Many homeowners envision their backyard ponds surrounded by beautiful landscaping and filled with colorful fish to create an entire ecosystem in their outdoor space. Choosing the best fish for ponds, however, comes with a list of considerations ranging from the climate where you live and how large your pond is to how much work you want to do in order to keep your fish healthy.

As always, you can count on us to help you decide what’s best for your backyard water feature! We’re helping you learn which are the best pond fish for outdoor ponds so you can have the backyard of your dreams.

Considerations for Backyard Ponds With Fish

Backyard pond installations come in a wide variety of sizes and shapes. Water feature experts often recommend a minimum backyard pond size holding 1500 gallons of water and 3 feet in depth as being ideal. This will allow most medium-sized fish to thrive with enough oxygen and prevent incidents where they may accidentally project themselves out of the water onto dry land. For smaller fish, you may be able to get away with having a slightly smaller pond. Before you start running away with backyard koi pond ideas, consider these factors that help determine the best fish for outdoor pond installations:

• Pond size and volume
• Regional climate
• High maintenance vs low maintenance pond fish
• Proper pond aeration system
• Where the fish are sourced (reputable places to avoid health hazards)

Each of these factors plays a role in determining the best fish for backyard pond installations and can’t be overlooked. If in doubt, consult your water feature installation professionals for further guidance on which species of fish will work best for your pond.

Adding Pond Fish for Benefits vs Aesthetics

Choosing the best pond fish for your backyard water feature is about more than simply picking the most beautiful species that catches our eye. Sure, having aesthetically pleasing pond fish like koi or Golden Tench can add a pop of color to your overall landscaping and water feature, but they also provide a variety of benefits including:

• Creating a calm environment
• Keeping down any mosquito populations around your water feature
• Removing algae from rocks to keep your backyard pond clear
• Adding wildlife to your backyard space
• Raising your property value with a beautiful backyard pond water feature

Having fish in your backyard pond installation is a (typically) low-maintenance way to boost the overall aesthetic of your space while providing all these benefits. It makes your outdoor area not only beautiful but reduces upkeep using a natural cycle.

Best Pond Fish Species for Your Outdoor Space

When it comes to adding fish to your water feature, the first one most homeowners think of is koi. They’re often brightly colored, they’re a good size, and they provide a number of benefits to your pond. There are so many other options, however! 

Best Fish for Small Ponds

• Goldfish: (Low Maintenance) Goldfish are hardy fish able to withstand more extreme weather conditions than some other species. These fish are low maintenance and thrive in a well-aerated pond covered by lots of shade throughout the day. They are typically very gentle fish species that get along well with others, but it’s best to introduce them when they’re of moderately similar sizes, as fully-grown koi may not do well with new, small goldfish. Goldfish are some of the best fish for small pond installations.
• Golden Tench: (Low Maintenance) Some of the best pond fish to pair with koi, the Golden Tench is also known as the doctor fish. They clean the water, which helps prevent other fish from getting sick. Like the goldfish, these low-maintenance fish are some of the best fish for small pond ideas, but they can thrive in medium and larger ponds, as well. With a life expectancy of around 15 – 20 years, you don’t need to worry about having to replace them! To keep your Golden Tench happy, add them to ponds with lots of aquatic plants, and don’t overcrowd the pond with other fish.
• Fathead Minnows: (Low Maintenance) As you might expect, minnows are also some of the best fish for small pond installations, but they thrive in most environments. A particularly hardy type of minnow, Fathead minnows thrive outdoors and can withstand colder winters, making them some of the best fish for outdoor pond installations in Upstate NY. Two of their favorite foods are insects and algae making them well-suited for homeowners wanting low-maintenance fish that help keep the pond clean. If you put them in a bigger pond, be mindful of pairing them with large fish species, however, as they may end up on the menu.

Best Fish for Larger Ponds

• Koi fish: (Low-Medium Maintenance) The go-to fish for many pond water features. These are actually colored species of carp. They can grow up to 2 feet long, are relatively cost-effective, and can live up to 25 – 35 years under the right conditions. These are hardy fish, able to withstand the cold winters, making them some of the best pond fish for Upstate NY. While koi are relatively low-maintenance fish, you’ll need to keep up water feature maintenance to prevent them from getting sick.
• Chinese High Fin Shark: (High Maintenance) Don’t let the name fool you, these aren’t really sharks! Chinese High Fin Sharks are a popular algae-eating freshwater fish species, making them great for keeping your pond clear. Because they can grow to larger sizes, these are some of the best fish for ponds of a larger size. The Chinese High Fin Shark is a more high-maintenance fish species, and while it’s omnivorous, you’ll want to ensure it has high-quality foods available to keep it in good health.
• Pond Loach: (Low Maintenance) While these may only grow up to about 6 inches in small ponds, they can get much bigger when added to larger ponds. Also called the dojo loach, these are bottom-dwelling scavengers who eat algae and will help keep your pond clear. As omnivores, they’ll also help keep your pond clear of other small wildlife such as worms or snails. Because they’re able to scavenge so well, they’re low-maintenance options for homeowners.

When it comes to choosing the best pond fish for your water feature, you must consider more than just what looks aesthetically pleasing. Don’t forget to factor in how large your pond is, how much maintenance you’re looking for to keep the fish healthy, which species do well together, and the climate in your area. The NVS Waterscapes team of experts is happy to help you determine the best fish for outdoor pond installations and give you the final result you’ll fall in love with!
Don’t have a backyard pond just yet? Check out the NVS Waterscapes project planner to get started. Save your plans or submit them to us and we’ll be in touch right away to build the pond you’ve always wanted.