Pond pump sucking in fish, etc.

[Corgi Mom]

Hello,

I'm not a newbie. I've had my pond since 2006 but I've never figured this out. The people that put in the pond used an Aquasacape system. Why is the recirculating pump sucking in fish, toads and frogs. It's a massacre sometimes! I know blocking the flow is not what I'm supposed to do but I can't figure out how they're getting past the filter. Going under it maybe? I'm perplexed. Anyone have this issue? Any thoughts welcome.

 

[Mmathis]

I have my pump inside a draw-string pump bag. Some people use a prefilter.

 

[BKHpondcritters]

Is your pump in a skimmer box? If so, I found the problem with frogs & toads was that they would get into the skimmer basket & then climb out into the main body of the skimmer & sometimes end up getting sucked into the pump. I stopped this from happening by putting fine screening over the top of the basket so whatever swims into the skimmer basket stays in there (unless they swim back out the opening) I never had a problem with fish getting into the pump, though... ? Maybe your situation is different than mine?

 

[GBBUDD]

I take it you have a submersible pump. But either way there is a solution I have been using . I took and aquablock and drilled or cut a hole large enough for the pump or intake to slip through and then I basicly buried the aquablock under some 1 to 4 inch river rock . And yes I would spend the extra for the aquablock from aquascapes as there spacing is the smallest of the blocks I have seen.
You could do similar with milk crates but they won't give as much room for a clear pull of water.

 

[Corgi Mom]

Thank you, all. I solved the problem by putting a rock in the skimmer basket so the fish couldn't push past it. And I put the pump in a drawstring bag. That took some experimentation because fine mesh affected the pump flow. So I found one that had larger mesh but not big enough for frogs, toads or fish and that has solved the problem. I don't see any critters in the basket anymore or in the stream. Ugh, when I think of the massacre!