Recommend – Floating Skimmers and Vacuums

[KoiPondLisa]

I'm considering a Floating Skimmer and a Pond Vacuum for Leaves & gunk, but one that works. I've seen reviews on some that are not effective. Does anyone have experience purchasing a decent one for a decent price and where would can you find a good one? I've also seen man-made ones, but I just don't know about those. Your guidance would be appreciated.

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Floating skimmers are a waste of money. They are a pain to empty. They have very limited capacity. They are only suitable for low GPH pumps.

 

[CountryEscape]

Lisa, how about a skimmer that sits INSIDE the liner? All you need is enough extra liner to move the edge or corner back a little ways and then put the skimmer on that new "shelf". That's how I have mine, and they are not very large, and do a great job. Also, very easy to clean out. Here are pics of it this morning. The flat rock is the cover I got with the skimmer, since the original plastic cover that is molded to the top was missing. I let the algae grow around it to somewhat hide it. It has a mesh filter plus a basket. Pump goes in the left side, I have a 1600 gph pump in there. This one is running my waterfall on the other end of the pond. Water naturally flows toward the skimmer. Keep in mind I do not have large trees close to my ponds, so this size works perfectly for me. Most skimmers can be used on a shelf like this, they do not have to be cut into the liner.

 

[Mmathis]

I have an OASE floating skimmer, and I like it very much. Sure, it's not as efficient or as large as a regular skimmer, but it does help to keep the surface clear (especially during high pollen season). It's not at all difficult to maintain, and I do have to empty it every few days. It doesn't operate off a separate pump as the pump is part of the skimmer. If I had it to do over again, yes, I might have installed a regular skimmer, but for now this is what I have.

 

[RobAmy]

I have the Oase PondoVac 3 Pond Vacuum and really like it, they do have a newer model.

 

[Mmathis]

I have the Oase PondoVac 3 Pond Vacuum and really like it, they do have a newer model.

The PondoVac 4 (not sure if that's the official name) is my next purchase item, and I can't wait!

Have read many reviews of different brands. Some like vacs, in general, and some don't. What I look for is the "why" folks do/don't like them, and in some cases it's a matter of unrealistic expectations. So, it comes down to doing your homework -- just like you are doing now

Try doing a search here on GPF, as I know this topic (as well as floating skimmers) has been discussed before.

 

[Mmathis]

@CountryEscape What brand is this skimmer? I'd like more details on how you did this.

 

[Tula]

@CountryEscape , very interesting, I never thought about setting a skimmer up like that

 

[CountryEscape]

Actually, not sure why a person couldn't put any skimmer on a shelf inside the liner vs. attaching it to the liner. I chose the Easy Pro Prelude for the simple fact that it is set up to sit on a shelf, and I didn't have to cut a hole in the liner. I was concerned about it shifting, etc. and since I built my pond pretty much myself, with the help from this Forum, I didn't want to take any chances of problems. And, I've moved it twice, you can't do that once you cut the hole. The only bad thing I can see is that algae and some floating stuff gets behind it, but that is a GREAT place for frogs to hide out. Here is a link to one like I have and it's $140. That does not include the pump, but it's also uber cheap compared to most other skimmers. I find it does a fine job on my 4000 gal koi and 2700 gal goldfish ponds.
https://www.google.com/webhp?source...+pond+skimmer&tbm=shop&spd=309563833742552361

 

[Mmathis]

I have been searching forever, for an in-pond skimmer and the floating ones were the only ones I could find. And I swear, my last search was just a few weeks ago. So this thread prompted me to do another search -- don't know why, though -- and I came up with this skimmer. It apparently straps to the side of the pond. There's not a lot of information about it, so I sent the company an email requesting something like a PDF instruction manual.

http://www.calpumpshop.com/Cal-Pump-Pond-Skimmers-Pond-Skimmers-sc-54.html

Anyone know anything about this company, Cal-Pump?

 

[mrsclem]

I have been searching forever, for an in-pond skimmer and the floating ones were the only ones I could find. And I swear, my last search was just a few weeks ago. So this thread prompted me to do another search -- don't know why, though -- and I came up with this skimmer. It apparently straps to the side of the pond. There's not a lot of information about it, so I sent the company an email requesting something like a PDF instruction manual.

http://www.calpumpshop.com/Cal-Pump-Pond-Skimmers-Pond-Skimmers-sc-54.html

Anyone know anything about this company, Cal-Pump?

Don't know about cal pump but I did get 2 of the easy pro skimmers that hang on the side of the pond. Have not had good luck getting them hooked up as they recommend attaching the pump directly to the skimmer box and none of my pumps have an intake that will support 1 1/2 tubing.

 

[michey1st]

I've been eyeing this one on amazon -- the price is pretty tough to beat. Except my pump doesn't have an intake, unless I take off the cage, which i'm "technically" not supposed to do. So, still on the fence about including a skimmer when we upgrade this year.

 

[Mmathis]

I've been eyeing this one on amazon -- the price is pretty tough to beat. Except my pump doesn't have an intake, unless I take off the cage, which i'm "technically" not supposed to do. So, still on the fence about including a skimmer when we upgrade this year.

The link didn't work....

 

[CountryEscape]

I have cages on both of my skimmer pumps. It helps keep out any larger stuff, and I swipe them off when I have to clean the mesh filter. Just have to make sure the pump you get will fit inside the skimmer you buy.

 

[michey1st]

Oh snap, not sure what I did wrong! Here, let's try this again: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...rd_t=36701&pf_rd_p=2079475242&pf_rd_i=desktop

The link didn't work....