Fish for Ponds

I am again thinking of adding another pond to my garden. It will be a feature in a new Japanese themed garden area so will need some coloured Koi. The two most commonly kept fish types in garden ponds are Goldfish and Koi but I have previously kept Orfe.

Koi

• Koi   like to eat plants and can be kept  with only a few  types of plants.
• Koi grow larger than Goldfish and should not be kept in ponds smaller than 700 gallons. Their pond should be at least three feet deep.
• Koi live in communities so you should have at least 3 fish
• Never use chlorinated water with Koi.
• Koi  are very hardy fish and can withstand very low temperatures as long as the water is not frozen solid.
• Koi are peaceful fish and can live with goldfish.

Goldfish

• Goldfish can stay in your pond during the winter but need at least 12-16 inches of water below the freeze zone to survive.
• Goldfish can be kept with most aquatic plant species.
• They are the best fish for a small pond and can be kept indoors through winter if desired.
• Goldfish types such as Shubunkins are low maintenance, colorful and rewarding as long as they get enough oxygen.

Orfe

• Orfe are good fish as they swim visibly near the top of a pond
• Orfe are sociable fish and should always be kept in groups of at least three.
• Orfe are fast swimmers and need a lot of oxygen.
• Orfe will jump out of very small ponds unless they get lots of room.

You may be commenting that I need to control the algea in the picture. I could have used a bale of barley straw or a chemical control from amazon

Read Preformed Garden Ponds

link to Garden Fish Pond site