Laguna Skimmer Filter

Having never installed a skimmer before, this was a learning experience. Fortunately, the product made the job much easier than I expected. Not saying there weren't a few hassles but again, much easier than I thought it would be. The box has a very simple design and is roomy enough in the back to hold my submersible pump down at the bottom under the brushes and also my submersible canister. A few tips...When you dig your skimmer hole, make sure the mound in front goes flush with the front of the skimmer face. The instructions show it protruding out but I don't see the benefit of this and there is a chance it could hinder the skimmer door from opening and closingAlso, when you cut your liner where the skimmer will hook up (scary I know) try to be as accurate as possible of course but don't make such a big deal about being too accurate. I think it's better to cut the opening a bit smaller than anything else because it is imperative you have enough liner there to clamp into the opening.The silicone they give you is kind of a hassle to work with. I found it got everywhere but as long as you glob enough around the edge of the perimeters (between where the screw holes are and the edges it should seal good enough. You'll find they give you plenty so don't worry about it running out. Also, when you go to screw the clamp down over the liner, make sure your liner doesn't slip out as this will prevent sealing. Keep it pushed in nice and snug on top and bottom before you puncture the liner with the nail and run your screws through.Lastly, if you've got a nice Firestone 45 mil liner like I do, you'll find it somewhat difficult to drive the nail through (make sure your lined up to the holes right and not ramming the nail against the side of the skimmer box itself) and you'll find it even more difficult to push the bolts through the small holes made by the nail. In my opinion, this is a good thing. It means your liner is nice and sturdy and the holes are tight enough to keep a good seal there where the liner meats the bolt. Just make sure you hold your placement of where you punctured using the nail until you get the bolt lined up with your other hand before pulling the nail out because it can be difficult to see once you remove the nail. Use some gloves and apply as much pressure as you can by hand to push the bolts through. Again, make sure you're lined up right with the screw and the holes in the box.

My ~1000 gallon pond is currently crystal clear with this skimmer, a 1500 GPH pump, and a basket of lava in my waterfall. I'm tripling the size of my pond this fall, and I doubt I will have to change the filtration system one bit.This is a bit flimsier than I thought it would be, but once it's in the ground it seems sturdy. It's a lot bigger than I thought it was going to be, too. My fish constantly swim into it, but I don't think there's much that can be done about that (since many of my fish are smaller than leaves), and it doesn't do them any harm. Besides fish, it has completely rid my pond of leaves, both on the surface and underwater (It catches them before they sink). Previously leaves were a huge problem that required daily maintenance, as my pond is in a wooded area.There is plenty of flow to prevent the pump from running dry, even when I let it go for a couple weeks without emptying the nets. I installed a float switch on my pump to be safe, but it probably isn't necessary.Best of all, though this seems horribly over-priced for what it is (I was underwhelmed when I received it), it's much cheaper than other manufacturers' pond skimmers. I reasoned that since this was easier to use and required less maintenance than my attempts at home-made sump boxes, and that my time is worth money, this skimmer is a bargain.

I'll explain the addition made first I took out the brushes and added the Matala filter media supports large bacterial colonies form Dr Fosters & Smith where the 2 black bars go across the top of the filter to make it a totally chemical free system. This media is available also at a much lower cost. After cutting the filter to size I used the remainder in the water fall that I had created to have more bacterial colony growth.I knew this when buying the filter that I was going to make some changes and being the filter is working wonderfully I gave it 5 stars, it skims the pond quickly and traps 95% of the debris and to date I have not had to add one drop of chemical to the ponds to keep them crystal clear which will pay for the skimmer in one season of chemical use. Now few mentioned that it is hard to install well I did fine this to be an issue, a good square shovel, level and with the recommended tools while paying attention to the instruction details and it was done in about 3 hours. I did let the sealant cure over night to make sure there were not any leaks.Yes I would recommend this product but think about the media, the pump I am running is 4000 GPH which satisfies the skimmer.

Finally got a "real" skimmer for my 2500 gallon pond with this one.I didn't want to pay $300+ for one & this one was "half off" & I went for it.It was pretty straight-forward to install & it has been working great for the 3 weeks it's been installed.Before I had to scoop out algae every day & it was a mess. With this I just empty out the skimmer once per day & hose off any algae build up on there. It does come with "brushes" that sit between the skimmer net & your pump but I found that putting them in will decrease water flow to your skimmer immensely. I have a total of 4800 gph flowing into the skimmer & once I put the brushes it is really reduces & algae begins to sit on the pond surface.So I just leave the brushes out & it works great. I just have to hose off the pumps once per week but it's far less work than before.

I installed this in my pond this year. Installation was easy and so far it is catching all the debris landing in the pond. Hopefully it can handle the fall leaves. My fish have been able to swim in and out of it.

works good. A little difficult to install as you have to cut the liner before putting the wear door on. the skimmer it self could be made a little thicker to stiffen it up some.