Question
Hi Eric,

I am in the process of building a nice water feature into my patio - all work in progress at this point. I am nearing the end of the water feature and would like to get some thoughts on what types of plants and fish I can stock and how many. The dimensions are 2' deep and 6' x 3.5' built out of cement block with liner. It will be 300 gallon total. I have looked at fish briefly and will be stocking it within the next month or so. Any advice or rules of thumb on how many and what types would be greatly appreciated. I apologize that I don't have any direct questions, but would be happy with any info you can give me. I live in North Texas which is a fairly warm dry environment.

Thanks!
Drew


Answer
Hey Drew I will just give you a general outline. I wouldn't put more than 6 fish in it. They will breed then you will have more fish and the bigger they get the more oxygen they use and they will eventually die. I love water lilies and water Iris. Stay away from any lettuce they take over the pond. Koi are good , I don't know where you live so I don't know the climate. Koi are not to smart when it comes to being eaten. Goldfish is what I have and they are a lot more aware of predators. I live in the woods so I have coons who are very good fisherman. They always get my Koi but not the goldfish. The choice is really up to you just remember to clean the bottom of the pond every year and to not get a lot of fish in it. Most of the questions I get are fish dying and it is almost always because they have to many fish in there pond. Hope I helped Eric