How do you keep fish out of skimmer?

[pegs pond]

HELP!  Do you put some kind of netting or something over your skimmer to keep it from sucking in the fish?  PLEASE if you do can you tell me how to do it and what materials to use?  If not how do you keep them from getting sucked in?
Thanks Peg

[KatFish]

I can't help too much here, my skimmer isn't that strong, and my fish swim into it sometimes.  There is a filter pad between the opening and where my pump sits, tho.  I'm sure someone will have better info.

[Esther]

I"m no help either. If you put up a net or something, that defeats the purpose of the skimmer. I wonder if they eventually learn not to go there. Mine were never a problem that way but then mine are kinda wierd. They don't root around in the lily pots either. I have had two 3.5-4 pounders get into my bog and die there though. I think that food had floated in and they were trying to get it. Now they are too big to get in the skimmer. Can you vary the level of the incoming water at all? Do you have an adjustable wier?

[perplexed ponder]

Peg,
What system do you have? Where is your pump? They may be perfectly fine swimming in and out, as long as the pump can't ge them. I occassionally find a fish in my skimmer basket and just throw them back in. Seems to always be the same ones too. Now frogs on the other hand are a big problem for me. I have lost a few in the skimmer. Seems they get in and can't get back out. had one or two get through the handle opening of the skimmer basket to where the pump is and got diced! EW! we had to put a plastic mesh over the handle opening sothey couldn't sneak through there.

[marla]

In the past we have had some fish get in the skimmer, luckily there is a net on the inside so they are safe as long as they are strong enough to keep swimming, the poor frogs jump in and get on the wrong side of the net and past the pads and end up as bits and peices in the biofalls.   We have used numerous methods, putting a large weaved screen on is fine if you don't have lots of leaves, or debries that floats in the pond, you just have to make sure to rinse the algae off occassionaly.  Have also tried a milk crate with smaller openings.....same thing.  Problem with most blockades is the floating debris, you don't want to block the weir door to much especially if you have a pump in your skimmer.

[Indiana Karen]

We have two skimmers but they are not powerful enough to suck the fish in.  Our fish do however swim in and out of the skimmers.  Anytime we add new fish to our pond, we have a problem for a few days with them getting in the skimmer and not finding their way out.  Eventually they get the hang of it.  This spring some friends took their pond out and gave us 49 goldfish.  The next day I went out and lifted the lid on the skimmer and was shocked to find it full of fish.  After a week or so, no problem!

Karen

[pegs pond]

Okay got it, little buggars learn to stay out...I have the savio skimmer and it has a basket in it...hopefully that will catch them, as I thought anything on the front of the skimmer will impede it's action, I may put a bit of netting over it for the first week to let them get used to the fact that it sucks...LOL...and I am just maybe worrying about nothing as the skimmer is not hooked up yet as it's raining...AGAIN!     I just needed some imput from the "pros" and thanks so much all who answered.
Peg