Can I Have Fish In A Small Water Garden Pond?
Fish add life to a pond and can survive in there as long as the water is clean and is of good quality. There is always something swimming, wriggling or hopping in a healthy pond. Flying creatures and insects also add warmth to a busy pond environment. Water creatures include frogs, snails, newts and gnats. There is no way to prevent these guests from coming to your water garden pond
Fish for your water garden...
There are two things that you have to consider when building a fish pond. These are the size of the pond and habitat of the fish. If the two conditions do not "click" then you will have problems. An example would be to have fish that are too big in a pond that is too small. Different fish require different conditions - some fish prefer clear water while others adore muddy water conditions.
These factors are not the only ones to consider. You must also look at temperature, winter conditions, sunlight, shade and so on. Some fish prefer a certain type of food while it will prove lethal to another group of fish. This is what I did when I built my pond back in 1982 - I planted a few water plants and allowed nature to take its course before adding any fish.
It took about 6 months for the pond to be full of frogs, newts, toads and gnats. Snails and other small insects probably came much earlier than that. I allowed the natural creatures to create a natural ecosystem and then later introduced fish. This wild life pond has grown and I have seen different creatures comes and go over the past 24 years. You should not be afraid to fail the first time as trial and error always results in success.
Types of fish for the water garden pond
There a lot of different fish that you can introduce to your water garden pond over time. These include Roach, Rudd, Koi, Common goldfish, Tench and Common minnow. I will not be able to cover the whole list of fish as that alone will require its own web site. I will discuss just a few here for you to have something to start with. Also read the Fish FAQ
| Fish | Characteristics | Special Note |
| Roach | Attractive, reliable, subtly colored fish perfect for large wildlife ponds and lakes. Comes in yellow-red and brown-gold. It grows up to 25cm and lives for 8 years | Thrives in both clear and muddy water |
| Rudd | A fat bodied fish ideal for both small and large ponds. Comes in golden yellow to orange-red. It grows up to 30cm and lives for 8 years | Thrives in cloudy, poor oxygenated water |
| Koi | An exotic fish for both filtered ponds and large wild life water gardens. Colors range from yellow and black to white and red. Grows to 90cm. This fish can live up to a 100 years | Very beautiful, expensive, sensitive to water conditions. |
| Common Goldfish | A reliable fish good for ponds in cold climates. Colors range from reddish-gold to creamy yellow. Grows up to 40cm and lives for 25 years | Avoid fancy breeds of goldfish as they are more expensive. require more space and die in winter |
| Tench | A reliable shy and aggressive fish that eats tadpoles. Color ranges from green to pale orange-gold. Grows up to 40cm and lives for 12 years | A good idea for a large wild life pond, not good if you want ornamental fish |
Source of data: A.& G Bridgewater - The Water Garden Specialist
Other Pond Fauna
Fish aren't the only water habitats out there. You have the unofficial guests such as the frogs, newts, dragon flies and snails. You do not want too many of this intruders as they damage the plants. The dragon flies serve as food for the fish as well. In fact if you want to control them just introduce predatory fish.
Troubleshooting Fish
You can not just live your fish to fend for themselves in the water. You will
need to clean the pond and remove anything that might cause the development of
diseases.
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