Pond Fish
Choosing Fish For Your Pond
Choosing the type and number of fish for your pond depends on the size of the pond that they will live in. The most popular types of fish for garden ponds are Goldfish and Koi.
Goldfish can live in most pond sizes, although the pond should be at least 50-60cm deep to ensure that it does not freeze all the way to the bottom in winter, whereas Koi are large fish with long life expectancy, and require large ponds with a depth of at least 1.5 metres.
How Many Fish?
To find out the maximum number of fish your pond can support, work out the surface area of the water in square centimetres and divide by 60. This number is the total length of fish that your pond can support. For example, a 2m by 3m pond has a surface area of 60,000 square centimetres, so can support a maximum of 1000cm of fish (or 100 fish of 10cm length each). When adding fish to your pond, start off with around one third of this to allow for growth and breeding.
Feeding Fish
The amount of fish food to feed your fish depends on the type of food and the type and size of the fish. It is important not to overfeed your fish, so do not feed more than twice a day. If the fish are hungry, they will come to the surface to eat the food soon after you put the food in the pond. If they are not rushing to eat the food, the fish are not hungry and this is a sign that you are overfeeding.
A Practical Guide to Creating a Garden Pond is one of many fish books and products available in our store.
