Well done explanation Ralph! You're one of my favorite water feature expert "U-tubers". Looking forward to seeing perhaps a video of the construction of an intake bay in of your future projects! Keep up the great work.
Thank you Geert! Our latest video has an intake bay. I knew you’d ask that question 😁😜 (Turtle Pond Paradise Turtle Pond Paradiseruclips.net/video/5SjkEw1Ul8k/видео.html
Had to Subscribe. After fixing a dry rotted hose this morning, I later realized that a may have dropped a rock in the pond, tearing the liner and created a mid liner water bubble. I thought I may take this time to redo the pond, get the pump out hte pond & into a skimmer (finally). Since I was gonna have to lay a new liner anyway, I just needed to see what I was looking at as far as difficulty. I appreciate the two options in the vid. Wish you were in the Maryland area to knock it out for me! lol
Thank you for the video. Still left some questions. It appears that on an Intake Bay you could get build up of sediment between the rocks leading to a big clean out someday and a diminished water flow to the pump. You also said that it eliminates the ugly mechanical structures like a Skimmer, but its apparent you still have the 'Pump Vault' that is the same size as a skimmer! So I am not seeing the advantages of the Intake bay. JMO.
clayton seamons The intakebay does not remove the need “routine maintenance” in a pond no matter how it is designed. If regular maintenance is performed there will be no issues just like with a skimmer set up. Yes a pumpvault is required for the intake bay design however if properly implemented it is very easy to disguise and not be as obvious at the edge of the pond like a skimmer. By the way I never called the mechanical skimmer “ugly”. Thanks for watching. 👍
Two notches in the side of the pump vault with the mounting straps ran through the slots and around the dosing tank. Holes drilled into the dosing tank so pond water floods the tank to keep from floating and keep water treatments from getting too hot in the AZ summers.
Me again I feel like you're my trusted source for information ? How Do u build deck footing in the pond I've seen decks being build over ponds and the footings are in the pond How does one make them water tight How does one not damage the liner and finally is pressure treated wood ok In a pond environment
I am honored to be your trusted pond resource ☺️. There are really several ways to install a footing in a pond. We have pored concrete into of a formed cage of rebar with vertical sonotubes. Before building the concrete forms you would lie down extra fabric or rock pad on top of the liner to protect it. Additives can be applied to the concrete to make it safe for fish and plant life in the pond. Also you can use pressure treated wood in the pond I would suggest maturing tthe wood even further by soaking it in water for as long as possible before installation. Your best bet is to try to avoid any of the above suggested methods and build the deck to cantilever or overhang the pond without actually being supported in the pond. This takes away any potential issues that could result with the deck within the pond.
I'm planning a pond that needs to be simple and inexpensive. It's getting more complicated as I go along! I'm wondering, could I do a simpler intake bay using a submersible, smaller pump (with a cage type housing built around it) and put it in a chamber without all the fancy plumbing connections? I love the idea of how an intake bay functions but I'm wondering if I can simplify the set up? Thanks for this great video!
I built something similar years ago. I used plastic milk crates turned upside down, with rocks and gravel on top for the intake bay. Pvc pipe ran from under the milk crates to the pump placed at the top of a small waterfall. Hid the pump behind a rock. Easy to get to the pump for maintenance. Worked great.
Ralph, thank you for the great comparison video! My brother and I will be building, just under, a 500 sqft rec pond that will be around 5 ft depth. In this scenario would you recommend the intake bay or the skimmer? We have already planned to build out a wetland filter. Any advice is greatly appreciated!
There is a 2” Bulkhead in the bottom of the bowl. I drilled the bowl out. The new bowls come with a 1”female thread already installed which works fine for the amount of flow the bowl can handle.
This is a great video! Thank you! Do I need both an intake, bay and a skimmer? I’ve always had a skimmer, but last year lost a lot of baby fish to the skimmer… I think an intake bay looks nicer and would protect my fish. Should I get rid of the skimmer or do I need both?
@@pondscapesaz my pond is about 18,000 liters. It has a bottom drain and a skimmer. The skimmer gets clogged during the fall. Would four Aquablocks be sufficient?
Baruch David Greenman there are a lot of things to consider to size the amount of aqua blox in your pond. With a heavy debris load and this size of pond I would install a minimum of 9 aqua blox.
@@pondscapesaz I'm planning on rebuilding the pond. I will make a 2*2 meter wetland filter for the waterfall. Do you still think I'll need that many blocks for the intake?
What happens when it Freezes in Winter..? Will the frost in ground push up your skimmer as its not below frost level ? Will all my floating fish pellets get eaten by my fish or by the Skimmer ? Thanks nice Video............ ☺........
Great questions. In our region “freezing” only happens in the ice box. However these are issues are common in Atlantis Water Gardens and Decker’s Pondscapes area’s. For feeding I would suggest a floating “feeding ring” that keeps the food contained.
I have a 18,000 liter pond. Unfortunately I have an exposed liner. Not covered with rocks like Aquascape. I do have a giant upflow filter like a wetland. We have so many trees and lots of algae outbreaks. My large external pump keeps burning out do to too much organic material getting past the skimmer. If I make a giant inlet, won't it get blocked with algae and leaves?
Can an intake bay be a wetland planting areas as well? Wouldn’t the debris etc eventually be broken down or filtered down through the rocks, or even be supplemented with the wetlands. And what is the cost differences if any. Do they they to have to be shallow , or a few more inches of water is not a big deal.
You can plant within an intake bay “IF” you created planting areas that don’t impede the function of the water flow through the aquablox and maintain the vegetation often. I recommend flushing the aquablox clean approx every 6months depending on debris load. The cost is more for an intake bay. Several factors will determine the cost. I prefer between 8” - 12” of water depth in the intake.
The biological filter is integrated into the waterfall on the type of systems we build. So you’re getting the beauty of the waterfall without having to hide and external pressure filter.
Ralph Thanks for all your videos. Awesome and really helpful. So you have an intakebay and a skimmer on your pond. I am thinking of the same for my 10 x 15 pond with 4 feet deep. . Aquascape Skimmer feed the water to Biofalls and intakebay feed the water to Wetland filter. Let me know if you have any other suggestions.
We have done intakes with skimmers in the same sections of a pond but seems to be redundant and just adds to the cost and complexity. I prefer simplicity of one or the other. Mine has both options to show people the difference between them.
Hi there, thank you for the great explanation! Do you sometimes associates both a skimmer AND an intake bay? I saw this in an older video from the Aquascape squad and cannot really understand the rationale for this unusual association. Thanks !
Hey awesome video. Question what’s a good small recreation aquascape pond you can swim in without being to massive that you would recommend? Something around 3x3metres wide and deep enough to stand up in as a guess?
Is there another pump on the bottom of the pond? Or a bottom drain? How does the intake bay pump match the flow if there is another bottom pump that goes to a wetland filter?
Just one pump in the “pump vault” within the intake-bay area. Bottom drains is not something we do in our type of systems. Check out this video to give a better understanding of what the construction of a intake-bay looks like Ecosystem Pond with INTAKE BAY
hey Ralph do u prefer a intake bay ? or a mechanical skimmer reason ask is I have a customer that wants something easy to maintain as in no maint LOL thanks keep up the great VLOGS
Question- Do you recommend having both on a pond? I was going to have a centipede bog filter. Would you recommend having both a intake bay, and skimmer?
Technologyadvisor1 that’s a pretty small intake. My first question would be what is the max flow rate for you filtration setup? Based off your dimensions I would say no more than a 2,000gph pump would work for you.
Pondscapes Az the small intake bay is to supplement a 6000l/h pump in a rectangle pond I am linking 2 ponds together water volume is about 3000 litres. One pond is about 1 meter round. 2 feet deep other rectangular shape 1.5 meter long 1 meter wide 3 feet deep
Technologyadvisor1 after watching your video I have a better understanding of what you are trying to accomplish. My suggestion would be to raise the elevation of you “wildlife pond”. To do this I would create a retaining wall of boulders or block work around the the pond so that the water level is higher than the lower koi pond. This way you do not have to cut into the wall.
This is so misleading. The only reason your access on the intake bay is difficult is because of what YOU CHOSE to place over it. You just as easily could have put a light, fake rock over it, too. But you chose to put a real rock (which is heavier) and smaller rocks / gravel, both of which are difficult to move and replace. But sure, you’re selling the expensive product.
Ralph, I know this is an older video but I need to add an intake bay. I would love to have it installed professionally by Pondscapes Arizona. I would like to discuss uss this video. We have spoken briefly a month or so ago. It was a different conversation at the time but please have Allison give me a text she has my number.
Hello Betty! Can you please text the office your contact information. Pondscapes office 480-987-7781. We will be happy to give you a call on Monday. Have a great weekend!
Wow, that water is really clear. What a nice water feature.
Love the explanation! Great job Ralph👏👏
Thanks Jaak!
I Googled "intake bay" today and got your video! Awesome explanation!!
Jennifer Zuri thank you! Starting a pond renovation on Monday that will include an intake bay. Can’t wait!
Very helpful, I was posing that exact question the other day.
Well done explanation Ralph! You're one of my favorite water feature expert "U-tubers". Looking forward to seeing perhaps a video of the construction of an intake bay in of your future projects! Keep up the great work.
Thank you Geert! Our latest video has an intake bay. I knew you’d ask that question 😁😜 (Turtle Pond Paradise Turtle Pond Paradiseruclips.net/video/5SjkEw1Ul8k/видео.html
@@pondscapesaz Awesome! Thanks Ralph.👍
Awesome Video, Id love to know or see how you install the auto doser inside the Pump Vault
Could you please make a video on this pond? . It looks beautiful, would love to see more of this pond.
Nice skimmer video braddah Ralph great content much love and aloha 🤙🏽🐠🤙🏽
Awesome information. I personally like intake bays and upflow filters better.
Had to Subscribe. After fixing a dry rotted hose this morning, I later realized that a may have dropped a rock in the pond, tearing the liner and created a mid liner water bubble. I thought I may take this time to redo the pond, get the pump out hte pond & into a skimmer (finally). Since I was gonna have to lay a new liner anyway, I just needed to see what I was looking at as far as difficulty. I appreciate the two options in the vid. Wish you were in the Maryland area to knock it out for me! lol
Thanks for watching! Look up our friends at Premier Ponds they’re in Maryland as well. Good luck 👍
Good information. I couldn’t help but notice the bog filter, very nice setup. Where did you get the nice planter bog filter. Thank you.
Stafford Hillman it is a 32” Spillway Bowl from Aquascape. I installed it exactly the way an Aquascape “BioFalls” is designed.
Pondscapes Awesome
Tq sirs, now I know the benefit of intake bay
Love this video!! ❤️Thank you for the explanation about the intake bay and skimmer!!👌🏽
Thank you and you’re welcome!
Thank you for the information
👍
Cool video Ralph thanks buddy 😅👍
Thank you
Thanks for the info
Great video lovely pond 👍
Thank you for the video. Still left some questions. It appears that on an Intake Bay you could get build up of sediment between the rocks leading to a big clean out someday and a diminished water flow to the pump. You also said that it eliminates the ugly mechanical structures like a Skimmer, but its apparent you still have the 'Pump Vault' that is the same size as a skimmer! So I am not seeing the advantages of the Intake bay. JMO.
clayton seamons The intakebay does not remove the need “routine maintenance” in a pond no matter how it is designed. If regular maintenance is performed there will be no issues just like with a skimmer set up. Yes a pumpvault is required for the intake bay design however if properly implemented it is very easy to disguise and not be as obvious at the edge of the pond like a skimmer. By the way I never called the mechanical skimmer “ugly”. Thanks for watching. 👍
Good information, short and simple
Excellent Ralph!
Love the intake bay, great video!
Nice Video Ralph!! Very informative 👍🏻
Thank you
Pondscapes Az I like how you installed the auto doser inside the skimmer. How did u go about installing it inside?
Two notches in the side of the pump vault with the mounting straps ran through the slots and around the dosing tank. Holes drilled into the dosing tank so pond water floods the tank to keep from floating and keep water treatments from getting too hot in the AZ summers.
Do you have the Video for this Pond Build, this is EXCELLENT 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰😍😍😍😍
Sorry no I do not.
I love your pond it's amazing
🙌
Me again
I feel like you're my trusted source for information
? How Do u build deck footing in the pond
I've seen decks being build over ponds and the footings are in the pond
How does one make them water tight
How does one not damage the liner and finally is pressure treated wood ok In a pond environment
I am honored to be your trusted pond resource ☺️. There are really several ways to install a footing in a pond. We have pored concrete into of a formed cage of rebar with vertical sonotubes. Before building the concrete forms you would lie down extra fabric or rock pad on top of the liner to protect it. Additives can be applied to the concrete to make it safe for fish and plant life in the pond. Also you can use pressure treated wood in the pond I would suggest maturing tthe wood even further by soaking it in water for as long as possible before installation. Your best bet is to try to avoid any of the above suggested methods and build the deck to cantilever or overhang the pond without actually being supported in the pond. This takes away any potential issues that could result with the deck within the pond.
Once again my Good man...thx for the information
Blessings
AWESOME information and GREAT video!!!
Thank you
Great video 👍🏻
Thank you
Ok, love it. But for this size pond, what sizes pump is required ???. I am worry the intake system may reduced the sucking capacity ???
This pond has Qty-2 Aquasurge 4000 pumps. One on each end. If the intake area is maintained you should not have a loss of flow.
Great information thanks for sharing
i need more info on intake bays do you have a video on how to build one?
I'm planning a pond that needs to be simple and inexpensive. It's getting more complicated as I go along! I'm wondering, could I do a simpler intake bay using a submersible, smaller pump (with a cage type housing built around it) and put it in a chamber without all the fancy plumbing connections? I love the idea of how an intake bay functions but I'm wondering if I can simplify the set up? Thanks for this great video!
Well the cost you save up front might not be worth what you have to pay to doing it again later.
I built something similar years ago. I used plastic milk crates turned upside down, with rocks and gravel on top for the intake bay. Pvc pipe ran from under the milk crates to the pump placed at the top of a small waterfall. Hid the pump behind a rock. Easy to get to the pump for maintenance. Worked great.
very nice and precise explanation ......
Thank you
Great video. thanks
Nice explanation Ralph
Thanks Dan!
Nice!
Thank you!
Great Info Ralph!
Ralph, thank you for the great comparison video! My brother and I will be building, just under, a 500 sqft rec pond that will be around 5 ft depth. In this scenario would you recommend the intake bay or the skimmer? We have already planned to build out a wetland filter. Any advice is greatly appreciated!
Which plumbing fitting connects t the pump to the kink or flex pipe to the spillway bowl
There is a 2” Bulkhead in the bottom of the bowl. I drilled the bowl out. The new bowls come with a 1”female thread already installed which works fine for the amount of flow the bowl can handle.
This is a great video! Thank you! Do I need both an intake, bay and a skimmer? I’ve always had a skimmer, but last year lost a lot of baby fish to the skimmer… I think an intake bay looks nicer and would protect my fish. Should I get rid of the skimmer or do I need both?
Having both is a bit redundant and costly. If you’re going to redo it I would just go with the intake bay.
Very good info Raph
Thank you bro!
Thank you for the video. Can you showdown to install an intake bay for a small pond
Ike you just showed?
Check out my most recent video “Turtle Pond Paradise”. It has an intake bay. Thank you for watching! 👍
Thank you sir..
Very informative👍
👍🙌
wish i would have seen this b4 i built my pond...
In an area with heavy Fall leaf build up, which do you prefer?
Baruch David Greenman intake bay is my preference in a heavy debris situation as long as there is enough space for an appropriate sized intake bay.
@@pondscapesaz my pond is about 18,000 liters. It has a bottom drain and a skimmer. The skimmer gets clogged during the fall. Would four Aquablocks be sufficient?
Baruch David Greenman there are a lot of things to consider to size the amount of aqua blox in your pond. With a heavy debris load and this size of pond I would install a minimum of 9 aqua blox.
@@pondscapesaz I'm planning on rebuilding the pond. I will make a 2*2 meter wetland filter for the waterfall. Do you still think I'll need that many blocks for the intake?
Baruch David Greenman yes I would still suggest at least 9 blox for the intake.
What happens when it Freezes in Winter..? Will the frost in ground push up your skimmer as its not below frost level ? Will all my floating fish pellets get eaten by my fish or by the Skimmer ? Thanks nice Video............ ☺........
Great questions. In our region “freezing” only happens in the ice box. However these are issues are common in Atlantis Water Gardens and Decker’s Pondscapes area’s. For feeding I would suggest a floating “feeding ring” that keeps the food contained.
how does that remove waste off the bottom of your pond, like a bottom drain filtration system would do.
Good question Chris. The idea of “surface skimming” is to collect debris before it settles to the bottom of the pond.
I have a 18,000 liter pond. Unfortunately I have an exposed liner. Not covered with rocks like Aquascape. I do have a giant upflow filter like a wetland. We have so many trees and lots of algae outbreaks. My large external pump keeps burning out do to too much organic material getting past the skimmer. If I make a giant inlet, won't it get blocked with algae and leaves?
Baruch David Greenman if you have that much debris it sounds like you need to manually remove the debris build up more frequently.
Does the intake bay & skimmer both do the same thing to clean the pond?
GT yes both serving the same purpose.
So what does the intake bay consist of? Just layers of rocks or Are you using aquablocks?
Pump Vault
Pondless pump vault and small AquaBlox. Quantity of blox depend on the size of pond and flow rates of the system.
How well does the intake bay filter the water with no filter pad? If the gunk collects there, how do you clean it out without a removable filter pad?
Vacuum the pump vault as needed
Can an intake bay be a wetland planting areas as well? Wouldn’t the debris etc eventually be broken down or filtered down through the rocks, or even be supplemented with the wetlands. And what is the cost differences if any. Do they they to have to be shallow , or a few more inches of water is not a big deal.
You can plant within an intake bay “IF” you created planting areas that don’t impede the function of the water flow through the aquablox and maintain the vegetation often. I recommend flushing the aquablox clean approx every 6months depending on debris load. The cost is more for an intake bay. Several factors will determine the cost. I prefer between 8” - 12” of water depth in the intake.
I like this idea. Works same as skimmer easy maintenance.
One question, does your pump push the water from there to filter or just waterfall?
The biological filter is integrated into the waterfall on the type of systems we build. So you’re getting the beauty of the waterfall without having to hide and external pressure filter.
Well that was interesting even to me.
Great video. Thanks so much for doing it.
Question for you. Can the intake bay box be used with an external pump?
Yes, an intake bay can absolutely be incorporated with an external pump. I did one a couple years ago that has 5 external pumps 😮 BIG POND!
Ralph Thanks for all your videos. Awesome and really helpful. So you have an intakebay and a skimmer on your pond. I am thinking of the same for my 10 x 15 pond with 4 feet deep. . Aquascape Skimmer feed the water to Biofalls and intakebay feed the water to Wetland filter. Let me know if you have any other suggestions.
We have done intakes with skimmers in the same sections of a pond but seems to be redundant and just adds to the cost and complexity. I prefer simplicity of one or the other. Mine has both options to show people the difference between them.
Hi there, thank you for the great explanation! Do you sometimes associates both a skimmer AND an intake bay? I saw this in an older video from the Aquascape squad and cannot really understand the rationale for this unusual association. Thanks !
We do not do it often. It is just a technique that helps increase the suction or draw into the intake area.
Great vid and much appreciated. Do you use both in the same pond? I’ve been researching and am more confused.
Yes, I use both in this pond to give examples of what is possible.
Hey awesome video.
Question what’s a good small recreation aquascape pond you can swim in without being to massive that you would recommend? Something around 3x3metres wide and deep enough to stand up in as a guess?
It doesn’t have to be very big as long as you have adequate filtration and external pumping system. I have seen them as small as 20’x15’x3’deep
Is there another pump on the bottom of the pond? Or a bottom drain? How does the intake bay pump match the flow if there is another bottom pump that goes to a wetland filter?
Just one pump in the “pump vault” within the intake-bay area. Bottom drains is not something we do in our type of systems. Check out this video to give a better understanding of what the construction of a intake-bay looks like Ecosystem Pond with INTAKE BAY
Great video. How do you decide which one is best for your customer? If a customer is more hands on suggest skimmer?
The intake-bay is an upgraded option. Typically I suggest the intake option only if there is adequate space for it based on the size of the pond.
Nice one
Thank you
hey Ralph do u prefer a intake bay ? or a mechanical skimmer reason ask is I have a customer that wants something easy to maintain as in no maint LOL thanks keep up the great VLOGS
My preference is and intake bay however it absolutely requires maintenance. I’m sorry I did not see your question until now. Hope this helps
Greetings again
Can the pump vault hold one or 2 aquascape 2000 pumps?
There is enough space for 2 pumps. The pump vault can actually handle flow rates of up to 10,000 gph if installed properly.
@@pondscapesaz thx u
Question-
Do you recommend having both on a pond?
I was going to have a centipede bog filter. Would you recommend having both a intake bay, and skimmer?
I would choose one or the other. I think it would have to be a unique situation to deem it necessary to have both.
👏
Do you have a video on how to construct the intake bay area?
ludwigrx this video gives some details on the construction of an intake bay for a turtle pond we did.
ruclips.net/video/5SjkEw1Ul8k/видео.html
Our pond loses water like crazy when the waterfalls are turned on. It's mysterious, dunno why it's happening.
Sorry to hear that. That is a pretty good indication that there is a leak in the waterfall or the plumbing.
Where do I order this skimmer???
And what is the brand name of the skimmer
It is a “Aquascape skimmer 1000”. If you contact Aquascape in St Charles Illinois they can direct you to the nearest distributor.
Do you lose fish into the skimmer?
Not very often but it can happen. Normally the smaller ones swim in and right back out.
what size of pump would you recommend for a small intake bay? size 20cm by 20cm? pond size 1.5 metre by 1.5 metre
Technologyadvisor1 that’s a pretty small intake. My first question would be what is the max flow rate for you filtration setup? Based off your dimensions I would say no more than a 2,000gph pump would work for you.
Pondscapes Az the small intake bay is to supplement a 6000l/h pump in a rectangle pond I am linking 2 ponds together water volume is about 3000 litres. One pond is about 1 meter round. 2 feet deep other rectangular shape 1.5 meter long 1 meter wide 3 feet deep
Pondscapes Az ruclips.net/video/alMRMubWd2A/видео.html here is my pond build
Technologyadvisor1 after watching your video I have a better understanding of what you are trying to accomplish. My suggestion would be to raise the elevation of you “wildlife pond”. To do this I would create a retaining wall of boulders or block work around the the pond so that the water level is higher than the lower koi pond. This way you do not have to cut into the wall.
In an intake Bay would a Pleco then often eat the food taken into the bay?
I’m sure they would venture in that area the same as any of the other fish would.
5:03 5:03 Can i put media in the skimmer.
Yes. Think of it as “filter floss”. A little more physical maintenance but definitely helps.
Have a video how you added to pond?
Mike Howell right now only how we install them new. If you check out the Turtle pond video we installed an intake bay on that one.
Intake bays better for Turtle ponds?
A turtle is not going to get stuck in a intake bay. Depending on the size of the turtle, it could run into some issues in a skimmer.
This is so misleading. The only reason your access on the intake bay is difficult is because of what YOU CHOSE to place over it. You just as easily could have put a light, fake rock over it, too. But you chose to put a real rock (which is heavier) and smaller rocks / gravel, both of which are difficult to move and replace. But sure, you’re selling the expensive product.
🤷
Can someone put my onto a video about installing a intake bay?
Sorry, I’m not sure what you’re asking.
Is there a video on how to do this on a small scale like this pond?
Ralph, I know this is an older video but I need to add an intake bay. I would love to have it installed professionally by Pondscapes Arizona. I would like to discuss uss this video. We have spoken briefly a month or so ago. It was a different conversation at the time but please have Allison give me a text she has my number.
Hello Betty! Can you please text the office your contact information. Pondscapes office 480-987-7781. We will be happy to give you a call on Monday. Have a great weekend!