How to Get Fish Out of a Pond Without Draining It

A garden pond may occasionally require maintenance or treatment with chemicals, such as a fungicide, that could harm the fish if left in the water. Draining a pond is time-consuming and potentially costly, depending on local water utility rates and the cost of re-treating the pond with chemicals as well as adding aquatic plants. Fish nets are risky, because fins can become caught in the netting while the fish struggle during the transfer to a smaller container. A pool skimmer provides an ideal solution, due to its fine mesh and shallow depth; the wide lip on a skimmer also makes fish easier to catch and remove from the pond.

Things You'll Need

  • Plastic buckets
  • Small wading pool, approximately 5 feet in diameter
  • Battery-powered aquarium pump
  • Pool skimmer
  • Seine or fine-mesh netting large enough to cover the wading pool
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Instructions

    • 1

      Place a child's wading pool close to the pond for quick transferal of the fish.

    • 2

      Transfer enough water from the pond in buckets to fill the wading pool to a depth adequate for the number and size of fish to be transferred. Koi and carp weighing more than a pound will require more water than goldfish, for example.

    • 3

      Catch fish individually with the pool skimmer, preferably during the morning or evening when the water will be cooler and the fish are less active. Dip the skimmer below each fish and guide it to the edge of the pool, where it can be lifted quickly.

    • 4

      Lift the fish in the skimmer and quickly swing the skimmer over to the wading pool, lowering the mesh straight down into the water so the fish can swim out on its own. Do not overturn the skimmer to dump fish in the water, as the shock can be harmful and possibly fatal.

    • 5

      Continue skimming the pond until all fish are caught and removed to the wading pool.

    • 6

      Place the plastic hose for a portable air pump or aquarium pump in the wading pool and set the pump on the ground next to it. This will keep the water oxygenated and prevent stagnation, especially during hot summer months.

    • 7

      Unfold and place a seine over the wading pond to prevent panicked fish from jumping out of the water onto the grass.

    • 8

      Return the fish to the pond in the same manner as they were removed, individually, when pond maintenance is complete.