Making Use of Pond Skimmer
Debris that is in your pond has many harmful effects on your water feature. Keeping your pond clean may seem like a 24/7 hour job, and one that can be rather annoying.
Any man-made ecosystem will need maintenance and care. It will never be a natural feature and work as it would naturally. The creation of a pond requires a liner that will hold the water in, and keep it from seeping into the earth. Unfortunately, this liner seems to create a sludge that is full of toxic compounds that can put your ecosystem out of balance.
A Pond skimmer is a great way to combat this problem. There are other options that can help keep your pond clean as well. Pond netting is another option, by placing a net over the pond, it will catch the debris before it sinks and creates sludge. Many owners feel that this is unsightly, and defeats the purpose of having a pond to begin with. A skimmer net will allow you to clean of the surface, but you cannot catch every piece of debris that falls!
Pond skimmers seem to be the perfect solution. They are composed of a box with a pump that pulls in water, the skimmer, which is a mesh basket, will catch the debris, and filter clean water back out. Skimmers are able to catch nearly 85% of debris before it reaches the bottom of your pond. Make sure to check your skimmer emptying it as necessary.
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.
A Skimmers Affect on Your Pond
If you have fish in your pond, there are a few things you will need to do in order to acclimate your fish you the skimmer. Be on the lookout for any babies, netting them out until they are big enough. Also you will want to keep the lid off your skimmer for the first week or so, to net out any smaller fish that get trapped. Eventually, the fish will become used to that area, and stay away from it. Larger fish may actually enjoy the outflow, finding it a fun place to swim against the current!