Pond Fish

What are pond fish?

There are many different types of pond fish, from tiny Gudgeon to huge Koi Carp. What sets these freshwater fish apart from others commonly found in the fishkeeping hobby, such as Neon Tetras, is the fact that they can be kept in an outdoor garden pond year-round, even during winter when temperatures get close to freezing!

What type of fish can I keep in a garden pond?

When it comes to stocking your garden pond with fish, you first need to consider two important questions:

1. How large is your garden pond? It’s important that large pond fish, like Koi Carp, are given adequate space. As a rule of thumb, aim to keep no more than one Koi per 1,000L of water. Small pond fish, like Goldfish, don’t need quite as much space. To work out the volume of your fish pond, use our trusty pond volume calculator.

2. What kind of pond filter do I have? A lot of pond fish, particularly Koi Carp, are very messy and need to be kept in garden ponds equipped with large filtration systems. The type of pond fish you’re planning to keep will ultimately inform what kind of pond filter you need, whether that be a box filter, a pressure filter, or an in-pond filter.

Once you’ve determined your answers to these two questions, you can start to choose your pond fish. We have a huge range of pond fish for sale online, including Japanese Koi, Goldfish, Sturgeon, and several varieties of Carp. On each fish listing we include detailed information about their care requirements, ensuring that you pick the right pond fish for you and your garden pond.

How do I build a fish pond?

There are many ways to build a fish pond, but all methods start with laying a solid foundation. This involves digging a hole and lining it with a quality pond liner. Once you’ve established your foundations, it’s then time to equip your garden pond with a suitably sized pond filter. Unless you’re planning to build a fishless garden pond – sometimes known as a wildlife pond – all garden ponds need to be equipped with some kind of filtration system.

After that, you can start to get creative and add rocks, gravel, pond plants, and other décor to your fish pond. Then, the only thing left to do is to fill your garden pond with water, leave it for several days to let your pond filter establish itself, and, finally, add your pond fish. For more information about how to build a fish pond, check out our help guide on the topic.