Continental Ponds in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (OK) is branching out into the social media world. In an effort to try and get our message out to the masses, we have followed the lead of many industry professionals, in utilizing social media as a marketing tool!  As we all know, the internet has an answer for anything you want to know and that’s not going to change. The Oklahoma pond industry is no different, every so called "expert" has an opinion on how things should be done.
As the leader and innovator in the Oklahoma pond industry using state of the art Aquascape components and methodologies in pond and water feature design, construction and repair. From cascading waterfalls to koi fish and lily filled ponds, to fountains and streams surrounded by aquatic plants, bogs and wetlands, to rainwater harvesting system. We feel it's our job to provide you with all the information you need to make an informed decision on all your Oklahoma water feature needs, thanks to the web and social media!

How to clean your Oklahoma Pond.
 
All about the Aquascape Skimmer. What is a skimmer and how does it work?
 
All about the Aquascape BioFalls. What is a BioFalls and how does it work?
 
String Algae control in the Oklahoma Water Garden
 
What is a wetland filter?
 
All about the Aquascape Skimmer. What is a Skimmer and how does it work?
 
Learn more about LED Pond & Landscape Lighting for your Oklahoma Landscape
 
Should I repair or Renovate my Oklahoma Pond?
 
What is evaporation?
 
Oklahoma Pond & Waterfall leak detection and repair.
 
Links to various repairs and what you need to fix them.                   
1.  Biofalls screw replacement.
2.  Skimmer screw replacement.
3.  Seaming liner. 
4.  Pipe repair
5.  Pump Problems
6.  Bubbling liner
7.  Bubbling liner repair
 
Project Showcase: Take a look at the transformation of this pond to pondless conversion.

Continental Ponds in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (OK) is branching out into the social media world. In an effort to try and get our message out to the masses, we have followed the lead of many industry professionals, in utilizing social media as a marketing tool!  As we all know, the internet has an answer for anything you want to know and that’s not going to change. The Oklahoma pond industry is no different, every so called "expert" has an opinion on how things should be done.  

We can be found on a majority of social media site to include:
Pond Contractor Services, Houzz,  Facebook, Pinterest, Google+, Hometalk, OKC360, You Tube, Porch, and Pond Maintenance Services

Q: What is a pond skimmer?

Skimming, whether you’re talking about ponds or not, is a method of filtration. Filtration is a method of removal. So when you hear about people in trouble because of skimming money it is not actually much of a play on words, they ARE skimming! And it will get you in trouble! The good news is that skimming ponds will earn you a reward! That’s what we want to talk about, pond skimming, because everyone likes to get a reward, especially pond owners!

Skimming your pond with a good quality pond skimmer is helping you with removal too, but it is removal of impurities from the surface of your pond. These “impurities” can be anything: leaves, pollen, seeds, grass clippings, insect larvae, floating algae. Of course all these materials are completely natural but in the context of pond water quality, these materials will eventually foul the water if not removed, and the most effective form of removal from a pond is skimming. Skimming can be achieved through various methods such as skimmer boxes, wet well skimming, negative edges, etc.

How does a pond skimmer work?
A good way to look at skimming your pond is as your “first line of defense” in your pond’s filtration system. I use the term filtration “system” because to effectively filter your pond you should have several types of filters working together to create a “system”. The pond skimmer should be just one component of your system. Your pond’s filter system should be designed so the “first line of defense” (or the “first pass”) of your filter system is your pond skimmer.

A pond skimmer is essentially a vault or a housing into which you draw your pond water. The skimmer uses a pump to draw water into the skimmer and this pump can sit directly in the skimmer or be installed exterior to the skimmer. The front of the skimmer has an opening cut into, it ideally about 8” across for a typical medium sized pond; although pond skimmers come in various sizes. Most skimmers come equipped with a small floating door called a weir. The weir may seem unimportant when putting together a pond skimmer because they are small,l however the weir is what creates surface tension, and surface tension is what effective pond skimming is all about! Without surface tension your skimmer box simply becomes a pump housing with only a minor degree of skimming ability. With the weir installed correctly the skimmer is now pulling off of your pond’s upper layer of water, the layer where all the materials fall and float before water logging and sinking to the bottom of your pond to sit and decay. Instead, the skimmer pulls those materials into your skimmer and gathers them in a net or mesh device allowing the water to be returned to the pond cleared of that debris. Many skimmers also allow for a sponge filter to be used as a “second pass” to filter fine particles from the water too giving nice clear particle-free water returned to the pond.

The pond skimmer does more than clear the surface of the pond. Pond skimmers increase oxygen levels in ponds helping to further purify the water, and of course provide rich oxygen for your koi and pond fish. Pond skimmers can do as much or more than any sort of submerged aerator, and they do not disturb the surface of the pond, allowing for nice visibility and reflections to be enjoyed from the surface of your pond.

Did you know that most oxygenation for ponds take place by way of the ponds surface area absorbing oxygen directly from the atmosphere. Those air pumps we use that create thousands of little bubbles that rush to the surface of the pond and explode really do very little to oxygenate. For oxygenation to occur those bubble need to have contact time with the pond water so they can give off the oxygen but they move so fast that there is really minor oxygenation that takes place. It is where the bubbles break up the surface of the water that the oxygenation takes place. Well a pond skimmer is constantly and rapidly breaking up the surface of the pond too. Pond skimmers oxygenate at a much greater pace, with more oxygen being absorbed into the water because the skimmer is constantly increasing the ponds surface area.

If you are not skimming your pond, or you are doing it the old fashioned way of passing the net through the water, instead of passing the water through the net; then you need to consider adding a skimmer to your pond to make your pond’s filtration system a more complete system. Pond skimmers greatly reduce the amount of pond maintenance you otherwise would need to do to keep your pond clean. The pond skimmer is easily one of, if not THE best piece of pond filtration that a pond owner should own!

​

Frogs will often hang out inside the skimmer box because it offers a pocket of warm air compared to the outside temperature, and frogs like that. It is not unusual to open a skimmer lid and see 2-3 frogs perched along the net supports this time of year. Frogs will swim into the bottom of a skimmer to be closer to the source of the warmth…the pump, and tend to get their leg jammed in the pump’s intake.
Do yourself a favor and take a minute to check for frogs in your skimmer during this time a year. 

If you are located in the Oklahoma City Metro and need help removing your pump, preparing your pond for the winter or have any pond maintenance questions, call or Contact us.