How to stop the carnage? :(

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As most of you know, I have a pretty basic pond - a 6000g hole in the ground with a liner.
My weather is too cold for typical marginal pond plants to survive in a wetlands filtration setup.
What I'm using for filtration is a Little Giant Skimmer unit with about 4200 gph flowing through it.

I'm getting tired and frustrated with pulling the remnants of perfectly healthy fish, frogs, beetles and dragonfly nymphs out of the pump intake. :(
This is not what i wanted when I set up my pond in 2012.

Is there any less violent pond setup designs that you folks can suggest so I can possibly redesign my pond to be less hazardous to aquatic life?
 

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Oh dear :( I found a dead frog in my skimmer after the winter, I think he went it to keep warm and froze to death:(

I suppose you've considered a pre filter made of foam, like @callingcolleen1 uses?

Do these creatures die from drowning, or, like the frog....are killed by the pump itself? I'm no expert, but it seems like a lot of suction going into the skimmer. Could you consider using a smaller pump in the skimmer and put the pump directly in the pond to turn the water over, relying on the pre-foam filter to keep it from clogging?
 

sissy

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Number one reason I don't like skimmers .I saw several ponds with them over the years that say the same thing .I saw one that a guy put pool noodle in front of it .It worked for awhile and then he said it all started again .He has since taken his skimmer out and rebuilt and even took his bottom drain out because of all that dead tadpoles .Have you checked out the new skimmers
 

addy1

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I took some deer fencing, made a sort of frame, curved out into the pond for the water to draw through, keeping most critters out of the skimmer. My pump is external I turn down the draw when we don't have stuff falling like apple flowers, maple helicopters
 
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Early on I had issues with fish getting into the skimmer. I put rods in front of the weir door so debris can still pass thru. This solved the fish problem. The next issue were the frogs went into the skimmer for warmth and the echo depending on the type. I made a custom screen so they could not get into the pump side. This sits on the top of the skimmer on the pump side under the cover. This has worked great. Not a single loss since I did this. The frogs still go in but I just take them out. My skimmer also has a plastic basket so the frogs can climb up it fairly easily. Sorry for the loss but maybe something like this will work

img_2959-jpg.68051


img_3032-jpg.68052
 
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My skimmer does have a 1/2" screen intake but I removed it because it can quickly plug up and starve the pump.
The smaller fish seem to like hanging out right in front of the skimmer. I suspect it's because they like the current and food will come to them instead of them hunting around the pond for food. They would fit through the screen anyways.


I'm wondering how biologically efficient it would be having a pond run on strong aeration only.


Oh dear :( I found a dead frog in my skimmer after the winter, I think he went it to keep warm and froze to death:(

I suppose you've considered a pre filter made of foam, like @callingcolleen1 uses?

Do these creatures die from drowning, or, like the frog....are killed by the pump itself? I'm no expert, but it seems like a lot of suction going into the skimmer. Could you consider using a smaller pump in the skimmer and put the pump directly in the pond to turn the water over, relying on the pre-foam filter to keep it from clogging?


Colleen's pond design doesn't allow for the same wildlife access as mine does, so I don't think she has the same issues.

.
 

Meyer Jordan

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This is an a quite common issue. Strangely, I have never experienced the loss of a fish due to it being trapped in the skimmer, not even fry. I have seen many cases where fish actually play in the skimmer, swimming in and out as they please. Even a 7500gph pump has not deterred them from their playground. I have found many toads in skimmers, but only toads, and only during mating time.
Could this be a Northern latitude phenomena due to fish being a little weak after coming out of the cold days of Winter.
I have designed some ponds with this exact issue in mind.. The area of pond immediately surrounding the skimmer is constructed to be 2" deeper than the bottom of the skimmer weir opening. This area extends into the pond as a sort of shelf with a maximum depth of about 8". This allows very little depth for fish to swim in thus discouraging them from getting close to the skimmer. This has worked quite well.It actually enhances the skimming action because the shallow water increase the water velocity as it approaches the skimmer.
This also minimizes any effect on other pond organisms as they generally prefer deeper water.
It just makes no sense to me to employ a skimmer and immediately start reducing its functionality.
 
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I wonder then if has something to with the water temperature.
My pond is at the warmest yet this year, 56F. I've had the pond running since the temperature was about 45F.
Of course I am only seeing the larger animals that get caught in the pump screen. The smaller ones would get processed through the pump.
 

sissy

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My aggie and bert kill frogs and suck there insides out and I had to take out 6 dead leftovers this morning .So I know that it is not fun taking out dead things :(
 

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Yup, you've got a macerator there, Mitch.

You could switch it out to a Helix skimmer (look them up), or simply try to mirror the construction of the Helix. I've installed a couple of them and they're a decent product.

Here's a YouTube video showing the free-floating intake. After the first install I did I think I spent about 20 minutes just watching it. I'm easily amused, it would seem.


Helix Simmer - Fish Safe.jpg
 
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sissy

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They are expensive but I have seen video's of Eric installing them on you tube .It is an interesting thing to see .
 
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That looks like a more wildlife friendly skimmer. Thanks.
Looks like they're about $700 - $800 CDN.
I'm rethinking my whole pond design.
 

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