snakes in my pond

Question
This is my 1st year with my pond and I HAD been enjoying it very much.  I have snakes.  I have rocks around my pond and the snakes hide out in them but they also swim in my pond.  I have to get into my pond daily to clean out the filter on the pump and I WAS okay with this.  But not anymore.  I hate snakes.  There is no way I will get back in there.  I'll have to invest in a better pump, one that doesn't need cleaning daily. Any suggestions.  My pond is about 6' by 4' and 18" deep.  Will the snakes eat my goldfish?  They are about 1 1/2" to 2" long.  I remember seeing something about putting lime---- around the rocks to keep snakes out.  Any suggestions with this?

Answer
I'm sorry for your troubles.  I think you mean the snakes are 2 feet and not 2 inches long.  Even newborn snakes are larger than that.  First, you need to identify the species of snake at your pond.  What do they look like as far as colors and patterns?  See http://www.enature.com for photos of North American animal species including snakes.  If the snakes are garter snakes, they may take a few small fish but aren't too much of a concern. I've had them, and they move on after a few days.  If you have water snakes, they are good at eating fish and more aggressive so you should have someone try to relocate those.  The water moccasin is pretty rare but the one poisonous snake that could be in a pond.  You need to rule that one out.

Snakes will avoid you as best they can but if you don't see each other until you get too close, you could be bitten.  I was once cleaning debris off the waterfall and noticed a garter snake sleeping literally an inch from where my hand had been.  He hadn't tried to harm me but if I'd actually touched him, who knows.

I have a few water snake photos that were sent to me at
http://www.fishpondinfo.com/animals/snake.htm
On http://www.fishpondinfo.com/pmamm.htm#reptile you can see a water snake eating a fish which they do quite well.

You should only have to clean your pre-filter (pump intake) once a week.  If you're doing it more than that, the surface area is too small for the system.  Here is a link to how I made my pre-filter that wraps around my pump:
http://www.fishpondinfo.com/mypond.htm#detail

If you want to relocate the snakes, I suggest contacting your local reptile club instead of say pest control because people who keep snakes know better how to deal with them which helps both the snakes and the people around.  If you tell me where you can live, I can try to find a club near you.

Good luck!

Robyn