Hi i'm only new to fish keeping but for the last few years I've always wanted to have a native fish pond in the garden. Was just wondering if anyone had one set up?

The fish i want to keep in it would be perch,tench,roach,bream,rudd,dace,carp and the likes.
Would it take much to set it up and keep it?
Has anyone any experience in keeping these fish species?
All info much appreciated.
Cheers stephen.

Hi stephen,sorry,dont know a whole lot about pond fish but i;d imagine you'd need a huge pond for any of those fish,they all grow fairly big,and i think the roach and rudd might be food for the perch,as i say i dont know much about ponds,but in the wild carp can reach 20-30 pounds in weight,a native pond would be nice,hopefully someone else on here can help you do it


Paul

For a few of those species you would require a large pond.
AFIK it is illegal to move native fish so you would have to check out that side of things first.

For roach, rudd & perch you would get away with an average sized pond as they stay small enough but like Paul says the Perch are predators.

They won't grow a whole lot bigger than the rudd or roach but would not eat pellets or normal fish food so you would need a mature pond that had plenty of natural food for them or make sure they have a supply of live food (worms or small fish).

To be honest, the native species are so dull I think you would be far better off with a goldfish pond or if your pond is big/deep enough then to go for koi.

Bream & Tench spend all their time at the bottom so you wouldnt see them & roach, rudd & perch look nothing when viewied from above..

Give me some yellow, black, orange goldfish & some shubunkins any day and for a native touch a few stickleback.

Cheers,
Patrick

I always dreamed as a boy of having a carp pond in my back garden.. (not Koi) so i cant say I wouldnt like one..

but agree with Patrick, the only fish you would really see are the carp on warm days. Even when you are feeding, most native species are up, and gone in a flash.

Aah lads your missing the whole point here.To see the fish just build a raised pond and put in a great big window in the side of it, a load of L.E.D. lights built into the substrate and walls and enjoy.
The whole reason for a native tank for me would be to know that whenever in bord i can go into the garden with a rod and go fishing(I'm kidding).

Yes you would only get a glimse of the fish every now and again.
Probable never see the bottom dwellers without the help of the lights and window, but i think it would be nice to have something different in your pond than the run of the mill KOI and GOLDFISH.

penguins?

adamireland wrote:
penguins?

lol, or a Polar bear if you have space...

An above ground pond with a viewing window would indeed be excellent.
But if you're going to go to all of that trouble why not heat it & chuck in some tankbusters?

Pacu, red tailed cats, shovel noses, oscars etc?

This will get you started:
www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=29974

now thats just silly you cant keep a polar bear with roach.. surely everyone knows that he would need seals as well.. oh and a good suppier of ice cubes

2poc wrote:

To be honest, the native species are so dull I think you would be far better off with a goldfish pond or if your pond is big/deep enough then to go for koi.

Give me some yellow, black, orange goldfish & some shubunkins any day and for a native touch a few stickleback.

Cheers,
Patrick

For the very same reasons as above plus the ESB bill you could argue Brown discus and virtual all central Americans are not worth their glass, silicone and ESB bill, when they could be full of cardinal tetras of Malawi's.

Native marines, especially from the west coast are stunning in colour, maybe this is something to look into.

yes you could argue