Types of fish in a duck pond?

[Indyrun]

We are in the process of building a pond. I want to put some fish in it but concerned that either a: the ducks will demolish in one sitting or b: the fish will grow to big and snap at my babies feet!
What is a good fish for the ducks to enjoy and live in harmony with the fishies???

 

[Amiga]

That is a tough question. The think I get stuck on is how are you going to keep the water clean enough for the fish to breathe?

 

[Indyrun]

That is a tough question.  The think I get stuck on is how are you going to keep the water clean enough for the fish to breathe?

Didn't quite think of that... But we are getting a pump and a sucker.

 

[Amiga]

I think part of the design needs to consider the number of ducks. If it were me, I would have the ducks first and then if I could keep up with keeping the pond reasonably clean, would try some fish. I would look into fish that don't need pristine water. Maybe rosy red minnows? Carp seem to be okay from what I read, but some of them can get big, and there is your concern for the safety of the ducks. Hmmmm.

 

[Kevin565]

How large is the pond going to be? It's possible for them to coexist but it's quite hard to keep conditions stable enough for most fish.

 

[Indyrun]

Ok thanks guys.
I've only got two ducks as I'm a city flicker and have them just as pets.

They are living inside at the moment and are 1 month old. I have a little pool for them and they spent most of yesterday in it!

The pond size will be about 3 by 4 metres, with a deep and shallow end. We are also getting a pump and filter.

 

[StruckBy]

I second doing the ducks first & seeing how clean you can keep the water (clean as in ammonia/nitrites not dirt). You will need a MAJOR filter system, preferably a lot of duck resistant aquatic plants, & at least weekly water changes to keep fish alive in that size pond. Your best bet will be regular comet goldfish (aka feeder fish). Plecos (aka sucker fish) are actually pretty sensitive to ammonia, which is normal for scaleless fish species. They are also a tropical fish so won't generally overwinter (yes, I know, there is an exception for everything). Plecos, contrary to popular belief, don't eat waste. They eat vegetable matter including most types of algae, dead fish, & the fish food your other fish get. Live plants will really help with ammonia, the faster growing (like water hyacinth) the better but ducks are hard on plants.

You'll have to share pictures of what you end up with!

 

[birdnerd99]

Try some gold fish that are on the bigger side. You can get them all over the place and in different colors.

 

[tracyjg]

We our in the process also and looking for resources on what kind of fish to put in pond. We our trying to see if we can get two wild birds near buy us. We want to try.whats needed.

 

[tmorgan46]

Our friends bring over some of their over producing guppies on a regular basis. I clean the pool or make sure it's clean before they arrive. The small fish are typically gone before they have a chance to suffer temperature or cloudy water shock. I've read a few different threads where some keep fish in a side tank or in the swirly filter and they eat a good amount of the "goop" you and I wouldn't find palatable...
Just sayin

Troy & Tina