Waterscapes International PS4000 Pond Skimmer, with 6-Inch Weir Door

TLDR; If you are building a 1000 gallon pond, this is the best skimmer for the price. Trust me, I did the research.After looking at literally every skimmer box available on the planet and comparing sizes, prices, shapes, etc. I finally settled on this one and was not disappointed. It came with the front skimmer plate, hardware, and a tube of black silicone to seal the pond liner to the front of the box.I paired this box with the VIVOHOME Electric 220W 4500GPH Submersible Water Pump (which fits perfectly in the back compartment of the skimmer box) and the Aquascape Pond Filter and Waterfall Spillway with 1.5" flexible hose to connect everything.Another Review gave this skimmer one star because of the holes on the side. Yes, there are two large (about 2inch) holes on either side toward the back top of the box. These are for the output from your pump.You can easily prevent debris from going into your skimmer by adding a bit of left over pond liner to the outside where the hole is and sealing it with the supplied silicone adhesive. For the hole with the pump hose I just made a 'pocket' around the hole with enough room for the hose to come out. I included pictures of my set up. I made sure the liner came up above the soil and backfilled with rocks to prevent dirt from pouring into the skimmer. You could also easily seal the space around the hose with pond foam.I'm thinking of adding a moss mat to the lid instead of a false rock to hide the top because who wants to pay $100 for a fake rock? Overall this was the most affordable quality skimmer I found for a 1000 gallon pond. Highly recommend.

Easy to install. Had no problems getting the 4 year old liner to bond, scrubbed it good and cleaned it with alcohol. Didn’t think much of the filtering system but am very pleased with its performance. Keeping the water clean and clear. Ended up with a few fish in the skimmer but they have learned to stay clear.

I installed this skimmer in an established pond. The hole I had to dig was huge. Be careful when tightening the bolts. It is easy to pull the heads of the bolts all the way through the face flange even without power tools or a ratchet. I had a leak the first two times I tried to seal the flange. Finally went and got bolts (with washers) that were an inch longer than what came with the skimmer. Put seam tape under the liner and under the flange and snugged up the bolts. No leaks. The lid doesn't fit, but I hugely suspect that I caused this by somehow allowing the skimmer box to get out of square in installation. Total installation and sealing time was about 20 labor hours.

Perfect fit!

A+++

Does not come with parts to connect hoses. No instructions on how to connect hoses. No information about what size hose, or what pump is compatible with it. No cap to close gigantic unnecessary 2" hole, where dirt and water will flood in and out. Cop out & lazy & ineffective to put at TOP so they can save a few bucks on parts. Holes are at TOP instead of the bottom. VERY backwards design.

easy to clean but needs a deep hole to sit in