RAUK - Archived Forum - advice on fish

I have a lively pond, in the two years I have lived here we have had breeding frogs, toads and palmate newts.  There is also one fish.  I have no idea what type of fish it is and we have never fed it or taken care of it, it seems to be fine doing its own thing.  It is gold-white in colour and about 8 inches long. 

A neighbour has just offered us some fish from his pond.  He seems to know our pond (probably from the former owner of this property) and says his fish are of the same type as our one.  He has also said that more fish would help with keeping algae at bay in our pond and that our fish would be happier with some company.  The reason he wants us to take some fish from him is that his have bred and he now has too many for his pond, so it's a case of him giving some to us or he will have to 'dispose' of them some other way.  I have seen concerns on these pages about mixing unnaturally introduced fish with what is, in our garden, totally wild-life.

Could someone advise whether it would be a good idea to take some fish from our neighbour, and how many.  Our pond is approx 6ftx4ft (sorry, my partner, who knows these things, is asleep haha!).  Also, my mum, who lives about 5 miles away, has a new pond so she would be able to take some fish too, if that would save them from being fed to the seagulls!

I'd be grateful for any advice.

Kate

Kate

If you want a good wildlife pond then ideally you shouldn't put fish in it. Depending on the species of fish, your small pond could probably cope with a few fish if there is a good vegetation structure and varied water depth including shallows for animals like frog & palmate newt tadpoles to hide from fish predation. However if these fish are breeding in your neighbour's pond so he's got too many then they will probably do the same in yours and you will also end up with a lot of fish. Most fish do not do not have any effect on algae and in most cases they stir up sediment and enrich the water column making algal growth and turbidity worse. Thats why many people with fish ponds have to have pumps and filters to keep the water clear.

If you want a good wildlife pond then I would decline the offer of extra fish unless you want to create another separate pond for the fish and move your current single resident there.

Hi Kate,

Fish do like company but...  They do not reduce algae or keep it at bay.  A natural pond is great but I could not get on with my one.  I started with a water fall water feature from Focus (ú50 in the sale).  By boss had lots of fish in his pond (only goldfish) that were black so he gave me a couple.  I left the fish (about 6) in the bucket of the water feature and in about 3 weeks time there was a huge amount of algae.

I purchased some plants to help with cover for the pond but as it was in direct sunlight it still went green.  So I decided to put a pond in.  I  did not want anything too big so purchased a pre-formed pond that had some shelves each side for the plants.  All went well for about 1 week (as it had fresh water in it) and then the algea came back.  The algae thrive on various things like sunlight and nitrogen.  I then purchased a filtration system for the pond which had a UV light installed and hey presto - a nice clear pond!  I then purchased 2 koi carp and have just recently got rid of them (to a friend with a bigger pond) as they had no room to swim about. But one of the main reasons was becuase the more fish you have the more waste they produce, and the more ammonia and nitrogen in the water was causing more algae and pond weed.  If your current fish has lots of room then maybe 1 more or even 2 might be nice for it as for company but if you have a problem with the algae bloom I would advise a decent pump and filtration/uv system which are about ú90 for a semi decent one but if you want a smaller one let me know as I am taking the pond out in November as I am putting the house on the market.  For more information about algea have a look at the link below but dont think about buying the product that is mentioned.  The only way to get rid of algea is to get the correct balance of plants/sunlight/fish/etc in the pond.

http://www.absoluteponds.com/lake-information.htm

Hope this helps

Mike

Thanks for the advice guys. 

My instinct was to decline my neighbour's offer but my partner wanted me to find out as it was a kindly meant and generous offer.

I am only mildly concerned about algae bloom as the pond seems to sort itself out with minimal intervention.  I'd rather have a naturally ugly (at some points) pond with exciting wildlife than a beautiful one with just flowers! 

As for pumps and filtration systems, again I would rather not have them.  My partner put in an alledgedly 'wildlife friendly' pump last autumn and it really upset my newts, they were running away from their own pond, so I put a stop to it.  I dread to think how many were upset or chased from their previously happy habitat.  I think I will leave my one fish where he or she is and continue to try to persuade my partner to leave well alone!

Does anyone know of any good books regarding maintenance of natural/nature friendly ponds?  The pond books I have seen only seem to deal with fish ponds. 

thank you,
Kate

Hi Kate

below is a cut and paste from world of water:

Wildlife and nature pools have become increasingly popular as we all become more aware of the environment around us and want to encourage wildlife into the garden. These ponds are not only truly beautiful, and very educational for children but you will also be helping the eco system of your whole garden... Did you know having a pool encourages frogs and toads, which eat slugs! You will also be visited by more birds and wildlife some you may not have seen before.

To ensure a good balance in these pools you will need to ensure ample planting areas are built into the pool to support plants which in time will cover up to two thirds of the poolÆs surface area. Although these ponds will support some fish stocks, it is important to avoid fish such as Koi and Orfe. Fish should also be introduced very gradually as the plants grow and mature.

Over a period of time, as the new plants mature and, along with naturally occurring helpful bacteria, which absorb and digest any toxins left by fish and rotting organic waste, the pool will begin to balance and the water to clear. It must be remembered that this could take up to eighteen months to achieve. However the end result can be magnificent, attracting a host of wildlife along with a splendid display of aquatic plants.

Usually these ponds do not require full filtration as described on the next page, however they will benefit from being circulated by a pump to maintain oxygen levels. This assists in the maintenance of a healthy balance of helpful bacteria and avoids the water becoming stagnant.

also looking on the web site your size pond could cope with a maximum of 12, 75mm ( 3") fish which of course will grow and breed putting you in the same boat as your neighbour trying to get rid of Fish, If you want a Wildlife pond just say NO! to Fish

Thanks Andy, I am going to say 'NO to fish' and 'YES to having wildlife'...