Where to buy native fish for garden pond?
Julia Manton
with pumped cascade & cobble 'beach', no filter, flexible liner. I've
managed to source native plants & reeds (mainly - I couldn't resist a
gunnera!) for it, which are crowding out the small formal pond that I have,
ready to go in when the water settles, but can't seem to find anything but
fancy fish for sale. No-one that I've visited so far sells native minnows or
sticklebacks.
I live in Essex (near Barking) & have tried as far afield as Basildon &
North Weald for garden centres & pond centres, but still all I see are koi,
shubunkins, sterlets etc. It was suggested I buy American rosy red minnows
or rudd/roach. Does anyone know of a place in my area that does stock native
fish? There doesn't seem to be any demand for them, which is a shame.
Thanks in advance
Julia
andy roberts
<961098038.18495.0...@news.demon.co.uk> :
There's also one on the Romford Road between Ilford and Romford that sometimes
stocks unusual coldwater fish, possibly including natives.
or go fishing in the river Roding .
Andy R
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Amynthas
Manton <ju...@bradbury.demon.co.uk> writes
>I'm putting in a new garden pond this weekend - a 22' x 10' wildlife pond
>with pumped cascade & cobble 'beach', no filter, flexible liner. I've
>managed to source native plants & reeds (mainly - I couldn't resist a
>gunnera!) for it, which are crowding out the small formal pond that I have,
>ready to go in when the water settles, but can't seem to find anything but
>fancy fish for sale. No-one that I've visited so far sells native minnows or
>sticklebacks.
>
>I live in Essex (near Barking) & have tried as far afield as Basildon &
>North Weald for garden centres & pond centres, but still all I see are koi,
>shubunkins, sterlets etc. It was suggested I buy American rosy red minnows
>or rudd/roach. Does anyone know of a place in my area that does stock native
>fish? There doesn't seem to be any demand for them, which is a shame.
When we stocked our pond we used fish caught in the local canal and a
nearby mill pond by the children. The only problem with the canal fish
though is that they are often infested with fish lice (you can recognise
them as flattened lumps on the body of the fish and free swimming
flattened disks with legs up to 4 mm in diameter) and these need to be
removed with a fine artist's brush and quarantined for a while to make
sure they are free from lice.
If the pond is new you should leave it a while before adding fish. Start
of by getting some snails and other invertebrates from a nearby pond and
leave them to get established before adding the fish.
Sticklebacks are common in ponds, minnows favour flowing water.
--
Amynthas
email: amynthas'at curly' scarboro dot demon dot co dot uk
The Engine Fields - www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/engine
Kay Easton
Manton <ju...@bradbury.demon.co.uk> writes
>I'm putting in a new garden pond this weekend - a 22' x 10' wildlife pond
>with pumped cascade & cobble 'beach', no filter, flexible liner. I've
>managed to source native plants & reeds (mainly - I couldn't resist a
>gunnera!) for it, which are crowding out the small formal pond that I have,
>ready to go in when the water settles, but can't seem to find anything but
>fancy fish for sale. No-one that I've visited so far sells native minnows or
>sticklebacks.
I've never seen them for sale. I suggest you contact your local wildlife
societies and the environmental dept of your local council, and see if
there are any needing a new home - perhaps because their home pond is
under threat.
--
Kay Easton
Edward's earthworm page:
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/garden/
yoko
a Tench (called Tommy, who ate out of your hand!). I believe they are
native but grow quite big and where you get them I'm not sure. Ask at
your local aquarium shop too as rosy red minnows and other types of cold
freshwater fish are getting more popular in the hobby and they will
supply them if there is a demand.
Also there are the ever popular tadpoles, you could shove some of them in
now to get the nitrate cycle going before you add any fish.
--
yoko
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
Pete
right on this point please?
Apart from minnows and sticklebacks (minnows need cleaner water than do
sticklebacks), have you thought about rudd (bright red fins), tench (useful
bottom feeders, just don't expect to see a lot of them!) and
common/grass/mirror carp (these will grow quite big with time).
Otherwise, well done you for not straying down the "must have a koi" route.
Pete
--
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Peter Ansbro Proof-reading - adding quality for you
Website: www.the-proof-reader.co.uk
Email: pete....@virgin.net
Tel: 07974404749
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Life isn't a rehearsal - as far as we know!
Pete
They might know of local fish breeders or of fishing waters where the owner
might be glad be pass on a few fish to a happy home (not that I believe fish
to know what constitutes a happy home - or that their views are likely to be
sought!)
Pete
Moog 2000
same as the ones for native animals you may have a big problem. The
licencing laws for centres to sell native are very strict and drawn out, it
is almost impossible to sell native animals and you may have to contact MAFF
to find someone who can supply you. Hope this helps in some small way.
Moog
Julia Manton <ju...@bradbury.demon.co.uk> wrote in message
news:961098038.18495.0...@news.demon.co.uk...
> I'm putting in a new garden pond this weekend - a 22' x 10' wildlife pond
> with pumped cascade & cobble 'beach', no filter, flexible liner. I've
> managed to source native plants & reeds (mainly - I couldn't resist a
> gunnera!) for it, which are crowding out the small formal pond that I
have,
> ready to go in when the water settles, but can't seem to find anything but
> fancy fish for sale. No-one that I've visited so far sells native minnows
or
> sticklebacks.
>
> I live in Essex (near Barking) & have tried as far afield as Basildon &
> North Weald for garden centres & pond centres, but still all I see are
koi,
> shubunkins, sterlets etc. It was suggested I buy American rosy red minnows
> or rudd/roach. Does anyone know of a place in my area that does stock
native
> fish? There doesn't seem to be any demand for them, which is a shame.
>
> Thanks in advance
>
> Julia
>
>
Pete Johnson
towards
Southend, turn off left on A130 and right at first roundabout, about 100
yards up on
left. I think I saw Minnows at Summerhill/Shotgate Aquatics (on A127 before
you
get to the A130) last year but I don't think they were for sale. I've caught
stickleback
with the kids on the Chase/River Rom behind the YMCA at Roneo Corner but not
sure if you can legally take them home.
Pete
Sue & Bob Hobden
--
"Julia Manton" wrote in message ...
> I'm putting in a new garden pond this weekend - a 22' x 10' wildlife pond
> with pumped cascade & cobble 'beach', no filter, flexible liner. {{{}}},
but can't seem to find anything but
> fancy fish for sale. No-one that I've visited so far sells native minnows
or
> sticklebacks.
Minnows are fish of streams and well oxygenated clean water and are not
suitable for ponds, even one with a cascade.
>
> {{{}}}, . It was suggested I buy American rosy red minnows
> or rudd/roach {{{}}}
Rudd and Roach are native fish but go for the more colourful top feeding
Rudd over the middle water Roach which can be a bit difficult, prone to
disease etc., The Golden Rudd are even better than the silver ones.
Tench, another native, are also widely available but grow big and love
grubbing in mud for food so are not a good idea in a wildlife pond unless
you want it constantly muddy looking. Also available in golden form.
Of the fish that are not normally available...
Perch are very beautiful but are a predator and would eat larger insects and
small fish. Same with the Ruffe or Pope.
Gudgeon would make good bottom scavengers.
--
Bob
Please remove .nojunk. to reply
Julia Manton
"Julia Manton" <ju...@bradbury.demon.co.uk> wrote in message
news:961098038.18495.0...@news.demon.co.uk...
Thanks for all your comments. After a pretty exhausing day & a half, we now
have a large pond & in a week or two can begin stocking it - and have a good
idea where to go & what to put in!
I'll forgo the do-it-yourself fishing, though....
> Julia
>
>
Amynthas
<pete....@virgin.net> writes
>It's probably an offence to take fish from the wild. Can somebody put us
>right on this point please?
In the case of these fish no, since the canal permits fishing
(technically we could be accused of fishing without a licence) and the
mill pond is on the conservation area I help to manage and we allow pond
dipping (except for tadpoles/spawn).
Also the fish were part of the stock for a wildlife pond. When
we dug it 8 years back it attracted no frogs and we only ever found one
in the garden. Since then with the introduction of small amounts of
spawn over several years we've reached the point where we annually
export frog spawn to other ponds and moving stacked stone while building
the millennium terrace has to be frequently suspended while yet another
frog is rehoused in temporary pond/rock pile at the other end of the
garden (count to date is about 25).
Incidentally, has anyone got an explanation how sticklebacks got
into a newly dug pond on our conservation area. The pond is fed by
spring water only with its only link to the stream an outlet pipe 3ft
above the stream level. The obvious solution of someone adding them
seems unlikely since, within 12 months they were very numerous.
Anthony Frost
Amynthas <nzla...@fpneobeb.qrzba.pb.hx> wrote:
> Incidentally, has anyone got an explanation how sticklebacks got
> into a newly dug pond on our conservation area. The pond is fed by
> spring water only with its only link to the stream an outlet pipe 3ft
> above the stream level. The obvious solution of someone adding them
> seems unlikely since, within 12 months they were very numerous.
Probably as eggs either attached to plants added to the pond, or stuck
to birds flying from pond to pond. With few predators in the new pond to
start with, a higher proportion of the eggs would hatch and reach
maturity.
Anthony