Skimmers and rocks?

[Paddletrucker]

I was talked out of having a skimmer by several people in favor of a bead type filter and eventually a UV filter. Today, though, at a local commercial pond place, they were horrified that I didn't have a skimmer. Of course, they sell skimmers. I really didn't like the amount of nasty green stuff in their ponds, but I'm thinking it was due to the fact that they were very shallow with lots of huge koi in them. I think that since it was a place with lots of foot traffic and employees roaming around, they don't worry about predators. Also, there is no way a fish could survive the winter in those ponds. They breed them and I'm sure they have the facilities to move them inside during the winters. Ours have lived just fine outside for 7 or 8 years, until our hard shell liner split this past winter.

Also, I noticed that they had lots of rocks in their ponds sitting on the rubber liners. I have read everywhere that it's a big no no. Maybe that could be why there was so much green crud in their ponds? In fact, we visited three different landscaping/pond equipment places and they all had rocks and/or gravel in their rubber lined ponds. And my wife and I noticed that they all had more dirty looking crud in their ponds than we liked. At the time, I just assumed it was because they had more to do running the business than cleaning ponds.

So what's the consensus? Do I HAVE to have a skimmer? I haven't seen one I really wanted or like the looks of. I've already put in the liner and filled the pond, so it would be major to put one in now, I think. And is it OK or not advisable to have rocks lying on the liner? It looks kinda nice, but I'd imagine it makes the pond harder to keep clean.

 

[koidaddy]

Skimmers are usefull if you have debris dropping into your pond. Like if it is near some trees. It looks like your pond is pretty much in the open. Is it totally necassary? That is up to the individual. I didn't reinstall mine when I set my pond back up due to plumbing/pump issues at the time. I ended up with alot of leaves in my pond which ment daily netting to get them out. I still see some on the bottom now that my water is clear. On my next build I am still unsure if I will go with a skimmer.

On the rocks though, I would not put any on the bottom. To much debris will settle between them and it will be a cleaning nightmare. I like the black look of the pond without rocks. The fish should be the focal point, not rock/pebbles on the bottom.

 

[Paddletrucker]

Thanks. My pond actually does have some trees nearby, and in the the Oklahoma wind we get in the spring time, it really doesn't matter if there are trees nearby. You ARE going to get stuff in your pond.

Here's the funny thing, though. My wife or I use a net to quickly skim the top and get most of the floating debris out once a day. Sometimes more. We actually enjoy it. Crazy, I know, but I like it. I can't imagine it being any different in our new, larger pond. I just need to go find a net with a telescoping handle.

I was just afraid after seeing things today, that I'd really messed up. I'm sure I have, just haven't found out where yet.:lol:

 

[koidaddy]

I use a lond telescoping pool net to clean the top daily. More then long enough. Also my fish like to chase the net as I run it through the water.:lol:

They are works in progress.

 

[koikeepr]

Do you need a skimmer? Absolutely not. There a plenty of folks with ponds that do not have skimmers and do perfectly fine netting their pond water to rid it of debris.

I am completing the build of a 5000g pond and I went with the large Savio skimmer sold to me by DoDad here on this site. I live in an area with trees and the wind is continually carrying things to my pond. With my old pond, I was constantly netting it and I would turn around and come back 10 minutes later and it was as if I had done nothing. I realized there would always be something floating on top, which was irritating.

My new pond is further from trees, but not really that far. As I'm filling it, I can already see pine needles in it (water has not yet reached skimmer level. It will today). Therefore, it was perfectly the right call for me to get that skimmer in my situation. I spoke to several pond building experts around the US (none of which would be selling me a skimmer), and all advised me to go with a skimmer.

 

[DrDave]

Also, it is hard to have floating plants with a skimmer. Floating plants offer filtration and shade for the water and fish.

 

[koikeepr]

Right, you'd have to build one of koiguy's floating plant rings to keep the plants corralled and in one place.

 

[digginponds]

If you have the time to clean.....then you don't need a skimmer....The ponds @ local stores have a hard life,they have no real time to clean them,or they don't care,so in not caring imagine how there fish feel

 

[koikeepr]

When I was in high school, many moons ago, I worked at a pet store and I can tell you that the fish were well cared for. I cannot speak for every pet store, of course, but I can tell you that if the customers did not see sparkling clean water and healthy looking fish they would not buy. I spent endless hours doing water changes, and caring for the creatures as if they were my own. And this was not in the days with the fancy inter-connected tanks with fabulous filtration they have in pet stores today. This was where each tank was separate and had it's own filter, and you ran a python with a 150 foot hose to each and every tank to do a water change and refill. Lots of work.

You are right in that life is rough for those fish in that they've been delivered from their place of birth, then put into a shop aquarium, then will be taken out again and put into a customer's tank--so they do go through a zany trip from that perspective, which would be stressful to any animal.

If you go to a reputable pond shop, I an assure you that hard work is being done. No owner wants to lose a fish that is many hundreds of dollars in price.

 

[digginponds]

When I was in high school, many moons ago

hehe I know that feeling.....I'm def not knocking all the stores ....but I've seen people spend money on bad fish.....Investing money in a fish especially a prize fish,does have alot of studing in it.