What fish can I have in my backyard pond?

[Exotics lair]

I'm in southern Ontario and I was wondering what I can have in my backyard pond besides goldfish?
I'm just waiting for spring so that I can get fish for my backyard pond. PS my pond is about 239 gallons

 

[CassCats]

Rosie red minnows are a good bet!

Unfortunately natives are illegal here, so no luck on that front. And hobby fish are limited that can handle our winters. So goldfish are one or Rosie red minnows, which are just bluntnose minnows

 

[Uberhoust]

I keep 2 goldfish in one of my ponds, and rosy red minnows (fat head minnows) in the other, both ponds are similar size to yours. The minnows reproduce themselves. Where I live it does not get as cold or as hot as it likely does in Ontario so you might need aeration in the winter or some way of keeping the water from icing up too much, or some way to keep the water cooler in the summer. The rosy minnows have been kept this way now for over 30 years. I clean the ponds every spring but otherwise they are not maintained. For the minnows there is high predation from birds and snakes.

 

[GaryE]

The pond should be at least 3 foot deep to overwinter fish in. Shallow ponds freeze all the way.

 

[Uberhoust]

FYI deeper ponds are generally better for the fish but if you do not have a proper fencing you could have a liability issue. In many areas ponds greater than 2' deep are considered a drowning hazard for children and require a tall fence.