When learning about a certain subject, we all start off as beginners. No matter how frustrating it is, it’s a fact of life. I know I refer to ‘when I first started learning about ponds’ a lot, but when I try to teach others about anything. My main strategy is to think back to when I was a newbie to the topic and what might have helped me better understand the problem that was in front of me. One of those “problems” that I still encounter is in pond filtration. To me, its a necessary evil, but that is probably because it isn’t my specialty.

But regardless of whatever my specialty might be exactly, today we are both going to learn a thing or two about the basics of pond filtration throughout this series of blogs I am currently doing.

Our first filtration topic is the skimmer, and why you probably need and want one in your pond.

First of all, these guys come in all different shapes and sized, all made with different needs in mind. So, before going to your nearest pond store and buying the first skimmer you see, make sure to do your research to find the one that is right for your pond. That being said, you are mostly going to find skimmers that look like black boxes that sit just at the edge of your pond. Most people have theirs covered up with some sort of decoration or rock.

They are extremely useful in ponds that collect debris, as the skimmer catches anything that floats into the box. The water that “overflows” into the skimmer is then pumped out and around, and back into the pond through a different filter that filters out smaller undesirables and natural chemicals. The water that is coming back into the pond is typically used to create a waterfall.

The benefit to this type of filtration is that it is relatively low-maintenance (but not no-maintenance!) and is effective at collecting debris. It can be an expensive process to have someone install on a pre-existing pond. So if you are in the beginning stages of planning to build a new water feature, be sure that it includes a skimmer!

-M