Choosing Healthy Fish For Your Garden Pond. So, your new garden pond has been built, filled with water and planted. Has stood for a moment to let everything calm down and plant a little more settled look. So what is missing? Well, of course, fish. Bits that you’ve waited this long. Bit that makes all your hard work worth while.

So, how do you choose the right fish for stocks? You start by asking yourself some questions. How many fish can I have? What size should they? What types of fish should I choose? How do I choose healthy fish?

Good to start with, there is a maximum stocking rate which should not be exceeded. This is usually considered a long 2ins about fish, not including the tail fin, for each square meter of surface area. This allows for healthy growth and development of fish. You can share a bit heavier than this if you have an established pool and have some form of aeration such as fountains or waterfalls, but do not overdo it, especially at first. Remember that the waterfalls and fountains can be damaged. Also, remember that your fish will grow and even reproduce.

Types of fish need to be taken into account. Common carp is quite tough as well as some other varieties such as gold orfe, Rudd, teaching and short-finned shubunkins. If you live in areas where cold weather, frost and snow possible, avoid some of the more subtle long-finned varieties such as fantails, veil tails and similar. While these fish do look spectacular, they are not strong and needs to be maintained in an aquarium where their beauty can be assessed. Also avoid koi carp unless you have a large pool, with a very good quality water and know what you are doing. These fish will grow very large and requires little specialized knowledge. They may also damage the garden pond plants.

Remember you want to see the fish from above. Surface fish will be seen more often. For this purpose, goldfish, Rudd and orfe ideal. However Tench, is basic to eat fish and olive green, and so can not be seen as often. But they do add variety, relatively strong and helps to clean up all the food concave. Aiming for a fun mix of species and the eyes will also complement your water garden.

One word of warning, do not avoid collecting fish from the wild. This may also carry disease and contaminate your pool. This also applies to pond plants. Buying from a seller who has a good reputation. When you buy fish, look for healthy-looking specimens. See their fins. They must have a straight dorsal (top) fin and the other their fins to spread the good is not clearly split. They should look at life with clear eyes and no white mushrooms or see signs on their scales. There also should not be damaged or missing, although the scale of the larger specimens are not so important because they are susceptible to some damage with age.

If the fish are healthy to have a few scales missing, and then treated with a proprietary fungal drugs when you get home just in case. It is best to do this anyway before introducing them to other fish in the garden pond and you should be sure to keep some in the store just in case. Of course all this can be difficult to check when you choose a fish from a tank filled with specimens and ask the seller to enter your selection in a plastic bag so that you inspect them more closely and from different angles. Do not be afraid to show any defects and ask for a replacement. Introducing an infection to other fish is just not worth it.

I also placed a transparent plastic bag inside a transparent bag which no other in transit so as not to frighten your new fish too much during the trip. Will also be very careful not to bash the bags of transit as a shock could kill fish. When you get the fish home, floating bag in the garden pond for a while to let the two equalize the water temperature. Then cancel the bag and let the fish swim out of their own accord. They would soon settle in their new home, and hopefully there will be happy for years to come. By Phil Agate

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