Newbie pond skimmer questions

[JohnC510]

Hi all,

I'm a complete pond newbie and in the planning stages of designing my back yard water garden (which will be approximately 1200 gallons).

Been researching skimmer filters and have narrowed it down to the either the Little Giant, PondMaster, or Atlantic skimmers. I'm leaning towards the Little Giant unit as it seems there are less complaints regarding walls getting pushed in by the surrounding soil and for the fact the Little Giant skimmers have the mesh cover for the weir to prevent fish from entering.

Couple questions for you knowledgeable experts here. They make three sizes based on GPH rating - 2500, 5000, and 10,000 GPH. Aside from the obvious fact they get bigger in physical size as you go up in model, are there any drawbacks to getting the biggest size I can fit for my pond? Conversely, given the smaller size of my pond, would I see added skimming benefits by getting the larger unit, coupled with a larger/stronger pump? I'm planning on getting a 3500-4000 GPH pump -- running about 25' of piping with a waterfall rise of about 4-5'.

Also, has anyone used skimmers from either of these three brands and if so, would you recommend one over the other -- or neither and recommend something else under $300 USD?

One more question, what size outlet pipe to the waterfall should I run with this setup? i.e. are there pros and cons to going with 2" vs 1.5"?

Thanks in advance!
John

 

[Meyer Jordan]

If a pond is to house fish then In the pond's design/construction, after the ponds capacity (gallonage) is determined, the most important things to consider are: 1. Flow rate and 2. Biofiltration capacity.
Ideally flow rate should be between 1.5 and 2.0 times the pond's capacity. In your case, this would be between 1800 and 2400 gph. Higher flow rates will likely induce stress to the fish from having to constantly swim against a too-strong current.
Based on the final determined flow rate, if a skimmer is to be used then it should be one designed for that flow rate. The size of the intake weir opening is the prime controlling factor in determining maximum flow rate for a skimmer. The weir must be of sufficient width to accommodate the required flow rate, but not so large as to greatly reduce the velocity of the water flow through the weir which would result in greatly reduce skimming action.
As to the protective grate to the weir, this will, depending on amount and type of organic debris introduced to the pond, sooner or later clog restricting water flow through the weir and possibly causing pump cavitation and failure. These types of devices reduce skimming action and, in truth, negate the real purpose of even having a skimmer.

 

[Tula]

I've seen a DIY design to help protect fish from entering a skimmer. It's a couple of pieces of PVC fitted horizontally across the weir. It prevents larger fish from swimming into the skimmer and injuring themselves trying to turn around and swim out. Smaller fish can swim in, but are small enough to turn around easily. The PVC can be spray painted black , for better concealment.

A mesh net over the weir opening, would seem to defeat the purpose of the skimmer, drawing in floating debris.

 

[bagsmom]

I am not an expert. I'm a newbie, for sure. But although my budget wasn't conducive to an expensive skimmer -- I got the Helix. I did some creative budgeting and pinched pennies elsewhere so I could get it. (We ate some icky dinners a time or two - or 20 - to allow a little borrowing from my grocery budget. Mowed some neighbor's lawns and saved for over a year.) But -- I realize it is expensive. It is very, very nice though -- and "fish safe." Perhaps look into it before your final purchases. Good luck!

 

[Waterbug]

I like to build my own: http://www.waterbugdesign.com/pond/skimmer.html

I get exactly what I want, easier to hide, as big a basket as I want so I can go away for a couple weeks and not have to turn off the skimmer or have someone come by to clean it. Large basket also means a goldfish can get caught in the skimmer and not be killed. Hard to beat the price. For me it's an easier install too. And can't mess up the placement...see a lot of posts and websites where people mount too high or low.

IMO a bigger skimmer doesn't clean better than a correct size. The pump flow does have to pair correctly to the skimmer spec for flow. More flow can make skimmer work worst. Multiple skimmers are used for large ponds rather than larger skimmers.

 

[JohnC510]

@Meyer Jordan - Thanks for the information. All your information is very helpful as I didn't know that too much flow would actually cause fish stress. Makes sense. And the info about the skimmer is also very useful in my skimmer purchasing decision.

@Tula - Thanks for the info... Once I have everything set up, I'll monitor how problematic fish entering the skimmer becomes. I ended up ordering a skimmer that doesn't have a fish mesh.

@bagsmom - I've seen the Helix model come up a number of times in my research and from all of "the pond digger" youtube videos (though he has a business interest in pushing the sales of the Helix skimmer since he designed it). I just can't justify spending 2x for the Helix skimmer. I wish I could but not sure I want to sacrifice some meals to pay for it.

@Waterbug - thinks for your input on the skimmer size. Between your comment and @Meyer Jordan's comment, I went with a smaller unit (max 4000 GPH). The DIY skimmer building might be a bit ambitious for my first pond.

John

 

[bagsmom]

Did you have fun watching the Pond Digger videos? I love them! The How to Build A Fish Pond series was really helpful!
Be sure to share pictures of your progress!

 

[JohnC510]

Pond Digger's videos consumed a large number of hours due to the way it's so detailed. Definitely great learning material. Also enjoyed his Ponds Gone Wrong series so I don't make any of those mistakes.

Once I start building the pond, I'll definitely start a thread with photos and possibly thinking about creating a time-lapse video of the project from start to finish. I think it would be neat to see a 5-7 minute video of the progress from bare ground to completion. Everything arrives next week (firestone liner, skimmer, pump, filter fall, flex pvc, boulders, stones, rocks, etc.) so I might start the initial digging as early as this Sunday!