How many, and wat species can i keep in my outdoor pond?

Question

I have 4 comet goldfish and 1 paradise fish in my pond already. It holds 180 litres (40 UK gallons, 48 US GALLONS approx.) water. Compatible species. Can i equip pond with any more fish?

The paradise fish has been in the pond for about 12 months, and i live in australia, so no racoons or possums in my area (there are possums here but not in my area)

ok. sorry, i have a fountain incorporated with a filter which circulates n aerates the water

Answer 1

depends on how the pond is set up and what filtration it has. If it's not filtered, you can add a few more goldfish but not many. Remember they will grow and even comets can get pretty good sized and if happy in the outdoor pond, will grow fast as they scarf up bugs and other stuff along with fish food and the natural sunlight. I'm not sure a paradise fish will do well in an unheated pond and it may nip and tear up your goldfish. You can add any cooler water fish, but be aware the goldfish may eat some (like guppies and white clouds). Fancy goldfish like to be outside and I put mine out in my ponds during the summer (I bring them in in winter because of the extreme cold). Shubukin are an attractive type of goldfish that are hardy as well.

Edit: You may want to monitor water temp to see what the mean temperature hovers at. You don't want it too warm for goldfish. Watch that the paradise fish isn't nipping fins, also. If the water is over 65 (F) you could put live bears like sword tails in (the bright colors would be easier to see). If it's in full sun, you will also want to provide some shade (either in or out of the pond). Floating plants (frogbit, water lettuce, lilies) work and driftwood and/or over hanging slate also look nice as well as providing shade. changing part of the water regularly will also keep everyone happier (I have well water, and just run the hose in my upper pond and let it over flow.)
But, I would stick with either goldfish or tropical fish as you may end up with more work and trouble by mixing them.

Answer 2

Those comets are going to grow to 12-18 inches each and at that size, will require 40-50 gallons of water each. So, doing the math, for just the goldfish, you need a 160-200 gallon pond. Paradise fish are gouramis and are fairly combative, harassing and will attack other fish as well as potentially kill them. Paradise fish should only be kept with equally sized, equally aggressive fish; however, they are also excellent lone inhabitants of aquariums. They only grow to around 4", so a 30 gallon aquarium would suit it fine. So, you have a couple of problems here. One, your pond isn't big enough for the goldfish and two, you need to put your paradise fish somewhere else.

Answer 3

your pond is 47.5 US gallons, and is already overstocked. it sounds like quite a small pond? is it long or deep?

a comet goldfish can grow 12-14" long and would need at least 25 US gallons each. once the goldfish are full grown, your paradise fish runs the risk of becoming a quick snack, goldfish will generally inhale anything that fits in their mouths, this includes other fish. a paradise fish needs at least 15 US gallons for one fish. so going by that, you need at LEAST a 120 US gallon pond for these fish to thrive. and if it's a shallow pond the fish run the risk of becoming dinner to a passing bird, especially the small paradise fish.

being in australia, i'm not sure what your winter will be like? but if you're in a colder part of the country, the pond needs to be at least 3ft deep i think so the goldfish can hibernate, a paradise fish wouldn't survive the winter if the pond froze over. goldfish are coldwater, paradise fish are sub-tropical, not coldwater.

Answer 4

In an outdoor pond, I would suggest some variety of goldfish, they are not as sensitive to cold as tropicals. The rule of "thumb" on fish per gallon is 1 inch per gallon in a forced air aquarium. The number of fish in an outdoor pond will depend on many factors that have not been given. Goldfish will come to the top and skim air if the oxygen content of the water becomes too low, but if this happens often then something would need to be done to provide them with the oxygen that they need, as in an air pump or water fall to stir the water.

Answer 5

Kois & goldfish... The paradise fish might not survive or it might.. It depends how cold it get there in your pond.

Answer 6

i'm not sure what a paradise fish is but you can put about 10 to 15 more goldfish in there try differnt species of them they should be abot 1 to 2 inches tho also if you racoons or possems in the area they will eat them unless it's about 2 to 3feet deep (the pond)

Answer 7

koi fish perhaps....