Pond Fish

Suitable pond fish

When it comes to the best pond fish that you can choose from there are a lot of options to choose from., the most common types of pond fish are: Goldfish – such as Fantails and Orandas, Comets and the Koi.

Gold fish are probably the most popular pond fish ever. These fish are suited for any and every pond size. Despite their reputation, gold fish do survive for many years if they are well cared for. Careful breeding and incessant public demand has led to the breeding of a large variety of gold fish. Out of the various varieties, the Comet is probably the most popular pond fish. This has a longish body, and is your typical orange or flame colored gold fish. These also appear in pure white. The Fantail is another popular variety of pond fish. They are shorter and plumper than the Comets, and their tail fin is split giving them their name. The Orandas look somewhat like the Fantails. But they are distinguished by their head growth. This head growth is known as the hood of the fish and appears as if it is covered with warts.

Of the three, the Comets are the hardiest, especially if you are located in an area that has long and severe winters. They also cause little to no damage to other fish and are really adept at living peacefully within your pond. The fancy Fantails are really good choices for very big aquariums or water ponds. But these do not do well when they are placed along with Comets or Koi fish.

Some other less common varieties of pond fish would include the Black Moor Goldfish, the Lionhead Goldfish, the Bubble-eye Goldfish and the Ranchu Goldfish. As the name suggests, the Black Moor is completely black in color - a bit of an oddity among the gold fish species. This pond fish is also characterized by its heavily bulging eyes. The lionhead is almost similar in its appearance to the Fantails. The Bubble-eye also looks a lot like the fantails. But this pond fish has interesting liquid-filled sacs that protrude out from beneath the eye sockets. The eyes of this amazing pond fish point upwards. The Ranchu is often confused with the lionheads as there is little difference between the two in appearance.

Koi fish are also very popular pond fish. Koi are Japanese ornamental carps. They are not as hardy as the gold fish, and are also quite a bit more aggressive. They are disease prone too. But the Koi is very attractive. They are also major contestants in many pond fish contests. Their striking colors and patterns make them a hot favorite among the pond fish variety. Unlike the goldfish, the Koi has an almost ideal symmetry. The fish has a very pleasing torpedo-like form, with a tapering head. Some of the fish that are produced after in-breeding become box headed. Females are prettier as adult males become too skinny as they grow. The Koi usually carry blood red to deep red patterns on their backs. This brilliance adds to their popularity as the most sought after pond fish. It is possible to grow show quality Koi at home in your pond. Koi are however not very suitable for small ponds. If they are well cared for, Koi live up to 35 years and more.

Another less popular pond fish is the Orfe which are another type of carp. They are schooling fish and should be kept in groups. They are sociable fish and very fast swimmers. They need a lot of oxygen and mostly keep to the surface of the water. They show a tendency to jump out of small ponds because they love to play and catch bugs.

Wild fish do not make very suitable pond fish. Some of the wild fish are very predatory and territorial, while others may be bottom feeders that will continuously stir up the bottom of the pond and make the water murky.

The number of species that are suitable iswidely dependent on in which climate you are livning. In some areas you might be able to keep tropical fish in your ponds while it in other areas might be impossible to keep any fish in the pond during the winter.

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