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Since the highlight of our August meeting will be fish, I thought it might be pertinent to feature some of the fish that will be available.
Fish add a unique quality to a water feature. Their graceful movements can be mesmerizing and their bright colors are hard to duplicate with plants. Fish also help reduce the mosquito and gnat populations as well as reducing some of the algae. Fish also add extra waste to the water, which means you need to be more careful about maintaining the chemical and biological balance in your pond (don't over feed them either).
When you are ready to add fish, keep in mind that the water needs to be free of chlorine and chloramines. Chlorine can be removed with a dechlorinator or allowed to dissipate for a few days. Chloramines must be removed by with a chloramine remover.
The size of your pond will factor in to what fish to chose. The stability of the oxygen levels and water temperature vary with the volume of water. The deeper, larger your pond, the more stable these will be. The depth of your pond is a factor to consider also for where the fish like to swim. If you want hardy fish to overwinter outside, your pond needs to be deep enough not to freeze solid. You'll also need an opening in the ice to allow for gas exchange through the winter.
Fish need shade and cover to protect themselves from the sun and predators. Plants, bricks, stones, or other material (like a piece of plastic pipe or pot on its side) placed on the bottom or shelves in the water provide lots of places for fish to hide.
One of the more commonly available fish for the backyard water feature is the common goldfish. Sometimes these are available as feeder goldfish. These fish are relatively inexpensive, relatively hardy, and relatively easy to keep. They prefer a pond with lots of plants and a muddy bottom. These fish are usually orange-red although some are brown. They grow to around 10 inches long and may live for 10 years.
Shubunkins are descendants of the common goldfish. They come in many colors, including red, blue, brown, black, and white. Their pond habitat and growth are very similar to the common goldfish. The big attraction with these is their wide variety of colors and patterns.
Koi require space, a minimum of two feet deep and lots of room to swim around as these fish can grow to two feet in length. Koi are hardy feeders and, therefore, hardy waste producers. You will need a good filtration system to maintain a healthy water balance. Koi will graze on water planting, uprooting them and disturbing the soil. You will need to protect the soil surface with heavy stones. Be sure plants are on a stable shelf or base to prevent the koi from knocking them over. Koi also come in a variety of colors and patterns to add to their unique beauty in the larger water feature.