Pond surface skimmers draw floating debris such as leaves, uneaten food and pollen from the pond’s surface. There are skimmers which can be built into the pond’s walls, similar to a swimming pool design, and floating or self standing skimmers which can be centralised. Most contain a filtering medium, such as foam layers, which can be cleaned before the collected debris begins to pollute the pond water.

Some skimmers have their own pump installed and are a unit separate from the pond’s main filtration system. Other units rely on an attached pump, which is usually connected to the pond’s filter.Skimmers can make a considerable improvement to the clarity of the water, and should definitely be considered if a lot of leaves or pollen are likely to accumulate on the pond surface.