pond fish

[markbugman]

I would like to put some native fish into my pond and was looking for Minnows (Phoxinus phoxinus ) and 3 Spined Stickleback ( Gasterosteus aculeatus )but have no idea where I could buy some . Does anyone know if they are available to buy as I believe its illegal to remove them from the wild.
Regards
Mark

[GCN lova]

hi

pet shops dont really sell sticklebacks because they need to be proven that they were bred. its not illegal as far as i know to catch a few sticklebacks and keep them in your pond. minnows like streams better so i wouldnt move them.

GCN lova

[Littlesparrow]

How big is your pond? if its big i'm sure you can buy trout.

[Kayleigh]

You can buy tench..

[yorkieuk]

I would recommond going down to your local river or stream and you should be able to catch a few with a little net.

[King Edward]

There are legal restrictions on stocking lakes etc., but I'm not sure these are very relevant to small garden ponds. I'm not sure whether it's strictly legal, but I'd say it would be better to fish a few Stickleback out of the nearest stream than to buy in non-local stock from who knows where.

Before that, though, if the pond is primarily to attract wildlife then it would be better without any fish at all, native or not, since they are particularly effective at eating their way through the other pond wildlife. Fish-free ponds are generally more interesting.

[tom00_uk]

tench and trout need a fair amount of water and in the case of the trout high oxygen levels

a lot of shops sell natives, though it will be hard to say if they are pond breed for sale or wild collections

a good place to look is Recent Listed & Updated Adverts - Aquarist Classifieds Recent Listed & Updated Adverts you can search for species and home breeders as well as retail outlets use it to move stock

[JohanJ]

Is it really illegal to go grab some sticklebacks? Good grief, what is the world coming to. I did so years ago and they've entertained my kids for years.

Sticklebacks are great fun, watching them make nests, be aggressive, the red colours on the male, babies. I've never had any shortage of wildlife with sticklebacks whatsoever and in fact they probably promoted diversity (grass snakes coming to eat them, dragonfly larvae)

Don't go for trout, they need good conditions. Tench, on the other hand, are virtually indestructable however disastrous a pondkeeper you are (personal experience). You might not see much of them because they tend to mooch about in the depths rather than being a surface fish.

The legal restrictions on lakes don't always apply to ponds but do in some cases. ie rosy minnow, illegal in UK full stop.

[GCN lova]

sticklebacks will eat pretty much anything smaller than them; newt larvae, daphnia, blood worms, tadpoles, etc. you shouldnt introduce them to wildlife ponds because:

1) they will eat smaller animals

2) their waste can cause algal blooms because they can breed very fast

3) they may arrive on their own accord

[markbugman]

Thanks for all the replies.
I think i will go back to my childhood and make a minnow trap out of a bottle.
I have a fish pond with tench/rudd and silver bream in , the sticklebacks were going to go in a new wildlife pond when ready and the minnows into the fish pond.
Thanks for all the advice
Mark