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Pond Construction: Skimmer vs. Filter for a Plant-Only Pond

Building a 15x12x2 ft pond (plants only, no fish). Owner asks if skimmer, filter, or both needed, and where tubing goes relative to liner.

Filtration Needs for Plant-Only Ponds

Skimmer: Essential—removes leaves, debris, protects pump.
Biological filter: Not required without fish waste. Skimmer provides mechanical filtration.
Pump placement: Can run directly to fountain from skimmer.

Tubing & Liner

Run tubing on top of the liner, under rocks/edging. This allows future replacement without disturbing the liner. Use 45 mil EPDM liner for longevity.

Design Tips

Include varied shelf depths for marginal plants.
Add floating plants (hyacinth, lettuce) for shade/algae control.
Size pump for 1x turnover/hour (e.g., 3600 GPH for ~3600 gal).

A skimmer + fountain pump is simpler, cheaper, and sufficient for a fishless water garden.

Pond and Water Gardening: Planning a Goldfish Pond: Size, Depth, and Equipment Essentials; Designing a Duck Pond: Filtration Must Handle Heavy Waste; Pond Critter ID: Tadpoles — Beneficial, Not Harmful; Building a 26,000-Gallon Duck Pond: Filtration & Maintenance Plan; Building an 8x8x4 ft Koi Pond: Heating, Filtration, Prep; Planning a New Pond: Pump, Filter, and UV Sizing for 5.5×5.5×3 ft; How Often to Clean Mud from a Pond: It Depends on Your Goals; First Large Pond (4,500 Gal): Biofilters, UV, Aeration, Turtles, and pH Testing; Tree Root Barrier for Pond Liner: Black Builder's Paper and Carpet; Waterproofing a Concrete Block Pond for a Bronze Fountain

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