Remote installation for skimmer

[Loganpowers101]

Hello, i am new to the pond world. i just put in a pond in my front yard and when i put my Tetra Skimmer in i noticed how big and bulky it was compared to my 250 gallon pond. so i have been thinking of a way to put the skimmer out side of the pond and make it work.

i stumbled on this skimmer design and it got me thinking...why cant i just use pvc, a tubbawear container and my skimmer. i know my skimmer and the one in picture are diffrent as mine is a weir door type, but would this still work?

i could use the pvc design and then put my skimmer in a burried container like this http://www.walmart.com/ip/Sterilite-10-Gallon-Tote-Box-Set-of-9/10401036 and fill the void around the skimmer with pebble rock.

my skimmer http://www.tetra-fish.com/sites/tetrafish/catalog/Detail.aspx?id=4457


would this still work?
and i have a 1300 sicce pump if that matters

i would move the skimmer to the out side of the small side of the pond about 1.5 feet out. close to the porch.

 

[buckry]

I would ditch the skimmer all together, you can scoop out the stuff on the surface with your hands. I have a similar sized pond and if I need to skim it I put the hose in it for 5 minutes, the overflow completely clears the surface. If you don't want to do that I'd just get a pool skimmer net, you don't even need a long handle, just the skimmer.

I think fabricating your own skimmer is probably doomed from the start, the opening flap especially will be hard. I'd say just put it in storage until you build a bigger pond.

Something else you can do is raise the pond or put a small wall of rocks around it to keep debris from blowing in in the first place. The less debris you have the less need for surface skimming.

 

[Loganpowers101]

yeah i see what you mean, the reason i bought it was that everywhere i looked said that the skimmer was a have to have. even in small ponds.

we are definitely gonna put a rock boarder around it before we put any fish in there. just taking it one step at a time.

i wouldn't be fabricating a new skimmer, just moving the same skimmer to a new location in a container, just to get it out of sight. almost like a 3rd pond but just for the use of the skimmer

how often do you have to skim your pond?

 

[buckry]

Every other day I reach in and pick out some flower petals and leaves. It's really a nonissue and after seeing photos it looks like you are in the same boat, not much debris is going to be blowing up against your house. Your pond should stay very nice.

 

[j.w]

Logan
Cute little pond set up you have there and will look even nicer when you get it all done. And then after awhile you will love it so much.....................bigger idea's will enter your mind and you won't be able to stop it

 

[Waterbug]

You could get it to work, but not as pictured. Skimmers work by surface tension, not really flow. That's the job of the skimmer weir, to make sure only the thinnest surface of the water goes into the skimmer. Surface tension pulls more surface area into the skimmer. In your picture surface tension works against you, water would flow more beneath the surface.

There are other options, Google "no niche skimmer" for more info. Some people also just have an overflow pipe. In your diagram that would mean putting a 90 elbow, pointing up, on the pipe in the pond. As the water overflows into the pipe you get the same surface tension effect as the weir. Trouble is that wouldn't work in your pond. This only works in the lowest body of water and requires more than one body. Kind of like your top pool always overflows down the falls.

You also have the problem of getting a pipe thru a perform. Not always easy or long lasting. Liner gives you more options.

Given the amount of work involved in your diagram I think it would be easier to install a new pond with a liner. Lot's of options then. I've done similar things, like moving the pump far away from the pond.