Pointers for Choosing the Right Water Plants and Fish for Your Pond

Water plants can be designed just like your landscape. Other than the normal information of growth size and light requirements, placing water plants in the pond is like the standard landscape design for your yard.

• Use small groups of the same variety.
• Place larger plants toward the back and include a medium size and then a creeping for the front.
• Choose enough varieties of plants to give you seasonal color.
• Once you have the structure in place give yourself the gift of experimenting with new varieties to change the look each new season.

Fish in your pond is like the landscape in motion. Most people want a good balance of color and patterns. Look for a healthy fish which is fat and active with no missing eyes or fins.

• Koi come in a variety of colors and patterns and scale type
  • Colors and patterns include -Kohaku ( red and white)
    Sanke ( red white and dappled black )
    Showa (red white heavy black)
    Asagi or Shusui ( Light blue dark blue w/ red)
    Solid Yellow  -White – Red- Black-Green-
  • Scale type occur on any color or pattern
    Metalic
    Doitsu ( Leather or scale less)-
    Gin rin scale ( looks like mother of pearl)
    Matsuba ( dark outline of pine cone pattern)
• Shubunkins are a calico mix of red white black and blue
• Comets are solid red or white
• Sarasa comets are a mix of red and white pattern on the fish
• Fantail goldfish. Are calico, solid red and white , or mixed red and white

 The total number of fish is determined by the size of your and pond and the filtration.

1. Calculate the total volume of your pond. Then either A or B
   7. Divide by 7.5 for small fish that grow only to ten inches.
      ( Shubunkins, Comets, Fantail Goldfish)
   8. Divide by 10 for large fish over ten inches ( Koi and Butterfly Koi)
2. This is the total inches of fish for your pond. (nose to before the tail)
   If you calculate 100 inches of fish total for your pond Then you can buy 10 -ten inch fish or when they are full grown your pond will hold 5 -twenty inch fish
3. Adequate filtration will allow you to hold a few more fish than the total volume calculation. Additional biological filtration and frequent maintenance allow big fish to grow in small ponds.