What Do I Put In My Mini Pond?

Hi everyone,

I have owned a 35 gallon mini pond since March and have planted it with water lettuce, water hyacinths, red root floaters, duckweed, and hornwort. It has two airstones and a fountain pump and filter box on the bottom. The question is what fish should I add here? I live in Connecticut and will have to move the pond in the basement over the winter.

At first I was thinking of buying a Ranchu and Oranda goldfish but now after doing some research I would much rather buy those for an indoor aquarium. Now I'm thinking of buying Shubunkin goldfish. Will two shubunkins grow too big for this 35 gallon pond? If so, should I add comets instead or do they grow as big as the shubunkins? I'd much rather have goldfish than something like guppies but I'm open to any suggestions. Thanks!

 

I think some platinum medaka ricefish would look great in there!

 

shubunkin, common, and comet goldfish will be too big for a 35g.

Rosy Red minnows aka fathead minnows are found throughout North America and very hardy.

 

White Cloud Mountain minnow

 

I know this is a few months old. Wonder how it's doing? I have the same pond started in May. I started with 2 feeder comets which are now about 3-4 inches. I also put in 5 gold WCMM and 3 regular, 3 guppies (have way too many babies now) and a small black moor. It has been awesome having this pond even though I will have to take it down for their winter. I will probably rehome these 2 comets to my school's pond and already have set up a 20g long to overwinter the guppies (will need to pull the male) and the WCMM. I wish it didn't get cold here.

 

I know this is a few months old. Wonder how it's doing? I have the same pond started in May. I started with 2 feeder comets which are now about 3-4 inches. I also put in 5 gold WCMM and 3 regular, 3 guppies (have way too many babies now) and a small black moor. It has been awesome having this pond even though I will have to take it down for their winter. I will probably rehome these 2 comets to my school's pond and already have set up a 20g long to overwinter the guppies (will need to pull the male) and the WCMM. I wish it didn't get cold here.

Hey, the pond is doing great! A lot happened since I posted this. First of all, I replaced the net with two 24in x 24in steel metal sheets. Since the pond is 36in x 36 in, I was able to cut it to make it fit, and painted it to limit the rusting. I also cut a space for the fountain filter, and this is all held by wire ties and clamps, and easy to remove. So far I have no predator problems or any problems with rust harming the fish.

Now on to the fish... when I added the two fish the water was green and blurry. I fed them twice a day but didn't pay attention to the temperature. The water had to be in the 90s on a daily basis, and the water never cleared up. After a week, I found one of the fish dead with no fin. He probably had bad genes and the heat didn't help at all. After this, I bought pond AccuClear, physically cleaned the algae off, and moved the pond to a different area that gets shade from my patio umbrella, which I put up every day. The pond water quickly cleared and it always gets enough shade to stay in the low 80s and below. The usual 5 gallon water changes a week have been doing well, and the fish's diet of pellets, peas, blood worms, and broccoli have been keeping him growing big and fat.

The plants have actually been growing way too much, and I might sell or figure something else out to keep them under control over the winter. As of now I plan on buying a 45 gallon tank for the goldfish (and maybe add more in there permanently) and keep the pond in the basement. Thanks for checking up, you did a great job on your pond as well

 

Thanks for the update and kind words. It has been awesome. I have had a few days of worry where it got to about 85 degrees. I use one of those digital thermometers. Luckily I haven't had any issues with animal's so never had to cover. I lost 1 guppy right at the beginning but that was the only one. I have probably pulled close to 100 babies from the pond. Still deciding what to do with the common goldfish for the winter. The other fish will come inside to a 20 long I have started.

 

Thanks for the update and kind words. It has been awesome. I have had a few days of worry where it got to about 85 degrees. I use one of those digital thermometers. Luckily I haven't had any issues with animal's so never had to cover. I lost 1 guppy right at the beginning but that was the only one. I have probably pulled close to 100 babies from the pond. Still deciding what to do with the common goldfish for the winter. The other fish will come inside to a 20 long I have started.

Looks like it turned out great!