Skimmer

WHAT IS A SKIMMER

So what is a skimmer and what has it got to do with a pond. Do I need a skimmer with my pond ? So lets have a look at skimmers..A skimmer is basically a filter but different to the filter that you have that keeps the pond water clean by filtering out toxins from fish waste and such like. What a skimmer does can be just as important as the other filter depending on your ponds circumstances. A skimmer will filter off debris from the surface of your pond like leaves and other debris that might float for a while before it sinks and causes pollution problems within your pond. Your normal filtration system will not be able to deal with leaves and such like. A skimmer is important then in a pond that is near or close to trees that during fall will shed their leaves and dump a considerable amount into the pond. On the other hand if your pond is no where near any trees and doesn’t get any surface debris at all then you may not need a skimmer.

A skimmer will work alongside your normal filter so the skimmer removes the big stuff and the other filter takes care of the small stuff. A pond skimmer is a box that is set into the ground  next to the pond a pump will sit inside the skimmer draw in the water at surface level including any surface debris with it, the debris is collected and the water recycled back to the pond. There are different designs to the top of your skimmer box that will blend in with your ponds surroundings.

So that is skimmers, and the question is to skim or not to skim, well that is for you to decide and depends on if you get a lot of surface debris or not. Even if you don’t you can still have a skimmer if you want just to be sure.