Pond Skimmers

Fountains, ponds and waterfalls all collect debris such as leaves, loose dirt and grit over time. Larger and heavier matter will tend to sink and collect at the bottom of the pond. Koi and fish ponds are notorious for becoming dirty or polluted over time with particles of food, fish waste, dead scales, etc..

Two types of devices are typically used for pond care(shallow ponds and waterfalls):

Vacuum pump devices are effective in collecting debris from water surfaces; however, these devices are not able to effectively collect accumulated debris from the bottom of a pond. These pumps enhance the aesthetics of the water surface and can assist in helping the skimming function.

Hand operated pumps are able to draw water and debris into a tube through the open lower end. A filter for removing debris from the water drawn into the device is provided in the lower end of the tube. These devices tend to be most effective in shallow pond applications to remove debris from the base of the pond. Hand operated pumps are usually pretty inexpensive.

Other pond care devices mostly use suction to draw liquid and debris into the device and then filter the debris from the liquid before returning it to the water mass. In example water and debris is drawn into a collecting chamber then water flows back out through the filter when the device is withdrawn from the pond; the debris is trapped on the filter at the lower end of the chamber. Filters can quickly become clogged thus it is necessary to disassemble and clean the system frequently to remove debris.

For ponds and waterfalls we recommend both inexpensive vacuum and hand operated pumps concerning pond care.

Ponds and waterfalls provide a pleasant environment and create habitats for birds, small mammals, and various reptiles and amphibians. To keep the water that is contained in a self sufficient pond from becoming foul and stagnant it is necessary to include pond skimmers. Skimming relates to filtering or purifying the water in an aquatic life support system such as a pond.

Typically water in a pond is continuously circulated through some combination of pond skimmers and filters, thus reducing the overall amount of debris or matter on the surface area of the water. Water movement is important to oxygenate the water for the pond to support aquatic life. Fish, water plants, amphibians, etc. can thrive in a well aerated pond.

The surface or pond skimmer draws surface water from the pond and into its core where leaves and other floating debris are removed via filtration. The skimmer utilizes a submersible pump to draw the water into its unit. The actual filter function of the skimmer is performed by a net, basket or other strainer device. These filter apparatuses all have some type of entrapment meshing / web which can capture the larger particles from the water. The particles entrapped within the strainer are later removed from the filtering element manually which detaches from the skimmer. Once removed, the debris can easily be taken to a waste receptacle. Most ponds and waterfalls can include pond skimmers as part of its overall system to enhance its operation.