 22 pound bags of landscape lava rock. Below and to one side of all that is the previously mentioned water pump. I've tested it and it works except I have not cut the skimmer trap door at the top of one side of the tote yet..
I'm thinking of buying a skimmer door plate. OR, I may simply cut out the door opening and reattach it with gorilla tape just along its bottom edge. The gorilla tape across the bottom will act as a super easy piano hinge. Then I will gorilla tape a strip of foam to the inside of the door at the top. The foam strip will make the door lift by floating and close when the pump is not running.
What do you think? What dimensions of weir door should I cut out for this setup?
Thank you .
My pond is about 9000 gallons I think and I am making the following submersible skimmer filter to connect to a waterfall on the opposite side of the pond. Please give me you suggestions, ideas and opinions.
I am currently using only aeration filtration. I have a 4" diameter corrugated drainage tube as an airlift tube rising from the bottom of the pond to the surface aerating and keeping the body of water moving.
The end of the 4" wide corrugated aeration tube at the bottom of the pond is stuffed with 1/2 of this foam to pre-filter the water coming in from the bottom of the pond.
There is a 1/2" clear air tube connected to an air pump with a homemade air stone fed thru the tiny hole at the bottom of the filter foam to filter the airlift. The end of the 4"corrugated pipe at the surface of the water is fed into the side of an open tote stuffed with more filter medium so the airlift water is filtered again as it comes out at the surface of the pond water and agitates the surface. I have a pillowcase inside the tote stuffed with pinky filters, activated carbon and those hollow black bio balls.
Here's the pond so you can see it .
I'm thinking I may modify this by replacing the pre-filter foam with a coarse grate so that some larger gunk and solids could be sucked up from the bottom to the filters in the sack in the open tote at the top.
The problem I forsee with that of course is that my fry would be sacrificed in the filter along with the gunk.
Now for the skimmer I'm making. I have this 4' wide 50 gallon tote from Walmart sitting inside the shallow area of the pond.
I put a 2" bulkhead near the top on one side and another near the bottom on the other side. A 4500 gph water pump is inside the bottom of the tote connected to one bulkhead to push water out. I use this type of 2" hose routed from that bulkhead outside the tote, around inside the shallow waters, then up to the waterfalls on the top of the mound.

The tote has utility netting across the top inside to catch leaves. Under that are pinky filters, blue and white filter medium. Below that are activated carbon, bio balls and a couple 22 pound bags of landscape lava rock. Below and to one side of all that is the previously mentioned water pump. I've tested it and it works except I have not cut the skimmer trap door at the top of one side of the tote yet..
I'm thinking of buying a skimmer door plate. OR, I may simply cut out the door opening and reattach it with gorilla tape just along its bottom edge. The gorilla tape across the bottom will act as a super easy piano hinge. Then I will gorilla tape a strip of foam to the inside of the door at the top. The foam strip will make the door lift by floating and close when the pump is not running.
What do you think? What dimensions of weir door should I cut out for this setup?
Thank you .
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