Wakin rollercoaster ride

[Jonna]

Day before yesterday we vacuumed the pond and I set the intake for the pump to the bottom drain.  I've had it on the side drain as we just fixed that one and I was making sure it worked.  Anyway, yesterday when I went out and checked the pump I found one of the wakin in the prime pot.  I stopped the pump and tried to pull her out in the basket but she swam back down the pipe at first.  I grabbed her when she came back up and put her in the pond.  She seems fine, she was one of the bigger wakin too and filled my hand when I picked her up.  I'm now calling her a she because her belly is a little bigger and less torpedo shaped and I saw another wakin chasing her later.  She seems fine, she has a bit of a bedraggled look to her top fin.   The gap on the bottom drain is less than an inch, I can't believe she got through it.  The ride from there must have been a doozy and then all night in the current in the prime pot!!  I wonder if she went in the drain to get away from another fish?  Or looking for a spot to spawn?  Or just looking for the next little bit of tasty green stuff?

Later I saw her down by the bottom drain again picking at the algae on it.  I guess she's like kids at an amusement park, scared silly on the ride and then 10 minutes later begging to get back on it. 

[Teresa]

So glad the fish survived the trip.  Does your bottom drain have a cover on it?  (Do any of them?  Dunno cuz I don't have a bottom drain.)

[Jonna]

Yes, it has a dome over it and the space between the dome and the pond bottom is no more than an inch, probably less.  I can't believe she fit in it.  I'm wondering if she was either trying to find a place to spawn or trying to get away from the males. 

Today they all did something else weird.  We went out and instead of them all swimming up to the surface and begging they were schooling at the bottom.  At first we thought they were afraid and that something had scared them but there was no sign of any animal having been around.  They stayed close together and at the bottom, swimming around the pond at times.  Very odd behavior.    They also had that stoned look that they get after they eat.  None of them were wandering off eating at the sides of the pond, they all hung together.  I'm wondering if this is some kind of mating or post mating behavior?  Maybe they gorged on spawn and just weren't hungry? 

[Ky Kim]

Wow, sounds like it had quite a ride.  Glad it seems to be doing alright.

Kim