The Pond Digger Forums

First, thanks very much for all your great advice--I very much appreciate it.....
I just put 50 small goldfish into my new pond/stream last night. This morning I found most of the goldfish (dead) in the biofilter filter mat at the top of the stream--they'd been sucked into the pump in the pond. While I'm not sure that the fish didn't die before getting into the pump (i.e. possible bad water, etc) that's my guess. I did dechlorinate the water before putting the fish in. I have a fairly powerful pump (Becket lg waterfall pump 3560 gallon/hour @1 ft lift) in a fairly small pond (3x4x2) and I think that the fish may be getting sucked into the pump inadvertently. Any thoughts? Do you think the fish are being sucked into the pump? If so, what can I do? (I've thought about putting some mesh around the pump, but I was worried that this might impede water flow into the pump....). Thanks very much again!

Ponderthis,

Hey I have been pondering this and it is plain and simply NOT PRETTY! Here is what I suggest as a quick and inexpensive fix for you.

Get a BRAND NEW three gallon bucket with a lid in the paint department at your local hardware store. While you are there, pick up a 40 pound bag of 3/4" or 1" lava rock in the landscape department.

You will additionally need a handful of two to three inch cobble stones. Take the bucket and drill a bunch of 3/8" holes in the bucket. When you think you have to many holes in the bucket, drill about twenty more. Don't drill any holes in the top of the bucket lid except for a hole big enough to put the return pipe that hooks into your pump.

Put the pump in the bucket. Surround the pump's impeller opeing with the larger cobble being careful not to impede the ability for the pump to suck in water.

Run the return line through hole you made in the bucket lid and attach it to your pump. Secure the line with a hose clamp if needed. Then fill the bucket with RINSED lava rock to the top and put the lid on the bucket. You will need to make a small notch somewhere to get the electrical cord from the pump through so you can close the lid tight.

Toss it in the pond and plug in the pump. In some cases you won't have to get in to clean this PRE FILTER for months on end if you have a good routine of adding a premium grade beneficial bacteria to your pond and filters.

Try and find a black bucket if possible, to help disguise this homemade unit in your pond. This will keep you fish from the messy ending.

Ultimately, this is one of the reasons we install skimmers on all of our ponds. First, the skimmer is a great mechanical filter that skims wind blow debris from the surface of the pond but more importantly it is a perfect place to install submersible pumps to avoid this kind of fish fatality.

Hope this helps. Good Luck and as always, Happy Pondering!

The Pond Digger

Thanks very much for the thoughtful response--I'm going to try it!