I'm not sure how your skimmer box is designed, but mine is a large box
divided in two: one half houses the submersible pump (or in my case, the
pump intake, as I have an external pump), and the other side, where the pond
water intake is, has a removable net to catch debris (mine also has several
layers of window screen to catch the "fines" before the get to the pump). My
smaller fish swim in/out all the time, chasing food that eluded them at
feeding time, but is now nice and soft, sitting in the skimmer box. The only
problem I have is that I frequently find scales that have been ripped out
when larger fish also try for a snack, and can't get out as readily as the
smaller ones. The fish can't get sucked into the pump, and they leave when
they want to. What kind of set-up do you have that would allow a 4" fish to
get sucked up? Did you remove the debris net???

Lee



"John Bachman" wrote in message
...
I have added a few fish to my new pond. I have a comet, a koi and a
shebunkin (sp?). I had another koi but it got caught up in the
skimmer. They are all about 4 - 5 inches long. I just watched my
comet swim into the skimmer and was able to rescue it.

How do you keep them out of the skimmer?

TIA

John