It doesn't matter whether it's a public city park, a representative open space or a private ornamental garden - in many cases a pond is simply part of decorative and sometimes also representative green spaces. However, the care and maintenance of these objects is not always easy. Above all, a water quality suitable for pond fish requires some effort. It is therefore worth paying attention not only to the appearance when selecting the residents, but also to low demands. We clarify which fish species are not only small, but are also considered to be particularly undemanding and are therefore well suited for use in ornamental ponds.
undemanding fish
Before looking at so-called undemanding fishermen, it is worth briefly considering which concerns a fish should show low demands for in the end being able to deal with the environment of a garden pond:
place
First and foremost is certainly the space requirement. Because even in the largest garden pond, the space available is limited, so that a fish is ideally satisfied with a limited space.
tip: If you choose a fish species from the start whose representatives are rather small, the space problem is less than with larger species. Because logically, an existing space appears larger, the smaller the fish themselves are.
water quality
The quality of the water is also of crucial importance for the pond fish. It is closely related to the available space, since the individual parameters can be kept constant much more easily the more water volume is available. In detail, water quality involves several factors:
oxygen content
Whether on land or in water, living things need oxygen to breathe. The content of this elixir of life can fluctuate due to changing temperatures, a lack of oxygen, etc., especially in the home pond.
temperature
Even bathing lakes and entire oceans heat up depending on the outside temperature and solar radiation. It is therefore not surprising that the garden pond is subject to these fluctuations more quickly and certainly more intensively than larger bodies of water.
cleanliness
Especially small volumes of water are quickly polluted by decomposing aquatic plants, but also by dirt brought in from outside and can only free themselves to a limited extent through their own efforts.
notice: Impurities and dirt from the water are very quickly absorbed into the body of the pond fish via the respiratory organs, the gills, so that the effects on sensitive animals become apparent very quickly and also very severely. Therefore, this parameter of a garden pond is of importance that should not be underestimated, also with regard to the selection of fish that are particularly insensitive in this regard.
food supply
Finally, when naming the factors, the food supply should also be named. Although food for the fish living in the pond can easily be added manually, it can be assumed that, especially in small ponds, there will be an oversupply immediately after feeding, which can almost be assessed in the direction of water pollution. In the course of time, however, the supply then decreases sharply, so that with less intensive care effort there can also be phases without food supply. If the animals react in a relaxed manner, the maintenance effort can be kept low in the long term and thus kept within a realistic framework.
Insensitive pond fish
Now that it is clear with regard to what the ideal fish for the garden pond has a low sensitivity to, it is worth taking a closer look at species that are well suited for pond keeping:
Pond fish from B - E
bluebanded danios
- Slender, torpedo-like body with high variance in morphological characteristics
- Head and gill cover often violet to reddish-blue in males, yellow in females
- Average body length 30 to 75 millimeters, individual specimens up to 90 millimeters
- The male becomes larger than the female, which is rather untypical for pond fish
- From 10 fish
bitterling
- rather inconspicuous gray to silver, elongated body with a high dorsal hump under the dorsal fin
- Body length when kept in a pond usually six to eight centimeters
- feeds on insect larvae, among other things, thus helping to prevent the pond from becoming a breeding ground for mosquitoes etc
- Reproduction is only possible if macaw clams are present in the pond, since clam gills serve as a breeding ground for the offspring
- Attitude: in pairs
minnow
- Alternative names: Pfrille
- long, narrow body, yellow-brownish body color with distinctive, dark longitudinal stripes on the sides of the body
- Body length up to eight centimeters
- In terms of water requirements, it is very similar to the Bitterling, so it is well suited for keeping in combination
- 8 to 10 fish
Pond fish from G - M
Common Sunfish
- Alternative names: Pfrille
- clearly round physique with distinctive stripes white / reddish-brown
- Height between 10 and 15 centimeters
- loves water with hardness degrees above 7
- Attitude: at least in pairs
goldfish
- Depending on the species, the abdomen is very spherical or long and flat, body color is usually golden-orange to white or even red
- Length up to 30 centimeters
- is considered the most popular and oldest ornamental fish worldwide
- at least 4 to 5 fish
orfe
- narrow, slender build with a glassy white underbelly and orange-red body color on the back and fin area
- Body length up to 25 centimeters
- Requires a high proportion of oxygen in the water, therefore usually only suitable for ponds with an active oxygen supply that are not too small
- alternative breeding forms blue orfe and silver orfe
- Keeping: in schools of 6 to 8 fish
gold tench
- compact physique with intensely golden shimmering skin coloration, fins in contrasting dark blue to gray
- 30 to 40 centimeters body length
- Form of the tench specially bred for pond keeping with a golden shimmering skin coloration
- due to large body size only suitable for larger ponds,
- shy during the day, mostly active at dusk and at night
- well able to withstand short-term oxygen shortages due to heat and cold rigidity
- Attitude: individually or in groups
gudgeon
- Alternative names: cress, cressling
- Round body, relatively large head, distinctive touch-sensitive barbels around the mouth
- Body length usually up to 10 centimeters, in exceptional cases up to 15 centimeters
- is considered to be very potent, high number of offspring even under difficult conditions
- at least 6 to 8 fish
moldies
- Alternative names: Sonnenfischchen, Witting, Malinchen
- glassy-transparent body with more or less intense blue longitudinal stripe on the side
- Body length six to nine centimetres, in individual cases up to 10 or even 12 centimetres, females somewhat larger
- highly sticky eggs can undertake considerable journeys via waterfowl or migratory amphibians and thus appear surprisingly in the home pond
- At least 10 fish
