Pond stolking

[Fishstuff45]

I im building a 500 gallon pond and wanted to now what fish i could put in it. Its dimensions are 8ft long 4ft wide and 2ft deep.

 

[chagoi]

wakin,shubunkin,comets to many to name. I would only put fancy's (fat) if you can cover the pond with a net & bring them in the cold. Don't slop the sides brids want to eat you fish.

NO KOI

 

[DragonFish71]

wakin,shubunkin,comets to many to name. I would only put fancy's (fat) if you can cover the pond with a net & bring them in the cold. Don't slop the sides brids want to eat you fish.

NO KOI

Why do you suggest no koi?

We've got beautiful koi that have survived our winters, haven't tried to jump, nor have been bothered by birds.

 

[glassbird]

Way, way, too small for koi. They will outgrow it size-wise (and filter-wise) very quickly. And then you will join the ranks of people who are trying to give away fish to a "good home". The fish mentioned by chagoi are good choices.

How cold does it get in the winter where you live? Is the pond likely to freeze? Is this a hard-sided pond, or mud bottomed?

 

[glassbird]

Unless you live in a warm part of the world, at only 2 feet deep, I would expect the pond to freeze all the way to the bottom. Very few fish can survive that.

My two ponds are each 2 feet deep (100 gallons each). They are frozen blocks of ice for 3-4 months. I bring all my fish in and overwinter them in a 100 gallon Rubbermaid stock tank.

 

[Koikid88]

Unless you live in a warm part of the world, at only 2 feet deep, I would expect the pond to freeze all the way to the bottom. Very few fish can survive that.
.

Pardon me if this is a dumb question, but what fish can survive being frozen in ice?


Where do you live? I'm guessing your winters drop below 0 C. All you need to do to winterize the pond in order to keep fish alive is keep an air hole present in the ice to allow gas exchange. Allows oxygen in, while releasing toxic gases. Best bet is to keep a submerged pump running, agitating the surface, with a pond de-icer right in the water flow. Your pond being 8', I'd suggest 2 smaller deicers on either end. With that being said, I'd recommend at least 3' depth in some parts of the pond. Why not have one end, or the middle, a nice deep section around 4-5'? Your fish will love it, and will be protected too. 2' is very accessible to critters like raccoons and herons. (I had problems with raccoons teaming up and making traps for my fish. This summer the only problem I had was a **** squirrel. Kept going in garbages, finding bread slices, eats half while leaving the rest on my waterfall where it eventually falls into the pond and my fish get bloated from eating all that bread.)


Now to answer your question lol
Go for koi if you want, why not. Buy them small, and rarely feed them protein pellets. The less protein, the longer they take to grow. Just feed them vitamin pellets/flakes for colour enhancement, just give them protein treats. You won't be able to keep a full grown one, that's certain, but you can keep them to a decent size in 500g as long as your bioload can handle it. (I'm assuming you understand all that). Seeing as carp have a lot of waste production, even more with protein diets.

Like glassfish said, some of those other golds could work. I wouldn't keep the fancies outside for winter though.

If you live in warmer climates, you could look into flagfish, although 500g is a bit tight for them.
You could keep banded fasciatus if you have consistent warm temps, or a few other tropical fish like certain hardy cichlids.
There's quite a few different types of minnows that look very cool when you have a lot and see them schooling. Would look good in a shallow pond, many different colours of minnows too.

 

[chagoi]

Why do you suggest no koi?

We've got beautiful koi that have survived our winters, haven't tried to jump, nor have been bothered by birds.

I have Koi they grow very large. A few 30" koi in a 500 GAL pond not good. Why stunt them buy a small fish. A koi is a great fish & can live over 200 years. Be nice.

 

[glassbird]

Pardon me if this is a dumb question, but what fish can survive being frozen in ice?

I was being facetious. I am not aware of any fish that can survive being frozen in ice, especially for several months.

Where do you live? I'm guessing your winters drop below 0 C. All you need to do to winterize the pond in order to keep fish alive is keep an air hole present in the ice to allow gas exchange. Allows oxygen in, while releasing toxic gases. Best bet is to keep a submerged pump running, agitating the surface, with a pond de-icer right in the water flow. Your pond being 8', I'd suggest 2 smaller deicers on either end. With that being said, I'd recommend at least 3' depth in some parts of the pond. Why not have one end, or the middle, a nice deep section around 4-5'? Your fish will love it, and will be protected too. 2' is very accessible to critters like raccoons and herons.

These are all excellent points, especially about the 2 foot depth being a problem with fish-eating wildlife.

Now to answer your question lol
Go for koi if you want, why not. Buy them small, and rarely feed them protein pellets. The less protein, the longer they take to grow. Just feed them vitamin pellets/flakes for colour enhancement, just give them protein treats. You won't be able to keep a full grown one, that's certain, but you can keep them to a decent size in 500g as long as your bioload can handle it. (I'm assuming you understand all that). Seeing as carp have a lot of waste production, even more with protein diets.

What you are describing is deliberately stunting the growth of a fish! That is unkind, unhealthy, and unnecessary. There are many other choices for pond fish of sizes (and growth potential) that will do nicely in a pond. (I am struggling to find a nicer way to disagree with you here, but failing.)

Like glassfish (glassfish? I want to change my name to Glassfish! Can I do that?) said, some of those other golds could work. I wouldn't keep the fancies outside for winter though.

If you live in warmer climates, you could look into flagfish, although 500g is a bit tight for them.
You could keep banded fasciatus if you have consistent warm temps, or a few other tropical fish like certain hardy cichlids.
There's quite a few different types of minnows that look very cool when you have a lot and see them schooling. Would look good in a shallow pond, many different colours of minnows too.

I am hoping that the OP can give us some additional information about the pond. More info may assist all of us to be more helpful.