The types of pond fish... Not many really...

[DutchMuch]

The most common types of pond fish are not only un-natural looking but are also pretty messy and, well everyone has them! hence the word common...

Goldfish (sp)

Koi (sp)

Two common types..

It is however uncommon that someone tries to go out of this "zone" of common fish, I have seen a member with trout, very neat and natural looking. To me all ponds I see (not all but you get my point lol) are plane and boring, you got some plants on the side of the pond, a lily or 2, then you got some koi or goldfish.... Whatever happened to bringing nature into your backyard? Bluegill (wild or hybrid) are a great addition to a pond, and even bring loads of color mixtures if grown properly, proper care, and correct diet is achieved or given. Bluegill however do need special requirements like all unique fish… Generally can live in any PH as long as it isn’t to acidic, the best I have found for them is about 7.5PH. Ammonia (in any pond really or tank) should be 0ppm (parts per million) at all times, this fish isn’t good for an in fish cycle. Especially if caught wild. Feeding is also a large part to its nutrition just like all fish, they love special food. If you have bluegill (or sunfish, forgot to add that this also applies to them sorry) that are wild caught, try to feed them a weekly giving of bloodworms, just in case it didn’t get enough food from frogs, insects, and other remnants in the pond. They also need a substrate, because they tend to nest and be territorial, of that nest. I find they are pretty much passive, but not good with smaller fish, if you keep guppy they are just a snack for these guys. Eventually maybe you can even hand feed your blue gill or sunfish!

Sorry this kind of turned out into a “blue gill or sunfish care guide” rather than my actual statement & questions;

Where is everyone with the special fish? I mean without the goldfish or the koi. There are plenty of fish that are native to your lakes (for say) that can be kept in a, weather its minnows (could get eaten), trout *usually brown or rainbow*, or bluegill & sunfish, and maybe the occasional mosquito guppy…


Anyone have any pics of their unique fish (and basic care for them would be nice for the education part of this)? Would love to see them, and maybe it could inspire other people to keep that/those type of fish as well.

Wish you all the best of today or tonight, and I hope tomorrow to wake up to some fish pics!

Nate

 

[DeepWater]

Stocking a pond with gamefish or panfish seems to be a whole lot more complicated than with common fish of the aquarium trade. I'd guess every state has a similar set of regulations to follow, here is Wisconsin's as an example: http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/fishing/stocking/

I can't just go down to the nearest waterway and catch some tiny bluegill to bring home, that's illegal. I can buy from an aquaculture business, but then I need to apply for a fish stocking general permit.

We're pretty much limited to goldfish and koi:
http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/fishing/documents/publications/NR40_invasives_brochure_web.pdf

 

[Lisak1]

Well, even though you insulted my "plain and boring" pond, I'll chime in.

As a gardener, I know there are certain plants that everyone in my zone tends to grow. Boring? Maybe. But they choose them because they are well suited to our zone and climate conditions. So I can go against the grain and try to grow things that will take lots of special care and may or (more likely) may not thrive in my garden. Or I can choose the plain and boring and have a garden that pretty much cares for itself. I travel to other parts of the country and admire plants that I see growing and wish I could add them to my yard, but I know it will probably be both costly and unsuccessful. So, being a very lazy gardener, I choose for that which is easy and guarantees success and do my best to make it look appealing.

Same goes for pond fish. A garden pond, as much as we try to make it natural, is still manmade. Putting wild or more uncommon fish into a manmade pond is, as you acknowledge, going to require lots of knowledge and probably a good deal of work to maintain an ecosystem that will support them. Koi and goldfish are chosen over and over again because they are well suited to life in a garden pond. So being a lazy pond owner, I chose the fish that would basically take care of themselves and allow me lots of time to sit by the pond and enjoy watching them go about their business. And then I have lots of time to tend to my boring plants, too!

Welcome to the GPF!

 

[DutchMuch]

Well, even though you insulted my "plain and boring" pond, I'll chime in.

Lol sorry I didn't mean it like that please forgive me

And thank you for the warm welcome!

 

[DutchMuch]

Having unique fish also has its own unique rules, as deepwater said for ex: his/her state wouldn't allow certain wild fish to be caught. Hybrid bluegills or sunfish (etc etc etc...) are commonly sold at aquaculture businesses such as this one: http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...UtydzdEWJpLb2JUAQ&sig2=HDKK04DEhg-fKwsnq35J_A or https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct...4jLsjKVJ-FA5qJQEA&sig2=JBS4QMSwCgtm3Bp3udqKFA
Im a person who likes to be busy 24/7 so if you don't plan on being busy doing this, I didn't mention it but then these fish (or any other fish "wild fish, or the sorts") probably aren't for your care level. Note it is rewarding.
When I said plain boring ponds I didn't mean it such as "Everyone's pond sucks because they have goldfish next to a rose bush" no I didn't mean it like that lol I meant it more like, *well its true* if you google search "backyard pond" many (some are amazing) of those ponds do not have a unique trait. In my yard (besides a few plants in the greenhouse) I have all sorts of zone 7 plants, there are more plant Species in my yard than I can count on two hands (but its a big yard). Gardening itself is a acquired skill as well. Knowing the PH of your soil (ok... not that difficult) levels of other chemicals naturally in the ground (or added if your in a city scene). It can get complicated but in the end for Anything that is complicated (*generally*) is very rewarding. Such as getting those permits, or similar to that. Neighbor comes over "oh wow you have a trout?" I would love to hear that rather than "I like your pond" even though its practically the equivalent, more of an opinionated thing but that's mine lol. if you are more into the landscaping scene, or love the water and the land, then (not all are accurate, but I haven't tested that im just presuming some aren't correct) you can go to webites such as the search in Monrovia and find Beautiful flowers or shrubs (etc) for your landscaping. http://www.monrovia.com/plant-catal..._zone=7&sun_exposure=5&water_requirement_id=2 I have gotten 3 plants from here (all lilacs) and they are pretty good, first year they obviously need high care, then 2nd year they were pretty much self sustained. Then from there on out.

 

[Lisak1]

Lol sorry I didn't mean it like that please forgive me

And thank you for the warm welcome!

I was just giving you a hard time... along with the warm welcome. And honestly I think most people who see a backyard pond wouldn't know a bluegill from a goldfish anyway, so it's all fish and all cool. Some people just like to take the hobby down a different path. We all look forward to seeing your pond!

 

[Faebinder]

I doubt you could call my pond boring..

Its stocked with some oddities.. Heck I saw one of the greensided darters on a plant shelf today.

I don't think my pond is typical since I got blackstripe topminnows, 3 types of darters, rosy red minnows, dojo loaches, and most types of fancy goldfish. Most people who spot the pond are stunned to see bubble eyes, celestials, pearscales, and ranchus/oranda/ryukin sitting outside with my sanke goldfish, triple colored comets and shubunkins.

You can make your pond as variable as you want.

 

[Faebinder]

If my pond was twice the size, I would add an albino sterlet.

 

[Lisak1]

I doubt you could call my pond boring..

In reality I think anyone could call just about anything boring. Some people may see a lake full of bass and think it's the most exciting thing they've ever seen. Others might think they're dull and, well, boring. Beauty and the beholder and all that!

 

[Faebinder]

In reality I think anyone could call just about anything boring. Some people may see a lake full of bass and think it's the most exciting thing they've ever seen. Others might think they're dull and, well, boring. Beauty and the beholder and all that!

True.

 

[Nepen]

I hear you about trying new things for gardening/pond. I plants as much native plants that I can get my hands on (hence the spending and even get seeds from hiking) I have a bog so I can plants something unusual but since my bog is small it's so full I cant add any more. I have my pitcher plants garden too, I love them. I live near Duke garden and they sell native plants at their plant sale so that's where I got some of the rare plants there.

I think when started my pond, I build my pond mostly for attracting dragonflies and to be able to enjoy the water sound, then I got into Shubunkin goldfish, then to watonai goldfish, then to different type of frogs, then to different type of bog plants, then to water lilies and lotus...that's how the hobby expanded.

I also found salamander in my pond, all type of frogs and some weird looking insects in my pond. love seeing all type of dragon flies...

I've been very busy, what with the full time job and the kid and husband and the house chore and the cat and dog and the chickens and ducks, the pond and the flower garden and vegetable garden... I hardly have time to sit. I build and tend to everything myself too, the pond, the gardens, the chicken house, the duck pond... my poor husband and kid need attention and food too, you know lol. so may be after everything's settled I might think of adding other things to my ever growing hobby. but right now my pond and bog with native plants and wild life plus the goldfish will have to do.

 

[DutchMuch]

In reality I think anyone could call just about anything boring. Some people may see a lake full of bass and think it's the most exciting thing they've ever seen. Others might think they're dull and, well, boring. Beauty and the beholder and all that!

I have got to stop liking all your comments LOL

 

[TallGrassBigSky]

I doubt you could call my pond boring..

Its stocked with some oddities.. Heck I saw one of the greensided darters on a plant shelf today.

I don't think my pond is typical since I got blackstripe topminnows, 3 types of darters, rosy red minnows, dojo loaches, and most types of fancy goldfish. Most people who spot the pond are stunned to see bubble eyes, celestials, pearscales, and ranchus/oranda/ryukin sitting outside with my sanke goldfish, triple colored comets and shubunkins.

You can make your pond as variable as you want.

Darters?! Cool. What type? I've kept rainbows, fantails, banded, Iowa, Johnny and swamp daters in aquariums.

I agree with the original poster that it would be fun to see ponds with unusual/atypical fish. I've considered that myself as a former native fish keeper (in aquariums).

I think the main reason we don't see a lot of native or other fish in ponds is because most don't look like much from above. Most are best appreciated from the side, whereas koi and goldfish have been bred to be viewed from the top. That doesn't mean you can't keep such fish in ponds for their interesting behavior, but it's not as easy to view that in a pond vs a tank.

Another issue others have pointed out is the web of state laws and protection around keeping native fish.

I do think sunfish are fascinating and can be appreciated aesthetically from the top down. However, they are very territorial, which is another reason they're more complicated to keep than goldfish.

I think interesting natives that could be good pond inhabitants include: mud minnows, sticklebacks and banded killifish.

 

[Faebinder]

Darters?! Cool. What type? I've kept rainbows, fantails, banded, Iowa, Johnny and swamp daters in aquariums.

I agree with the original poster that it would be fun to see ponds with unusual/atypical fish. I've considered that myself as a former native fish keeper (in aquariums).

I think the main reason we don't see a lot of native or other fish in ponds is because most don't look like much from above. Most are best appreciated from the side, whereas koi and goldfish have been bred to be viewed from the top. That doesn't mean you can't keep such fish in ponds for their interesting behavior, but it's not as easy to view that in a pond vs a tank.
.

You are definitely correct about darters being difficult to see from above. I have greensided, rainbow and banded darters in the pond. I have to look hard to see some of them on the different rock shelves.

 

[MitchM]

It's certainly exciting to try new additions to your pond, but remember to fully research new additions and be realistic about what your pond environmental conditions actually are.