Keeping the Pond Clean
Making Use of Pond Skimmers
Pond debris can be a constant issue for the backyard pond owner. It seems that there is always another leave or branch to pull out of the pond before it slips into the depths of the water. Darn if it isn’t annoying knowing that you can’t always be there 24/7 to guard the waters of your mini ecosystem.
Backyard ponds are a man made ecosystem and to date there hasn’t been a man made environment that stayed entirely in balance without a gentle nudge or two. One of the major problems of these ponds is that since most of them are separated from the environment by rigid or flexible liners a good layer of sludge and toxic compounds can build up quickly in an out of balance pond. It is possible to stay on top of this sludge and keep your pond water looking clean and clear with minimal effort and a variety of techniques.
One of these is the use of the pond skimmer. The pond skimmer isn’t an absolute requirement for the healthy pond. There are other options. You can:
- Put netting over the ponds surface to catch debris before it hits the water
- Place the pond so that its away from nearby trees and shrubs
- Skim the pond daily with a skimmer net
However some pond owners feel that pond netting is unsightly and hinders the scenic effect of a pond, which is after all what having a backyard pond is all about. Many pond owners choose to place pond netting in the late fall and winter months when the pond is pretty much dormant anyway. If the pond is all ready in there’s not much you can do to change its placement to trees and shrubs and with the practice of using a skimmer net there is still the issue of you not being able to watch for debris 24/7.
Pond Skimmers are typically boxes utilizing a pump to pull in water from the pond surface into a large opening and out through the rear of the box. The skimmers catch about 85% percent of pond debris before it falls to the bottom of the pond. Inside the box is a plastic mesh or wire basket to catch the debris. The size of the mesh indicates the size of the debris it catches and you will also need to get a pump that is strong enough to pull water through the mesh once it begins filling up with debris.
The Affect on Pond Life
You may be concerned about your pond life getting caught in the pond skimmers opening. It’s important that you watch out for new arrivals to your pond and for the fish all ready in the pond when you first put the skimmer into the pond. The smaller fish can get too close and be sucked into the skimmer. You should leave the lid off the skimmer for about a week and just use a net to ‘fish’ out any prisoners of the skimmer. They will eventually learn their way around the skimmer and figure out how to avoid being pulled in. As for the larger fish they may find the outflow from the rear of the skimmer to be great exercise and spend much of their time swimming against its current.