Monday, August 14, 2017

Ponds Charlotte NC Maintenance- Using A Pond Skimmer To Reduces Pond Filter Load

By Frances King


While not all pond keepers use a pond skimmer in their garden pond to remove leaves and other organic vegetation, those that do tend to have clearer water because a pond skimmer also removes surface dust and pollen which can cause the water to appear cloudy. You will notice that I said clearer and not cleaner. Your pond water may appear clear, but this does not necessarily mean that the water quality is healthy and clean. Water in Ponds charlotte NC needs to be purified or cleaned of ammonia, a potentially lethal chemical to aquatic pond life.

A diffused aerator comprises of an air pump that is attached to a piece of air tubing with an air stone or air diffuser attached at the end. The air pump sits on the shore and pushes air into the pond via the tubing. The air stone or air diffuser breaks down the force from the air pump in to minute air bubbles that get disseminated throughout the fishpond.

Uneaten fish food falls to the fishpond floor where it starts to decay giving off ammonia and other gases. When feeding your fish, get into the habit of removing any uneaten food from the fishpond surface after about 20 minutes. This will help to reduce the opportunity for the pond water to become polluted.

A high volume surface aerator or paddle wheel aerator is a water pump (not an air pump) that floats on top of the water and swiftly churns the water; offering a lot of water agitation. The water near the surface of the fishpond is aerated via this agitation. This may be ideal for very shallow ponds around 3 - 4' deep.

As part of the fall pond maintenance, ensure to get rid of the unhealthy looking or dying foliage in and around the pond. Cleaning this out and cleaning around the edges will go a long way to preserving your pond water integrity during the winter months. It is also a good idea to remove as much debris from the bottom of the pond as possible, but be careful when doing this as the friendly bacteria that kills harmful toxins resides at the bottom of the fishpond.

As the debris is sucked into the skimmer, it is trapped in a basket where it can be removed at a later stage. Some pond skimmer models also use a secondary set of mechanical filter pads to trap any leaves and other vegetation that has managed to avoid being trapped in the filter basket.

What type of pond skimmer should i use? The first option is a floating surface skimmer. This option is the best choice for small garden ponds, as it is the cheapest and easiest option to install; simply connect a length of pond tubing to the suction of the pond pump. Furthermore, the depth of the fishpond doesn't affect the operation of this system; simply connect a longer piece of pond tubing between the fishpond pump and skimmer unit.

Another benefit to using a diffused aerator is that the air pump can be plugged into an electrical outlet in a nearby barn or garage and the air tubing ran down to the pond's edge where the air diffusers would be attached. This makes it convenient to utilize the electricity you may already have available in a nearby barn instead of needing electricity installed near the pond's edge.




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