My pump runs at 6000GPH in the skimmer yet fish and crawdads get down in the basket for nib-lets that have floated in. They all are able to get out when they want. Are you sure yours cannot? Have you actually witnessed them getting sucked into the pump? I say this because I was like you and worried until I just stood there and observed. They can be stronger than you think.
Hope this helps.

Here is a link that might be useful: My pond the way it was before the freeze.

Basil, I feel for you.. I have a black moor that we named lucky cause the first day we had him we fished him out of the skimmer.. now his name is very very very (etc.) lucky we even put a large flat rock in front of it with about a quarter of an inch of water going over it and he still gets stuck in there.. if I dont see him feeding I empty the net out, we are thinking of putting a screen over it like chicken wire type. big enoug for stuff to go thru just little enough to keep his fat body out.
Darla

When I first started up my new pond this spring my gold feeder fish would get trapped in the skimmer and I would have to remove them. This went on for about 2 weeks and they finally just quit going in it. Guess they got tired of waiting for me to remove them. Haven't had any do that in a couple of months. Hmmm maybe I better go check as I haven't looked in a couple of weeks. LOL

My skimmer had a floating door that was supposed to keep the fish from going in, but after losing some rather large fish, I took it out and put a piece of very coarse Matala Mat in instead. It still lets trash go through that is small and anything big just sticks to the mat until I take it out and wash it off with the water hose. Now my frogs can't get in there to hide, unless they go through the hole in the lid of the skimmer that DH drilled in for that purpose. Glenda

It has been my experience that normal healthy fish do not get sucked up in the skimmer, they swim away from the current. Only sick fish that are too weak to fight get sucked in. So if left there, they will die. I had a fish like that, found it in the skimmer, rescued it, but sadly he couldn't be helped.
sanda

Our first year with the skimmer set up we lost several large fish and several rather large frogs. I learned my lesson and have added a wire mesh in front of the skimmer opening. The weir door trapped the fish inside the skimmer because of the way it opened.

I realize that the mesh (hardware cloth 1" squares)has to be cleaned every couple of days, but it is well worth it.

Dig

Dig...
That's the set up I've got now except my fish are smaller so the ahrware cloth is just 1/4" (and has to be cleaned **very** often). So far so good... all the remaining fish - somewhere between the 8 I've seen at one time and the 11 that should be there- are all happy and, mostly, accounted for as are the three little froggies. I'll keep things as is until/unless I run into other problems

Basil

I just resorted to a similar solution. I have put in window screen instead of hardware cloth. I did this after seeing a minnow swim through the mesh in the basket in the skimmer box. I have another problem that this also addresses - duckweed in the skimmer boxes. The stuff is so tiny that individual leaves can get through almost anything - except the filter. The collect at the filter and then start to grow and clog it. I am watching the situation carefully, but so far it appears to be working. No new minnows in the skimmer boxes and minimal duckweed collecting on the screen.

I had a pond built 4 weeks ago. I went from a very small tub pond that you buy at a store to a large one. I had no clue what a skimmer was until my pond was complete. Now we are finding fish in it everyday. The builder of the pond told me not to put anything infront of the door to protect my fish. He suggested putting a light by it, that fish do not like a bright light. Quesion, where and how do I put something at the skimmer to save my fish? If I use a cloth or screen how do I keep it there? I love my new pond but this really has me to the point I hate my skimmer...LOL

I've also had large and small frogs commit suicide by getting in the skimmer and not being able to get out. When I open the top to clean the two filter mats (top one every day - bottom on once a week - works great) they hide by squeezing in-between the cutout for the output pipe. Then, being frogs, they try to escape through the pump, which shuts my pump down until DH gets them out. I've also had 4-6" fish get in there and get caught in the mesh - one was rescued in time and is fine - the other was dead when I found it. Question? How do you all attach the screen or mesh hardware cloth around or onto the weir? Thanks for any advice! Linda

Here is the solution I came up with. Not terribly efficient (it needs cleaning every couple of days) but no more dead fish in the skimmer! Ironically, when I went out to take these pics I did find a tiny frog, very much alive, and hiding in the fold between the bellows and the hardware cloth. I've indicated his where abouts with an arrow but you probably won't be able to see him.

The hardware cloth was cut to be the same width as the bellows and then I put some duct tape around the edges to protect the skimmer from the sharp edges. Conveniently, the bolt that holds the latch to close the skimmer is exactly the right size so the hardware cloth can stick to it (though it would stay in place just fine without it).

I suppose truly suicidal fish and frogs could find a way to get past this, but it does protect the casual visitor. Only took about 15 minutes to make and doens't add too much to the cleaning routine (though I nearly fell in once trying to get it out!)

BasilB

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Where does all that stuff come from? I could leave mine alone for 2 weeks and never get that much stuff off it. I guess if I didn't have the retrofit bottom drain, I might. But I don't get that much out of the skimmer basket on it either. Of course, my fish don't eat or tear up the plants either. I'm not being critical, just amazed.Glenda

Glenda... one word... TREE!
The pond is (in)conveniently located under a hickory nut tree. And the property in on a hill so it can be very, very windy. I found a resin chair in the pond yesterday! I've also put a plant on top of the skimmer (a scaevola) that is very pretty but drops a lot of little flowers all the time. But really it's the combination of tree and wind that accounts for most of it. On a plus note, the partial shade means limited algae bloom and the water is crystal clear.

Frog count up to 14 (and still rising)
BasilB

I see. I don't have many trees around our house only one that is close at all. It's about 15 or 20 feet from pond, but it does drop leaves in the winter. Little thin oak leaves. We have a Sycamore in the side yard and those leaves will blow in sometimes, but they are so big you can get them out real easy and with the net it helps with the sycamore but not the oak. When the sun is shining it is shining on my pond. I have to use plants that like a lot of sun. Because the pond is 2 ft above ground and the bog filter being on the west side of the pond the water gets a little shade in the late afternoon. Glenda

the best way to keep fish out of the skimmer and cheap is a paint screen it has hooks on the top and you can bend the bottum up right to catch leaves they cost about $3.00 at your hardware store

I have a backyard pond with a 8” deep shelf around aboit 1/3 of it. In years past I have lost goldfish and koi to Great Blue Heron. I recently bought Bird-Be-Gone Fish Pond Defender (Amazon/eBay) to float on the surface above the shelf to dissuade the Heron (yet to be tested By the birds.) To solve the problem of fish getting in the skimmer, I clipped one of the “Defenders” vertically to the front of the skimmer. The holes are big enough for debris to get through, but not the fish. My fish are about 5” long.

This solution works really well for me. From a used basket. Cut to fit your particular skimmer with some extra for wedging in. Plastic will bow. Held together by tiny wires. I only use at night or when I will be away for awhile because I do not want it to get clogged with algae or debri. Rinses off easily. The handle is nice for lifting. I also like the pointy ends to help keep it in place. Happy ponding!