I have a very small 750 gallon pond that was built long before there were many books out about building ponds. After learning about skimmers, i looked for one i could retrofit into my existing pond. I had built a small shelf into the pond to acommodate a pump that operated a floating skimmer that was like a dust pan. I had constant problems with this. They dont make that kind any more. However i couldnt find any other skimmer to fit. All were too big and had to be built in at the time the pond was constructed. Then i found the little tetra pond skimmer. It exactly fit my space with a little help from a couple bricks to raise it high enough for it to work, and a couple remnants of matala filter sheets stuffed on each side of it to help hold it in place. (All items are available from fosters and smith.)I have a hudson valve auto filler on the shelf behind it to keep the water level constant. I paired it with the tetra pond model 19039 item #224482 1900 gph pump and Voila!!! SKIMMER HEAVEN. Because both are made by Tetra, all the fittings are exactly the same to connect the two and fit perfectly. I noticed some people saying it has a tendency to float. I put small lead ball fishing weights to weigh it down in its corners and it stays put just fine. It does a wonderful job of clearing the water. This is the first time since i built the pond that i have encountered clear water every time i go out to the pond . I dont have a problem with leaves but i do have a problem with 8 inch long bottle brush pine needles that also get stuck in my bird net. It sucks those up very well right along with the juniper fronds that fall in the water. Those needles are responsible for the demise of about 20 pumps over the years as they wrapped themselves around the pumps' impellers and burned them out . Now they will be sucked off the water before they have a chance to do any harm.. I am VERY VERY PLEASED with both the skimmer and the pump.

When we built our (approx 1300 gal) pond we decided to add a bottom drain instead of a pond skimmer to avoid having to use a pond vac or drain the pond to clean it. I am glad we have the drain, but in the 2 years since the pond has been complete, I've had problems with a lot of floating debris - especially in spring - and suspended particles clouding the water. I tried everything to get rid of the cloudiness to no avail, so when I saw the Tetra Compact Pond Skimmer that can be installed anywhere in a completed pond, I wanted to give it a try. The cost was reasonable, though I still had to purchase the pump. I've had the skimmer on my pond for about 2 weeks now & it has been the best equipment purchase for my small pond! The water has cleared up and I have less maintenance on my other filtration systems. The skimmer pulls off floating debris & also captures the small particles that consistently were floating in the water. I've added extra filter media pads that I cut myself from larger cut-to-fit media sold on Drs. Foster and Smith. It takes a little while to clean the filter media, but they sure do the trick and clean my pond!

The skimmer was easy to install and works amazingly well. It was very windy and lots of leaves we're falling on the day I installed it. Yet, it drew the leaves in and kept the pond surface beautifully clean. The only recommendation to improve it would be to have a small at the top edge of each corner so that the skimmer can be installed with a bracket retaining it to the side of the pond. Otherwise, it's a great product.

An easy to install unit with 2 side ports for pump access from either side; all the adapters and hose are also included. A snap to install; had it up and running in minutes.

the skimmer assembles easily and placement in the pond required little adjustment. the only issue I had was if there are floating plants in the pond they are easily sucked into the skimmer. Placing a screen in front of the intake solved that problem.

I will have to admit that I am fairly new to the whole experience but I was very excited to get the skimmer doing it's job, but I was left frustrated with all sorts of issues. I have a neighbor with a dying pine tree that seems to use my pond as a "catch all" for all of the dropping leaves. The skimmer is the perfect product for this issue, however, I spent weeks trying to get it to actually work! Now that I have it working I am nervous to open it and clean it out because it had my small fish in it, dead fish, the first two times, and not to mention a lot of debris. It also takes up a lot of room in my pond because you are supposed to place on the side and center of the pond for it to work properly, so I had to stack rocks until it fit straight and leaving an inch from the top. And even though there are (4) "pockets" to put gravel or small rocks for weight, it still tends to float so I had to put a heavy pot on it to keep it from floating off. The included tubing is not long enough either and I had to make adjustments so it would reach my waterfall filter. It's a great product for someone who knows how to make adjustments!

This product has handled my problem with floating debis like a dream! Easy to install, easy to clean and does a wonderful job! I would buy it again in a heart beat!

This skimmer really does a great job and you can't beat the price! When I first put it in my pond, it sank. This skimmer needs a level shelf to hold the skimmer upright. This is easy to fix if you have a deep pond without a build in shelf. I just measured the distance from the bottom of the skimmer while holding the skimmer in the ideal position. I then found a terracotta pot that I could place upside does with a terracotta saucer on top as a shelf. At the time of my purchase, Drs. Foster and Smith's description didn't indicate that this product includes a 3 foot hose to attach the skimmer to the pump. However, I figured it did since other sites mentioned the hose. I connected this to a Tetra 550 gph submersible pump and the skimmer works perfectly for my little pond. This skimmer does have a lot of stickers all over it. Some are easy to remove, but others leave a lot of glue. It's easy to remove with alcohol, but that's the only con I could think of. That would definitely not deter me from purchasing this skimmer again. It's an overall wonderful product. As always, Drs. Foster and Smith did a great job processing my order and shipping my item fast.