What Kind of Fish Can I Keep in My Pond?

For centuries, people have been keeping fish in ponds. There are a number of fish that are able to be kept in garden ponds. Minimal maintenance and care is required, since ponds stocked with appropriate plants are virtually self-sustaining, and fish normally thrive providing plant life is established before they are placed.

  1. Goldfish

    • Goldfish have been kept in ponds since ancient times, when the Chinese and Japanese bred them especially for their bright color as decorative fish. Today, there are more than 100 species of goldfish. Some, such as the fantail, are better suited to indoor aquariums, but hardy varieties such as the common goldfish and the comet cope well in outdoor ponds, even in winter.

    Tench

    • Tench also thrive in garden ponds. They are green and gold in coloring, but decorative varieties in orange and gold are available from specialist breeders. They are often overlooked as pond fish because they tend to feed at the bottom of the pond and, as such, are not as easy to enjoy from an ornamental point of view. They live as long as 30 years and share the pond with other fish without problems.

    Golden Orfe

    • Surface feeding fish, such as the golden orfe, make excellent ornamental fish simply because they spend a significant amount of time near the surface of the pool, and because of their bright gold and black markings. This species, however, grows to an impressive size and is therefore unsuitable for small ponds.

    Koi Carp

    • Koi carp are amongst the best known ornamental fish for ponds. Varieties include single color, two color or multi-colored, and they grow to impressive sizes. Koi carp are valuable, especially if they are large, so ensure that the garden is secure before investing in them.