Circulation pump - am I being paranoid?

[Theulli]

So I just got a wavemaker/circulation pump, for the standard reasons, but I am hesitating to put it in the tank because I just can't imagine some fish not swimming into the thing. The manufacturer doesn't make any sort of additional baffle or attachment to keep fish away. I am envisioning my tiny mandarin or (heaven forbid) my boxfish getting blended....

I know basically everyone runs these, so am I just being overly cautious? Do healthy fish tend to avoid them? I am not going to have the power up super high (boxfish demonstrably hates high flow)...does that lower the risk something gets sucked in, or raise the risk that something can easily swim into the thing?

 

[Little c big D]

So I just got a wavemaker/circulation pump, for the standard reasons, but I am hesitating to put it in the tank because I just can't imagine some fish not swimming into the thing. The manufacturer doesn't make any sort of additional baffle or attachment to keep fish away. I am envisioning my tiny mandarin or (heaven forbid) my boxfish getting blended....

I know basically everyone runs these, so am I just being overly cautious? Do healthy fish tend to avoid them? I am not going to have the power up super high (boxfish demonstrably hates high flow)...does that lower the risk something gets sucked in, or raise the risk that something can easily swim into the thing?

What kind is it? Many have fish guards on the intake side

 

[Theulli]

Innovative Marine wavelink

 

[Little c big D]

It's not a particularly scary pump for fish. The part that is wide open will be pushing water so it's unlikley a fish will swim head on into it. My clowns some times swim head on at mine. They wiggle at about 90mph but go nowhere.