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.