pond skimmer

[boot full]

hello again......another noob question??? I read in another thread that pond skimmers are fish traps I assume they meant the kind with the flap door my question is do fish pond owners still use them and just watch for trapped fish or is there an alternative I know there are floating type skimmers but i already bought mine with the flap door is there a way to modify it to deter fish away...
Maybe i have to rethink the way i was going to set up the pond this is what i had..
At the deep end there is the skimmer set in the bank the pump is in the bottom of the skimmer and pumps up to a skippy style filter thats pushes water up through the filter pads and dumps it out as a water fall on the opposite end of the pond....sounds simple
but there was no mention of it being a fish trap on the site i got the plans from..Doh!!!

 

[99SRXMAN]

http://www.exoticwaterscapes.com/pond-forum/viewtopic.php?f=32&t=346 Check out this video it was a big help when i was at your point..99srxman

 

[DrDave]

This is a great video. It makes the installation easy. That said, it will claim a few Koi over time unless you screen it smaller than they are. But then it will not collect leaves. It will still work as a protien skimmer and if you have the right filtration after that it won't go back into the pond. Most people do not have that level of filter.

I think they are a waste of money unless you don't care about losing some Koi to them.

 

[nc0gnet0]

I have a retaining wall pond and to install it as it was meant to be installed would have been a major PITA. However, with some landscaping plastic screen, (like window screen, but slightly larger holes) a tube of 100% black silicone sealant and a heat gun it can be altered to make it quite servicable and no longer a fish killer. I first took some leftover pond liner and sealed the intake hole (the dreaded fish killer). i then cut out a square hole in the top lid, and using a heat gun slowly reformed a portion of this lid and bent it down to line up flush with the net/brush assembly. Then using 4 stainless steel screws secured a piece of the plastic screen over the whole and used the silcone sealant around the perimeter. I then let it fill with water and sink and lifted it to a level approximately 2 1/2 inches just below the water surface using 12 x 12 glass blocks on the bottom of the pond to get it at just the right level (you will have to drill a whole in the block if you elect to use glass blocks to do this). I then layed out some leftover flagstone to cover the top, kinda like a little island. It now catches and collects surface debris great, and to clean it I only need to remove the few pieces of flagstone, remove the lid and spray it with a garden hose. It also makes a great place to put activated carbon ( I use a nylon stocking) as it is concealed but in the path of the waterflow. Best of all any fish over 1/2 cant get trapped, but it still may pose a hazard for fry.

 

[DrDave]

There is very little you can do for fry. In a tank, I use nylon stockings over the intake tubes. You have to clean them daily or the filter starves for water.