I use a pond vac and in 4 years have never sucked up a fish and I have ponds from 175 gallons to 8500 gallons. They know and do get out of the way. I use a long extension and the attachment that hugs the bottom of the pond to maximise the removal of debris vs water.

I've been using a shop vac for 3 years now, and also have never sucked up a fish (ranging from 2 1/2" to 7"). Did my spring clean up today and the water was so murky I couldn't see 3 inches into it once I started stirring it up, but the fish stayed away. My hose is only ~2", so maybe not as much suction as some. Tiny fish may take a wild ride, but can be netted and put back into the pond.

Man i dont know!! I may just try and net them and put them in the small pond. I would hate to hurt them on accident! I only have 2 left and I have had them forever. Im attached!

I've improvised a narrower tube about 1" in diameter to use as an attachment to suck stuff off the bottom. The smaller diameter slows the suction somewhat - its just not as powerful. No danger of fish getting sucked in, even small ones. It seems easier to focus on the muck on the bottom -instead of it sucking up a lot of the good water too.

The down side is its easier clogged than the 2" diameter, so I use a skimmer first to get out the bigger stuff.

I have about 1000 minnow in my pond. The babies are smaller than a grain of rice and I can see them. The biggest are smaller than the leaves and debris in the pond. I cannot take out the fish. How can I vacuum my pond without sucking up the fish?