Popular Pond Fish | How To Choose The Pond Fish Most Suited To Your Garden Pond
Choosing From Popular Garden Pond Fish
Any garden pond, irrespective of its size will certainly benefit from the addition of pond fish. Now exactly which fish to choose is another matter altogether. The size of the pond is an obvious factor that needs to be considered. The last thing you want to do is choose fish that will outgrow their environment. Koi for example, can grow large in size and also produce far more metabolic waste than the equivalent sized goldfish. This article will hopefully help point you in the right direction when it comes to choosing the pond fish most suited to your garden pond.
When purchasing your pond fish try wherever possible to buy from local aquatic outlets. This reduces the transportation time that the fish has to endure. In addition the the water quality that these local aquatic centres use will not be too different from that of your pond. Choose alert fish that are lively with intact, erect fins and clear eyes.
Kevin the Koi
Carp
The Koi carp (Cyprinus carpio), with its myriad of patterns is an extremely popular choice for outdoor fish ponds. This is more than likely down to its magnificent colouring and busy behaviour. Please note that if you intend to keep these popular pond fish then you will need to make sure that you have an adequate biological pond filter system in place. They are greedy fish and produce a lot of waste by products. They also have a tendency; unlike goldfish to eat pond plants and generally uproot them. If you have a pond containing many aquatic plants then you may be better off choosing a species from the list further down this article.
Koi carp vary in price and come in a wide variety of breeds. In fact the Koi industry is a massive industry and some of the professional pond breeders get mightily offended, should you confuse the breed. Koi can be extremely expensive and care should be taken to ensure that the pond is safe from predators. There are various Pond Pest Repellents products available to prevent this problem. Koi affectionately known as the “pigs of the pond” will eat almost anything they can, including insects, aquatic plant vegetation, string algae, lettuce and even watermelon. It is best however to feed them a pond fish food specifically designed for Koi. High quality Koi Food contains colour enhancing ingredients and all the necessary vitamins and supplements to keep them healthy and vibrant. Providing they are well fed they are a fun fish to keep and are fairly hardy and resistant to pond fish diseases.
Gladys the Goldfish
The common goldfish, an old favourite makes a fantastic pond fish. Goldfish (Carassius auratus) with their beautiful gold colouring are not only attractive but extremely hardy pond fish that are less susceptible to pond fish disease than their Koi cousins. Smaller in size than Koi they generally grow to around 6” (15cm) in length but can exceed this size under excellent conditions (large pond, excellent diet, great water quality etc). Goldfish are usually around 15cm long, but can grow to be much larger under ideal conditions.
There are many varieties of goldfish including fantail goldfish and black eyed moors etc. on the whole however these fancy goldfish varieties are far more suited to indoor fish tanks than outdoor fish ponds. They struggle to compete in a pond environment because they are slow swimmers and more susceptible to pond fish diseases.
The Sarasa comet, red/yellow comet and shubunkin varieties are perfectly suited for life in an outdoor pond environment. These hardy fish actually thrive, alongside their larger Koi cousins. Goldfish aren’t quite as greedy as Koi but will eat crustaceans, insects, and vegetation, in addition to pond pellets.
Thomas the Tench
Tench (Tinca tinca) as well as being a popular angling fish in the UK are a convenient addition to your garden fish pond. These bottom dwelling fish love to spend the majority of their time looking for tasty morsels such as pellet fish food and algae.
If you are looking for a colourful and vibrant fish then a Tench isn’t the ideal choice but on the other hand if you are looking for a fish species that eats fish food that has fallen to the pond floor and prevents the food from rotting and giving off toxic chemicals then it’s an excellent pond fish. Tench like other pond fish are opportunistic and will readily eat insects and crustaceans.
Olivia the Orfe
Orfe (Leuciscus idusare) are an excellent fish for fish ponds. These vibrant fish are an excellent pond fish because they spend the majority of their time at the pond surface; making them clearly visible. Unfortunately because they like to hang around the pond surface they are more susceptible to attack from predatory birds and neighbourhood cats.
If you intend to keep Orfe then it is best to keep a large group of at least half a dozen (6 or more). They enjoy eating insects, aquatic vegetation and other fish; given the chance. They grow to about 12 inches (30cm) in length and are fast swimmers. They require plenty of oxygen rich pond water.
Rudy the Rudd
The Rudd (Scardinius erythrophthalmus) isn’t that different a species of fish to the Orfe, apart from the fact that they are much smaller in size. This golden coloured fish grows to about 6 inches (15cm) in length and enjoys the company of other Rudd.
They are best suited to fish ponds that contain thick vegetation and reeds. Rudd will eat small animals, insects and fish pellets.
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