¿Anyone keeps other fish in ponds, besides Koi and Goldfish?

[Auren]

I have an outside concrete pond, with many tropical fishes in it, as well as temperature control and filtration? I wanted to learn and share information on this topic.

[Dangerdoll]

My sister has a channel cat in hers in addition to 2 koi.

[schiejr]

I have done good with swordtails and plecos. Going to try mollies and rainbowfish this year.

My main obstacle is cold night temps. My ponds are still not staying in the sixties over night- we have had colder, wetter weather than normal. I typically am able to go from June through August with tropicals.

[125gJoe]

Plecos could work...

[silentskream]

i had a really long post written out that i spent a lot of time typing up. but somehow i accidentally hit a button and deleted it. so i'm just gonna tell you that koiworld magazine had an article in the 2003 -2004 issue entitled "FISH FRIENDS" it was about good tropical pond fish. some of which included:
any fish from the haplochromis genus
oscars
guppies
mollies
cichlids
plecos
rosy barbs, and pretty muc h any type of barb
tetras,
clown loaches
rainbow sharks, red tail sharks.
gouramis
african cichlids help control parasites, small fish, frog eggs, and tadpoles
discus
freshwater eel.

[Auren]

In relation and in agreement with silentskream, I also read "water garden and ponds magazine" where there is an article where it says, that basically any fish you can keep in an acuarium, you can keep outdoors they even said Marine fish also, but that a more complex issue according to the magazine.

Here in Mexico the temp is aroung 16 c at night and 23 c daytime, sow I have around 5 sumbmersible heaters to keep a constant water temperature with few degree variations. Yet I would like to see a more cost effective way of keeping the water temp. constant.

I am amazed at how my swordtails have prolifirated they´ve had dozens of babys.

I would really like to initiate a hobbie of outside ponds with more fishes, I think that is has its advantages, like you dont need artificial light, there is always insects and some green algea the fish can eat.

[jacblades]

discus in a pond?!?!?!?! well im not sure anyone would want to since ponds only offer views from the top. theyd just be a bunch of lines!

a saltwater pond?!?! no way!

i also read in ponds magazine or ponds usa or some pond magazine that siamese fighting fish were excellent for ponds. what they failed to mention was that you could only have one! im sure a few poor schmucks went out and bought several bettas for their ponds and they all killed each other:(

[brianfl]

I currently have Pacus, Tinfoil Barbs, Common Plecs, Sailfin Plecs, Sailfin Pim, Black Shark, Mayan cichlids, Giraffe catfish and some Channel Cats. They get along quite well.

[aquariumfishguy]

The problem with all the "pretty, colorful fish" is that (as mentioned), you hardly see them. And the small fish? Hmm... forget about it. The only time you MIGHT see the fish is at feeding time.

And as for plecos, they can survive temps as low as 55-58 degrees F. but most who keep them in ponds report NEVER seeing them. A friend of mine tells me he has to polk and prod through the pond to be able to tell if the pleco is alive! :p

So that is why (to me) tropicals just aren't worth it. I am not the kind of person would would keep a fish "just to say you keep it". You know what I mean? Because thats what happens in a pond. I have big bright goldfish who are sometimes a challege to see.

[Auren]

I agree with aquariumgishguy if we are talking about a large deep pond, but there is also small ponds of 200gal or less, which are not that deep and you can easely keep tropical fish and enjoy them. The pond I am talking about is aroung 500 gallons and is shallow on the front part, and in other parts its 45cm deep, and I have no problem with viewing my tripical fish and enjoying them every day I see them, feed them and not just keep them.

This is like sort of an external aquarium, not quiete a pond and obviously not quite an aquarium, where there are always advantages to keep these fish in a glass aquarium as well as advantages to keep them in an outdoor body of water/pond. What i am trying to say is that there are lots of interesting options in the hobbie that are not common. I really enjoy sitting in my back garden and watching all the fish outside, and not only in a glass aquarium, and due to the size of the pond I can controll the temperature.

[aquariumfishguy]

Originally posted by Auren
...there is small ponds of 200gal or less, which are not that deep and you can easely keep tropical fish...

Ahhh... but if you have a pond of 200 gallons or less, then your dealing with other issues like severe temperature swings. Especially if you live at a place like northern U.S. where it isn't 85 during the day and 78 at night. We are talking 15-20 degree drops in summer nights across much of the U.S.

I dont know how wise that would be...:(

[Auren]

I am not familiar with much of the weather in the US, except I know that in the north or other such places like Colorado where it snows it is much difficult. Other than that, using submersible heaters like those from Clepto are a good solution you can keep them at a certain temperature and most of those heaters are 500watts or more (I know a great disadvantage is the electricity bill).

What you can do is distribute heaters along the outside pond, depending on the size (preferably 500 gallons or less, otherwise consider gas heaters), then you connect some of those heaters to a timer that keeps themo off during the hottest hours of the day, and when it gets cold or at night (mostly) you set the timer to turn them on. I know here in central Mexico the weather isnt so variable, but I guess it could work in the U.S as well.

[sguthrie]

One of the fish stores in ATL has a saltwater pond, and it's definitely quite neat.

[brianfl]

To keep things in perspective, my tropical pond is about 3' deep with crystal clear water (two 25 watt uvs). I can see the pacus and barbs anytime during the day, particularly at feeding time, but they swim around all day long. The catfish and plecs are a little more diffuclt. The plecs you can see once in a while during the day and once the evening comes, you can see most of the catfish very well. Basically, it just depends on how clear your ponds is and how well you keep it.

[aquariumfishguy]

LOL

here in Michigan, we have to keep our ponds about 4 feet deep or else they would freeze over, at least most of the way anyway.

So my deepest end of the pond is about 4.5 feet. I can hardly see my fish, unless they come up near the surface. And I'd like to think I keep my pond clean... :o

[Auren]

The salt water pond seems very interesting, The article in the magazine only mentions that it is possible to have one, yet it does not specify or goes into any details on how it works and what type of fish are in it. It would be very intersting to see some specs on that

Brian: It would be great to exchange some images on our ponds, but I am not familiar with the site, I guess you have to be a senior member to post images. In regards to your pond How many Gallons/Liters of water do you have? Are you planning on adding more different fish in it?

I also keep my water clear, with a sumbersible pump conected to the UV I mentioned earlier and to a Hagen 404 filter, and another 700 gal/hr sumbersible pump to make some water flow, this and some barley straw to help combat the green algea. The problem is that sometimes, and even with prefilter/sponge the intake of the pump clogs very fast. What I am trying is to elevate the pump, on top of a brick, maybe that will work better, and I need to add another filter of my own with much more biological media.

[brianfl]

Brian: It would be great to exchange some images on our ponds, but I am not familiar with the site, I guess you have to be a senior member to post images. In regards to your pond How many Gallons/Liters of water do you have? Are you planning on adding more different fish in it?

Actually, I have two ponds. I am not very good at capturing fish in photos, but I do have some pond pics.
I will try to get them uploaded within a few days or so. I need to add them to my web site and then link that.

As for the ponds,
Goldfish pond is 8 x 8 x2.5 for about 1200 gallons. It houses a sailfin pleco and about a dozen common goldfish. Tropical pond is 16*12*3 for about 4300 gallons and it houses 4 pacus, 3 channel cats, 1 sailfin pim, 1 giraffe cat, 8 tinfoil barbs, 4 common plecs, 100's of mosquito fish.

I was having a problem with the massive breeding of the mosquito fish, but the channel cats seemed to have curbed that.

I feel like I am pretty well stocked right now.

[brianfl]

I have debated salt water but it is a very expensive proposition. Unless you have access to pure salt water, it would be very difficult and expensive to keep the salinity level and of couse the fish can consume a lot of $$$ as well.

[Auren]

And I guess you would have to live near a Coast to have more chances of succes with a salt water pond.

[aquariumfishguy]

Not really... you wouldn't use ocean water in a small pond, and you shouldn't even use a nearby stream's water which would be brackish if it runs into the ocean. ;)

[Auren]

Then it must be interesting to know how they could keep a saltwater pond running. I dont know much about marine fish, all I know or seem to know is that they require way much care than Freshwater fish.