Big Enough For Fish?

[**sarahp**]

We are having our garden re-vamped at the moment and we are having a water feature put in. The original plan was that it would just be water and reeds but I'm wondering if it big enough/suitable for fish - it'll be 200cm by 100cm by 50cm. There will be a pump and a filter (if it has fish) and reeds - will it be ok or do we stick with the original plan of water and plants only?

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

Hmm its not really deep enough for most types of fish, goldfish do best in a pond of at least 3ft depth while large fish like koi need at least 4ft deep. If you make it deeper, you should be able to keep goldfish in it though.
However as it currently is you might be able to keep some sticklebacks or some other very small native fish in there, although i'm not sure how they'd cope during the winter as shallow ponds can get very cold during wintertime and are more prone to quick fluctuations in temp, which can be stressful for fish.

 

[JamieBailie]

A shoal White of Cloud Mountain Minnows would be fine in there. I would be worried about birds and such in a shallow pond like that!

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

A shoal White of Cloud Mountain Minnows would be fine in there. I would be worried about birds and such in a shallow pond like that!

White Cloud Mountain Minnows aren't true coldwater fish (they are sub-tropical) and will die if exposed to freezing temps during the wintertime.