All Pond Solutions SKIM-2 Aquarium Surface Skimmer

[@pondguru]

SKIM-2 Aquarium Skimmer (Amazon): geni.us/w84p SKIM-2 Aquarium Skimmer (Ebay): ebay.to/2LYovKL Foams and Biohome Ultimate: www.filterpro.co.uk (FilterPro site has links to suppliers in other countries) This is a really well made, cheap little surface skimmer from All Pond Solutions that I would definitely recommend to anyone wanting a ready made surface skimmer to remove dust and scum from the water surface of an aquarium. APS say it is suitable for a tank up to 350 litres but I can see no reason why it wouldn't keep the surface of a larger tank clear since the effectiveness will ultimately depend on tank shape, water surface area and the currents in water created by the main tank filter. Even the extreme scum layer that I had encouraged to build up for testing purposes was no match for this little skimmer and as it was under £10 delivered it seems senseless wasting time and money to make a DIY aquarium skimmer. This skimmer is a SURFACE skimmer, not a PROTEIN skimmer so its purpose is to remove anything which settles on the water surface, keeping it clear and allowing for good gaseous exchange between the water of the aquarium and the atmosphere. I will cover protein skimmers in a separate video. Thanks for watching, liking and sharing. RECOMMENDED PRODUCTS ON AMAZON: goo.gl/jMaBWy INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/pondguru_outdoors/ FILMING EQUIPMENT: Panasonic HC-VX870 HD camcorder geni.us/3UwE +Rode stereo microphone: geni.us/4OL +Rode 'deadcat' mic cover: geni.us/1pmn JVC Everio quad proof HD camcorder: geni.us/e09e +Rode 'deadcat' mic cover (opened up and held between tripod and camera base) geni.us/dee24 Zomei Z666 tripod: geni.us/1a1af3 Manfrotto MTPIXI-B PIXI mini tripod: geni.us/87f7 If you've enjoyed this video please check out the playlists on my channel for hundreds more - on a variety of subjects. Feel free to share or link any of my videos on facebook, twitter, forums etc. for the benefit of anyone you think may also enjoy watching. See you next time. Pondguru

[@davidhull1981]

Pondguru I think aps has missed a trick here surely they could make this a 2 in 1 skimmer and filter ?

[@pondguru]

Yes, I thought of putting some media in the bottom of the filter and may still do that for a future video as it would be good for a small tank - only problem is that it only draws from the top so muck in water may stay suspended. However, having said that the stuff which was floating about in the water all ended up in the skimmer.

[@87jonah]

Pondguru hi mate. Totally unrelated to the video. But what would you personally do with a bacterial bloom. It's a new tank been running since Friday. Do I just leave it cycle out or do I do a partial water change. Iv got a few cardinal tetra in there to help cycle it. They've been in there since yesterday with no problems so far.

[@pondguru]

Bacterial blooms are often difficult to clear but a couple of ways that have worked in the past are: 1 - To improve the amount / quality of the filter media to provide a home for the blooming bacteria. 2 - Add almond leaves as they have a mild anti-bacterial effect which doesn't kill off the filter but does clear the water (provided no carbon or other chemical media is used which nullifies their effect). It generally does clear naturally as long as you have a suitably sized filter with decent media in - the problem really seems to persist when plastic media is used in a filter or a tank only has foam filters.

[@87jonah]

Pondguru I have two small filters in a 60 litre atm. I have a aquael asap 300 and a eheim pick up 160. Iv been using the fluval cycle too plus fluval cycle. Obviously iv only got the media in the filters that came with it. I might leave it til Sunday to see what happens and may do a 15% water change. What you think?.

[@metalswapshop2344]

I got one last night and it's the best thing ever. It's helped solve a big issue of dust landing on the water.

[@pondguru]

Nice one - I'm glad you're pleased with it as they are great value.

[@metalswapshop2344]

@@pondguruThank you, I copied your video for the Super fish Aqua flow 2 years ago and they both sit side by side kzbin.info/www/bejne/iaLSc4l_pKeEjcU

[@ChrisxNetter]

Dude… the information… your accent… your facial expressions 😎… very enjoyable video bro, you’ve got hella’ character without even trying 👌🏾

[@benmillns8976]

They're great skimmers, I used one for a couple of years on a 240 litre tank. One thing I did change was the fine pad which I swapped for some medium foam with the egg crate side pointed upwards which meant it didn't need cleaning every few days.

[@pondguru]

That'll do it as nobody wants to be cleaning a filter every day.

[@BlatentlyFakeName]

I used one of these to clear the surface of a 1000L pond (because no one makes a small pond skimmer!) and it actually worked. The surface is pristine now :D

[@obsessivecichliddisorder7258]

I’ve got the Eheim one on a 6ft tank which is excellent. The pad clogged up too quick so I put a tube on the output up to a lunch box which sits on top of my tank stuffed full of polyester and then I put a hole in the bottom of the lunch box so the water just trickles back into my tank. I only need to clean it now about once a month. I’ve also got a power head on the other side of the tank to push all the gunk towards the surface skimmer.

[@pondguru]

Great set-up and that will vastly improve the filtering capacity. Groovy.

[@TheMartynneil]

I use the Eheim surface skimmer on a few of my tanks. I would say by far it's the best surface skimmer on the market and a smaller size than this one. The only issue I had was that the small sponge inside it clogs up very fast. I now run it without a sponge in it at all. I have plenty of filtration of my tanks, I just use this to pull everything off the surface and leave my main filtration to deal with it

[@pondguru]

Sounds good and yes, it is a very small pad in the filter. With plenty of main filtration a skimmer really shouldn't be needed but is handy to have to ensure the surface layer of water stays clear.

[@grahambooth6466]

I have same. I use a bit of fluval cleaning pad

[@overspray5281]

I think the layer of scum you crafted was breathtaking. It looks like waves crashing against the rock filter and creating sea foam

[@pondguru]

Yes it was something to behold for sure, lol

[@LordBonesaw]

I have the juwel surface skimmer on my reef and it’s wicked,it also helps that it clips onto the juwel filter

[@tompage8674]

Hey @pondguru - do you think if I replaced the cotton with foam it would have enough surface area to function as a mini filter for a small shrimp tank as well as being a surface skimmer?

[@Hulltiger_Aquatics]

Being using one of these on my planted tank for a few months now, had the Eheim one in the past and would say it is just as good. Plus the fact it’s transparent is great to see when you need to change the pad. All for a really cheap price 👍

[@pondguru]

Yes, being transparent is a real bonus. It's great for the price.

[@grahambooth6466]

I have the eheim skimmer, really good, only negative I would say is the media area not big enough

[@SC-hk6ui]

Awesome. I had a surface bloom of floating green microorganisms a few weeks ago in a new tank set up (2 weeks of cycling). I only had the lights on for 6 hours, so I thought it was a cyanobacter of some sort. This little device seems ideal and would be a great piece of kit to add to the shelf for any keen hobbyist. Thank you. Great review.

[@UnBeraBull]

Smegma Skimmer ordered! :)

[@Kriswixx]

I'm going to use this for saltwater on a 6 gal pico, it came with the tank I cleaned it thanks for showing me how to use it. I might do a custom tube for the foam and water to travel through maybe run a line to a water jug for waste. we see! might just use as is in the first chamber to draw more flow to the exit hatch, then down the middle to my medium then to the pump and heater back in. I think i'll do that- random comment 2 years later. heh. ty.

[@fishwhisperer262]

this is a great lil skimmer have 1 in my 400 litre and catches most of the surface debris . tenner is a steal . good review pondguru

[@pkoppart]

Thought would be a good video to ask this question - when the water evaporates from the aquarium, how safe is it to just top it up? I have had mixed opinions about it. Some say, it is not a good idea to top up as all the minerals etc are now more concentrated as a result of evaporation and we just dumping more as we top up. So best to do a water change instead. Just wanted to know what do we think about it? Topping up water (say 10% in a week) is Ok or is it best to do water changes every week?

[@ThousandYardStare]

It is still best to do a water change using a gravel cleaner to remove any uneaten food and fish waste from the tank. Evaporated water tends to be much purer than tank water as the mineralisation is left behind when water evaporates but most pf that will be a scale around the water line which can be wiped off. Some fish like plenty of minerals in the water and some do not so as long as the tank is set up to suit the fish you've got no problems.

[@pkoppart]

@@ThousandYardStare It makes perfect sense and thank you so much for the quick reply.

[@ThousandYardStare]

@@pkoppart No worries, any time and best of luck with the tank.

[@mattjohnston5446]

I don't see why it wouldn't, but would this work as a way of capturing grass and plant clippings which rise to the water surface when doing plant maintenance? I have a 120 gallon planted tank and it takes hours trying to chase clippings around the surface with a net and tweezers...

[@Wayne-fe1ed]

Thanks for the review on this one. I bought it and it's perfect - for so little cost, I'm amazed.

[@pondguru]

No worries and I'm glad you're pleased with it as it does a great job.

[@pershop4950]

The suction didn't seem very strong but I suppose these things take time to go through the gallons of the tank. I know your video just showed it as it was turned on, and then maybe about 30 minutes later. Usually when these filter or skimmer jobs go to work, we come back in 12-24 hours and can see a big difference.

[@IsleofWightBushcraft]

Interesting, Everytime I watch your vids I hanker after getting another set up. I used to keep cyclids mainly, I had a gorgeous geophagus duapari, lovely to have a good tank. Mmmm, I wonder....

[@robertfletcher3421]

Looks like a gadget to buy and have it in the cupboard just in case. I use glassware (Lily pipe) on my tank and plan to get a glass surface skimmer. I would not use the APS one all the time just for the aesthetics.

[@pondguru]

Yes, having an almost invisible skimmer is a real bonus for sure.

[@alfaholic3]

I have 2 of these but they dirty up too fast in my tanks. They only cost $10 aud each which for a smaller tank would be fantastic! I eventually gave up on them and made a diy one for my canister filter intake, it works sooo good.

[@pondguru]

Yes, for a well stocked tank they would struggle due to the small size but I have head of a few people using the outlet to pump to a carton sitting in the hood filled with floss which sounds like a great idea. As long as your canister intake is still drawing from the bottom as well as the top that sounds like a great plan.

[@jesuscazalilla3444]

it is possible to regulate the flow intensity? Because I think is too much for plants an animals

[@richardwalker4220]

It's been collecting in the back office or your back orifice?

[@juliekernahan9480]

I use this in my tank and it’s 240lt and it’s done wonders

[@pondguru]

Sound good to me.

[@trickytricky100]

Hi it looks a good product, can you advise me what to use in the skimmer to catch fats and protian thats from my food, I'd rather catch and contain it than remove it than just re mixing into the water, thanks for any advice!

[@pondguru]

This type of skimmer will collect a percentage of them but for proper removal of fats and protein you really need a protein skimmer which will bubble up the water and separate those pollutants from it. You can get small in-tank versions which are air driven like this: geni.us/QAjD0i but there are also a nation of larger ones which are pump driven. Ignore the picture showing the protein skimmer fully under water in the product link above - top needs to be above water. The water in this type of skimmer is foamed up to enable separation of proteins and fats from water whereas a normal surface skimmer just removes particles from the water surface keeping it clear of debris.

[@trickytricky100]

@@pondguru Hi i didn't think a air protian skimmer like in the link you added would work in fresh water! Only marine! Can you please advise me a bit more on this. Thanks again

[@pondguru]

Yes it works in fresh or marine but they are most commonly used in marine tanks. Basically all it does is make the water bubble and foam and that resulting foam is collected for removal. The more contamination there is in the water the more foam will be produced so protein is a big contributor to that.

[@johnblack1684]

I need this for my 350ltr piranha setup. im impressed.

[@Alaw_83]

Hi , whats best a surface skimmer or wave make for the top ive got wavmaker but tempted not to use anymore cos I've got 3 angel fish now and they don't like alot of flow do there?

[@leahstead3205]

When you showed the top and started giggling it proper proper tickled me i giggled too n called you a dirty bugger hahahha x

[@garycrossett1893]

Hi mate, great bids very helpful. Any chance of you doing a bid on pre filter boosters. I have one with three pads inside. Could they be set up better and the way the inlet and outlet are set up is not great as the inlet is lower meaning water escaping when changing. Any advice would be great.

[@pondguru]

Yes I will be doing a video on them at some point as I have an APS booster and an Eheim pre filter - not sure when that will be as my free time is really squeezed at present....I've still got about 15 videos which I have shot over the last 2 months to edit down and upload, lol

[@MsHeisenberg]

How do you use/attach the airline tube that comes with it? Can I use it to run an airstone?

[@pondguru]

The air line fixes onto the outlet nozzle and acts as a venturi. This filter relies on a pump to run it and it already has a pump integrated into the filter.

[@MsHeisenberg]

@@pondguru Still can't see how. I don't mean the rigid piece that comes up out the water to regulate the outlet. Not to worry. Thanks for your time 👍🏻

[@johnfloydman7735]

Interesting! I've just had a quick look and it says 350l which is very impressive.

[@pondguru]

Groovy - certainly does a great job on this little tank here.

[@AlanMolstad]

My disaster surface skimmer story: So I run a Cascade 1000 canister filter and the end of the filter's sucking hose is just about an inch or so under the water. I have always wanted to add a DIY surface skimmer to this sucking hose and the other day I got an "idea". My idea was to cut the bottom off an empty plastic COKE bottle and cut slots in this cut bottom end so that when placed under the Cascade sucking pipe it would become the dreamed of surface skimmer. Well I tried that idea ,and it worked! It actually worked like a charm. I was watching tons and tons of water near the surface of my 120 gal aquarium being sucked into a little whirlpool that had formed inside the upturned COKE bottle/skimmer. So I went to sleep that night and slept the sleep of the totally ignorant. I woke up the next day and went to check the aquarium expecting the surface to be now totally clean and all my fish even more happy than they were before. I had bad news... Apparently the flow of water into this DIY surface skimmer was way, way, way too powerful and I found the bodies of 3 fish trapped against the skimmer. Lesson learned.....

[@pondguru]

That is a very good point - many of the DIY skimmers shown on KZbin do feature ridiculously powerful pumps and they don't need to be very powerful at all. A pump from a canister filter is often higher than suitable for a skimmer too. More output = more draw and more draw = more chance of fish being drawn into filter.

[@AlanMolstad]

@@pondguru "Accidentally Killing things is part of it,,,,I know about death, I own an aquarium"....thought every person that kept fish.

[@pondguru]

@@AlanMolstad Unfortunately so many people have experienced that for sure which is why I constantly bang on about filtration as it is the most critical part of keeping fish in any artificial environment.

[@liamcarney7358]

Iv just got this and the grill part just keeps floating out of the unit , it must be working as the outflow is working

[@jetiii7]

Wasn’t sure how to contact u, but was wondering if u ever daisy chained canister filters. Do you think this would create a better environment for nitrifying bacteria.

[@pondguru]

I've heard of people doing that but it tends to strain the pumps and doesn't work long term - best to get a suitable size filter and set it up with media capable of supporting good amounts of aerobic and anaerobic bacteria in any flow. I'd personally like to see much bigger versions of the 'booster' filters which fit before a canister - having them bigger would not reduce the flow as much as the available designs which have a small contact surface area.

[@toast23481]

Problem with fine dust in my aquarium and nothing works. Just finished fishless cycle and about to get fish. 245L tank with a Fluval 406 and 407 filled with biohome and filter floss. Also have a small Jewel skimmer running separately. Tank is just snowing all the time. A water change helped a little but I’ve also tried Seacem Clarity which did nothing. Pulling my hair out here friend. Any ideas? Water tests are all good

[@waikarimoana]

Hi there Rechard, Another great video mate, well done and thanks for all the info,

[@grosartgaming6295]

my 1 has bene running now for arond 4 years and no trubal it dose what is says on the tin as thay say must bye for any tank

[@MrLincoln87]

Hey Pondguru, if you had a little tank, say 20L... Could you use this as a filter? Throw some bio gravel under the filter wool and call it a day ?

[@leighsandham3718]

Great video Richard and a neat little skimmer

[@josejuanrosales3614]

Would this work for a turtle tank? Since I keep turtles the water gets all that annoying oil from feeding(turtles are messy eaters) but since the turtles are very active I wanted to know if it can work safely in a turtle tank.

[@iputitonyoutube3895]

That looks to me like an allpondsolution skimmer if it is I've had one and it lasted for about 8 months then packed up I've also had 2 U V internal pumps off them and a UV canister filter all rubbish

[@Tinyestdolittle]

Hi hope ur well sorry its not about the video that I loved by the way it's about my arum Lily in my pond it's massive and I've been told if I split it it will all die off is this right if not what's the best way to split it tnx Jon

[@pondguru]

As far as I can remember you can split up the bulbs when the plant has died down for the winter as I have done that many times with success but if you split it when the foliage is full strength it may affect the plant adversely - best to check online.

[@Tinyestdolittle]

Pondguru tnx I did try to look online but didn't really find much but I'll try when it gets cold again tnx🍻

[@dennisballegaard6438]

Absolutely love the Mr. Pond filter (the rock)... :p you could build a surface skimmer out of a smaller rock. I personally don't like to see a lot of pipes and tubs in my aquariums.

[@pondguru]

Yes the rocks I have here are either too big or too small for a surface skimmer so I'm still looking for something suitable for a skimmer.

[@anthonypope8429]

Hi its the same as the super fish I want to ask you how long do keep them on for or do you have to keep them going 24/7

[@pauldeacon8764]

Hi! you know the tube with the veturi air inlet! how did u get the tube to stand up straight like that please?? 😀👍

[@johnbowering1428]

Hi I purchased the skimmer mine came with the normal air line tubing and a solid acrylic tube.which is the one shown on the video.john

[@mcallistersviews6643]

Great little skimmer but that rock filter still looks awesome don’t even notice it’s their 😁

[@pondguru]

Yes, I'll be adding another rock filter to this tank and setting it up for some sort of fish very soon.

[@johnfloydman7735]

Nice little skimmer. I wonder how big of an aquarium it can cope with 🤔 400l🤔500l. That would be interesting to see..

[@pondguru]

As far as I remember it was 300 litres (link for skimmer in video description ad pinned comment) but I suppose it depends on the shape and surface area of an aquarium and I can't see any reason why it wouldn't cope with the daily scum from a larger tank unless it was full of heavy feeders or had minimal main filtration / water surface disturbance.

[@cookieboro19851]

If you can direct the scum towards the skimmer using the output from your filter I don't see why it wouldn't help a much bigger tank.

[@thomaswillems1589]

I'm using one on my 500 liter tank. Using the sponge that comes with it, dont use what he used, it will take a lot of the waterflow away. Cleaned my surface in under 10 minutes :-D

[@jericho2877]

Hi I have a question about lighting. I have an Aqua one Aqua Style 850 (165L) I want to change from tube to led lights as the tubes keep blowing and I only have 1 working at the moment any recomendations on how to do this and will they las longer. Thanks

[@pondguru]

I don't know what is available specifically for the Aqua One tanks in the way of LED lights but you can get LED lights in just about any form now - as long as you know the size of tube and the fitting type I'm sure you could get something compatible. If I remember rightly some of the Aqua One tubes are strange sizes compared to standard tubes used for aquariums.

[@bigbowlowrong4694]

I run a surface skimmer like this in all my tanks (mine’s a Surf Clear model). Having dust, biofilm, oil and various other debris on the surface of the water triggers me, so I’m willing to spend the 30 seconds every three days or so to lift the head of it off and clean it out.

[@martf9875]

Great vid 👍, great little, and powerful skimmer😊

[@lillybain8799]

Just ordered 2 of these last week for my tanks, great video, look like they do a good job too 👍✌️

[@pondguru]

Yes, small but very effective.

[@theboesmani]

I had a look at one of them a while ago . The only drawback was that I couldn't see how to get at the impeller in order to clean it . Maybe I was missing something obvious .

[@pondguru]

I didn't pull it apart but I'd imagine that it could be stripped down - I've not seen a totally sealed unit yet.

[@theboesmani]

Barry Regan Ah so it something simple, thanks. Probably buy one.

[@tommason870]

Why does this have a solid venturi pipe when mine is flexible??

[@MsHeisenberg]

Hi, did you find out the answer? allpondsolutions said you connect it instead of the bit advertised but didn't tell me how!!!!

[@The4kingdiggers_Official]

That's Great we need something like this to put in the sea to get rid off all the plastic all the best of luck Craig

[@pondguru]

I'd use a large versio of it to draw in all the seagulls from the surface of the ocean and have an integrated mincer in the bottom - all they're good for is fertilizer. Would be great for all the cormorants which are destroying our lakes and rivers too, lol

[@OutofTownwithRobinBell]

hi, mate I've have a new channel and looking at a new camera using a go pro hero 3 at moment would you recommend one Thanks

[@50shadesofgreen]

thanks for sharing this great little Skimmer review !!

[@pondguru]

No worries, it is a very good skimmer.

[@46L482]

Hi Seachem has come out with a new HOB filter. Are you going to be doing a review on that? The filter comes with a skimmer and a large container to hold media. Just asking

[@pondguru]

Sounds good to me and if anyone wants to send one up I'd love to take a look at it. It's about time somebody made a decent HOB filter as most are awful.

[@nataliel4836]

Hi looking for advice can u use this with fish in water stil and when I tried for bit it made all the top of the surface soapy look anyone know why any help appreciated for new start

[@pondguru]

If there was lots of protein, oils and other pollutants in the water (usually from fish food) adding a source of aerated water can cause a scum but the skimmer should draw it in and trap the majority in the fine pad quite quickly.

[@nataliel4836]

@@pondguru thanks for reply yeah gathered up soapy didn't really go down had scoop out with net as was scared incase it was harmful to fish inside it panic as this is Al new to me got my first tropical tank

[@DramaticAquatics]

awesome little filter & a great price!!

[@cjim9981]

Heys guys can anyone assist me. I need to work out the litreage of my tank so I know what size pump to buy, how can I do this? thanks in advance

[@HobbyistFishkeeper]

Hey, I did a review on this myself for one of my first uploads a few weeks ago and it's virtually the same as this word for word 😂😂😂 great minds I suppose lol

[@nathanrichardson3291]

I have a 75gal aquarium for a painted turtle and red ear slider. I have a fluval fx6 for filtration. The tank is full and utilizes a basking area on top of the tank. My question is can I set up a sump in conjunction with the canister? To house my heater,skimmer etc. is this a possibility and how would I set it up? Thanks pondguru! Your the best

[@pondguru]

Ideally if a sump was going to be used the tank would be drilled to have a weir flowing down into the sump. If you fit an over the top syphon then it is possible to use a sump on a non-drilled tank but it is not ideal. The Marisys 240 is an example of a combined sump and surface skimmer and protein skimmer: bit.ly/2LPcbAE but I'm not sure they are manufactured any more. They only work when water is full in tank so would be no good for a lower level turtle tank - for that situation drilling is probably the only option if you want a sump.

[@MARKSAQUATICS]

Nice little skimmer. A DIY challenge for that tiny pump you sent me. 👍😀

[@dsd5586]

MARK'S AQUATICS ill be waiting for that one 👌🏻

[@pondguru]

Yes, I think it was also a 300 lph pump so you should be able to recreate something similar with your (infinite) skills - if you need anything else for the tanks just let me know, man.

[@grantcruickshanks9264]

Thanks Richard l got this after your review for my discus tank as the oil from the beefheart lands on the surface problem fixed is great

[@pondguru]

Yes for drawing in and trapping surface oils the little skimmer is very good and that will prevent any surface water layer thickening problems - by the time a problem gets to the point of creating visible foam on the surface the transfer between tank and air has been severely limited for a long time.

[@laurag1076]

How can I buy/get this in australia!?? I'm searching everywhere. Cant seem to get one here.

[@pondguru]

I'm not sure there will be an exact version of this filter but there should definitely be an equivalent available in AU - just search for 'aquarium skimmer' - I found this one on AU Amazon: www.amazon.com.au/Babyney-Aquarium-Surface-Skimmer-Freshwater/dp/B07B9WDG9M/ref=sr_1_23?ie=UTF8&qid=1547452229&sr=8-23&keywords=aquarium+skimmer

[@laurag1076]

@@pondguru hahaa!! Yes! I ended up finding this one and bought it just this morning! Thank you. Quarter of the price of others. I seem to have a constant film on my surface. I have never experienced this before. Diy one annoying so I bought one. Film comes back as soon as I turn skimmer off

[@pondguru]

@@laurag1076 The skimmer will definitely keep the surface clear of film and that can only be a good thing.

[@laurag1076]

@@pondguru yes... but I'm trying to figure out the cause also... 🤷‍♀️ P.s. love your videos.

[@pondguru]

@@laurag1076 What type of fish do you keep and what do you feed them~?

[@REM241]

I have one and its great

[@pondguru]

Groovy.

[@bettabegoodjr2104]

I can hook this up to co2 couldnt i.

[@redking1831]

ahh man- no shipping to canada!

[@lunakatt429]

Great product. Please do some more nature videos , I really like your personality , and seeing nature in UK . I live in Kentucky USA and it's a beautiful area also. Your blathering on is what makes these videos worth watching Hope you can get on your walking shoes and show us more of your woodlands . 😆

[@pondguru]

Getting time for any of my hobbies is really difficult lately as my business is so crazy busy but I'm desperate to get back out in the woods - I'm glad you enjoy the video and thanks for watching.

[@Kenney9120]

How would you deal with skimming if you had floating plants such as duck weed or something larger?

[@BlatentlyFakeName]

Yea I had that issue. The plants will end up all gathered around the skimmer and reduce it's effectiveness. So I had to thin them out loads, or find a way to trap them in one area of the tank. Another issue is floating food getting stuck in it.

[@maninacrowd2342]

These are awesome

[@pondguru]

Yes I was very surprised how well it cleared the scum on this tank and it is still keeping it very clean.

[@maninacrowd2342]

Pondguru I’m looking at one for my planted tank! But it’s a different kind and smaller too!

[@bigbowlowrong4694]

I have never had a tank that has not had surface scum develop, or at least dust settle on the surface of the water. Surface skimmers are an absolute must for any tank without overflow-style filtration, I wouldn’t set up a tank without one. They all do the job, a $10 Chinese eBay one will do exactly the same job as a $50 brand name one. Those little venturi valves some of them come with are pointless though, unless you like the look of the bubbles. Just take it off.

[@MrDanAng1]

I love brittish English! Does the tank surface have scum, muck or smeg on it? Possibly a little bit of all of them if it only allow me to use all those words! Very nice skimmer too, you are right, no point in making a DIY when any powerhesd will cost as much anyway!

[@pondguru]

Yes, going the DIY route is only of use if it helps to save money or improve efficiency / performance.

[@SimplyShrimps]

Smeg! 😂

[@pondguru]

SmEEEEg HeEEEEEEEEDDddd...lol

[@campo7622]

Thats ace 👍👍👍👍👍

[@MrMicoymoral]

steve austin doing some aquatic jobs

[@mikaelmattsson1207]

Can the skimmer take care of duckweed to?

[@pondguru]

I'm not sure the inlets are wide enough for duckweed - maybe the ordinary pond duckweed but certainly not the tropical duckweed although it would probably be attracted to where the skimmer was.

[@viti339]

The skimmers built into the inlets on there external filters also do a perfect job. Love APS stuff. Tho there are many haters, who will compare them ( £60 filter) with an FX6 😆

[@pondguru]

Sadly you will find fanboys with every product or service - it makes no sense to me. I still get numerous comments every week cussing me for not setting filters up the same way as some other channel on KZbin or how someone advised on a forum. If they get so angry about a filter and feel the need to make abusive comments I wouldn't want to live anywhere near them - just imagine how they treat their families and neighbors...

[@A.R.C.77]

There goes the nice hidden filter look lol

[@pondguru]

Yup, it was just in here for demonstration purposes.

[@rushennbody]

I have the same but it called Sun Sun

[@Zaku186]

Have a like just for the what im taking as a Red Dwarf reference.

[@pondguru]

lol, could it be the word 'smeg' by any chance?

[@Zaku186]

LOL dead on. i still never finished watching that. i watched a bit of "red dwarf: Back to earth" but i never saw season nine so i stopped watching it because i was confused and didnt want to ruin it. but yea really great show. also i was wondering do you hunt foxes? i really hope not. they are beautiful critters.

[@pondguru]

Season nine wasn't the best so you missed nothing there - back to earth isn't too good either. I don't hunt foxes but have shot a few which were attacking an elderly cat I had over the years. He died at 23 years old and wouldn't have seen 15 if I had left them.

[@Zaku186]

Oh well thats good to hear. i saw cachansky (oh however you spell her name) died and i was all "wait what?!?!?!?) then stopped watching. and thats perfectly understandable. i have a cat but she is a strictly inside cat. we have coyotes that would LOVE to eat her. i had a fox who would sit with me while i fished on base and after that ive had a thing for them. i really love foxes and i wont support anyone in any way who hunts them. im not a hardcore tree hugger or anything just extremely biased. i do hunt and fish but i do so responsibly and ill do anything to save a fox but my pets come first. foxes are the only thing im odd like that about. damn good to hear you dont kill them unless you absolutely have to. +1 subscriber for you lol.

[@pondguru]

Yes, everything has a place in nature and I like to see foxes about too. When the weather is extremely harsh I'll even leave squirrels or roadkill out for them and other predators but I generally just try to manage the acre or so of woodland / garden we have here to support a diverse range of wildlife. Even the large carrion crows which nest in the wood get a pass since they act as a natural deterrent for the heron which would otherwise be hammering my pond all day, every day. Having a pair of aggressive crows chasing it away is a perfect solution.

[@leepearson4400]

anyone tried one of these with a betta ?

[@pershop4950]

The betta doesn't get skimmed unless it's already weak or dead, so it's good to use with a healthy betta.

[@leepearson4400]

@@pershop4950 what mean is the flow is strong for betta in it. so any way can reduce the flow of one these have it in a betta tank

[@dsd5586]

Currently 8.99 on ebay !!

[@pondguru]

Great stuff - free delivery too. I normally put an ebay link as well as an Amazon link in the video description and pinned comment but they were all crazy prices on ebay when I checked. The one at £8.99 doesn't have the actual name of the filter in the title so didn't come up last time I looked but I've added that link to description now, thanks.

[@Populiervogel]

Hmmm strange, is this a British product/brand? Because its not for sale in Europe. :-(

[@pondguru]

I'm sure the same product (or one very similar) will be sold under a different name in other countries - All Pond Solutions are based in UK but their pumps and filters are made in China.

[@Populiervogel]

Haha, i find out its a re-brand of Sun Sun, i just ordered one 2 minutes ago at the Ali express page, thanx for your response Richard. nl.aliexpress.com/item/5W-Aquarium-Pump-Surface-Skimmer-to-remove-Oil-Slick-Oil-film-remover-water-Protein-Skimmer-pump/32693186912.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.68a24c4dmhfVgc

[@pondguru]

No worries and that doesn't surprise me since APS canister filters are known as SunSun in the US. It is decent affordable equipment.

[@Populiervogel]

Yep their products are looking good, i am also fan of Aquael, a decent Polish brand with not expensive products that last for years.

[@pondguru]

Yes, I've heard a few good reports back about Aquael products - definitely no need to spend silly money on gear.

[@shannonphillips5443]

Red dwarf.......lol

[@pondguru]

Spot on - one of my favorite comedy series.

[@SoCalMike2]

I wish there was a United States version of this skimmer.

[@jayee187]

Smeg omfg😂😂😂

[@Chosenorc]

not enough water in the water lol

[@richardbunt2278]

that is a we skimmer and a half

[@hobogreen3750]

youre doing something wrong if you need one of those

[@ChrisxNetter]

Wrong, this is perfect for people who work long hours, or people who don’t want to manually clean built up algae or floating debris. You can drop a heap of food allowing the critters to eat what’s necessary, & depending on your settings, whatever’s left over slowly or quickly gets dragged away into the “aqua trash bin”. Everything isn’t going to just magically sink to the bottom towards the intake, there’s always going to be a few floaters. For best results, place the skimmer right next to, or above your filter intake so the top & bottom current runs everything in the same direction 👌🏾

[@hobogreen3750]

@@ChrisxNetter or just don't overfeed and do your maintenance. don't keep fish if you're too lazy to care for them

[@ChrisxNetter]

It’s not a matter of over feeding or laziness, there are more than those 2 reasons why you could need one of these and the points you’re making are lowest on the list of importance. And FYI I have frogs and turtles not fish, both are messy eaters, both will leave scraps and bits that they choose to ignore even with proper feeding and one of these would clear it up almost instantly

[@alb9022]

o.o

[@ian-uk9673]

its a load of crap lol i would not waste my money on it

[@pondguru]

I've found it to be really good - very quiet and it does a great job. What sort of skimmer are you using currently?