Intake Bays vs Pond Skimmers: What They Do & When to Use Them

If you’ve followed my YouTube channel or read my pond guides, you’ve probably heard me talk about intake bays and pond skimmers before. They’re one of those features that can completely change how easy your pond is to maintain.

In this article, we’ll break down:

✅ What intake bays and skimmers actually do
✅ Why they’re so powerful for low-maintenance ponds
✅ How to size and position them
✅ What to do if your pond water level fluctuates a lot
✅ Options for DIY builds

Whether you’re planning a small backyard pond or thinking about a large natural pond or swim pond, this is a feature worth knowing about.

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What Does a Pond Skimmer Do?

A pond skimmer is a simple idea:

It pulls water across the surface of the pond and traps leaves and debris before they reach the pump.

Think of it like a pool skimmer — same concept, but designed for ponds.

There are a few types of skimmers you can use:

• ✅ Edge-mounted skimmers
• ✅ Drop-in skimmers for existing ponds
• ✅ DIY skimmers (super cheap and effective if you like tinkering)

Why use a skimmer?

• Keeps the surface clear of leaves and muck
• Stops debris from clogging the pump
• Helps keep water cleaner with less work

Most skimmers have:

• A basket or net (catches leaves)
• Foam/sponges (traps finer material)

Maintenance: Usually once a week. Empty the basket and rinse the sponge.

If you’ve ever placed a pump directly on the bottom of a pond, you know how quickly it clogs. A skimmer solves that.

The downside?
Skimmers can trap small fish or frogs if the current is too strong.

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What Is an Intake Bay? (Supersized Skimmer)

An intake bay does the same thing as a skimmer — but on a larger, more natural scale.

Instead of a plastic box, it’s a small section of the pond built to draw water through:

• Rock
• Pebble
• Plants (optional)
• And sometimes foam or brushes

Why intake bays are amazing

• More natural look
• Lower maintenance (much larger pre-filter area)
• Safer for wildlife — frogs and fish can escape the flow
• Easy access to pumps
• Works beautifully in natural-style ponds and swim ponds

They can be scaled for:

• Small courtyard wildlife ponds
• Fish ponds
• Large natural ponds
• Duck ponds
• Swimming ponds
• Pool-to-pond conversions

I put diagrams and sizing formulas inside my Pond Formulas Blueprint because getting the proportions right makes a huge difference.

When you build this right, your pond practically cleans itself.

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How Intake Bays & Skimmers Work

To make either system work, the pond needs surface circulation — water moving gently toward the intake.

Key principles:

• Create a narrow and shallow opening where water enters
• Size the opening based on pump flow rate
• Ensure water enters faster than the pump removes it
  (otherwise the bay runs dry and the pump burns out)

A simple rule I was taught:

Create a void that holds at least one minute of pump flow.

This means if your pump moves 10,000 L/hr (~166 L/min), the intake bay void should hold ~166 litres before rock is added.

Above that void, you can use:

• Pebble
• Larger rock
• Filter brushes
• Sponges (optional)

Use larger stone for high-flow ponds, smaller pebble for gentle wildlife ponds.

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Where to Position Your Intake Bay or Skimmer

Place it where debris naturally collects.

✅ Opposite your waterfall or return outlet
✅ On the downwind side if you get strong prevailing winds
✅ Somewhere you can access pumps easily

You can put pumps:

• Inside the intake bay (most common)
• Outside the pond but still drawing from the intake bay (popular for swim ponds)

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What if Your Water Level Fluctuates?

This is common in earth ponds, farm dams, or large natural ponds without auto-top-ups.

You have a couple of options:

🧱 Adjustable Dam Wall Concept

Build a choke point and use removable sections so you lower it as the water drops.

🌊 Floating Weir Idea

Use liner or geotextile at the inlet and attach a float so the opening rises & falls with the water — like a pool skimmer door.

I haven’t personally built these setups yet — just brainstorming ideas people have asked me about — but the principles are sound.

If you’d like to see some diagrams of how I see this working watch the video below.

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Final Thoughts

Intake bays and skimmers aren’t “fancy pond features” — they’re smart water movement systems that:

• Keep your pond clear longer
• Extend pump life
• Reduce maintenance
• Work for big or small ponds
• Look natural (if built right)

Once you understand the concept, you can scale it to anything from a small 500-litre courtyard pond to a large natural swimming pond.

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Want Plans & Diagrams?

If you’d like to see the exact diagrams and formulas I use to design low-maintenance ponds, check out my Pond Formulas Blueprint.

It includes:

✅ Intake bay designs
✅ DIY skimmer plans
✅ Bog filter layouts
✅ Sizing formulas
✅ Access to private community
✅ AI. powered Kevbot trained by me
✅ and more…

This guide has been used to build ponds all over the world — fish ponds, duck ponds, swim ponds, pool-to-pond conversions — and it’s one of the best ways to make sure you build a pond that stays clear without spending a fortune.

I hope these resources help you build your perfect low maintenance pond, without spending a fortune.

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