Fish for backyard ponds

Fish are an excellent addition to any pond as they help to balance out the ecosystem by feeding on small insects and algae. The waste the fish produce then provide vital nutrients for plants and microorganisms as their food, which is part of the Nitrogen Cycle (a multi-step process that breaks down waste in the pond into usable components for plants to use as food).

Beyond the balance to the ecosystem of a natural pond, fish are also wonderful to simply watch, and feeding them is a joy.

There is a huge range of fish that can be used in a pond, from simple goldfish to an abundance of native fish varieties.

The fish I recommend for Australian backyard ponds include Murray River Rainbowfish, Pygmy Perch, Australian Smelt, Common Galaxias (Common Jollytail) and Gold Fish. If you have a very large pond, or even a dam there are other larger varieties that might suit that better such as Golden or Silver Perch.

I’ve prepared a simple table as a starting point to help you choose which variety might be best for your pond, download the list here.