I have a couple of current container water features and a pond planned. I'd like to add some (small, like minnows) fish just for the summer, and let them go in the creek outside my house in the fall because they won't survive over winter in the above ground feature but the creek flows freely through the winter and empties into a large protected wetland network of streams that does not freeze solid--so I don't want to introduce invasives into the environment, and I don't want to kill anything.

Is this...a thing? Last year some snails somehow came in with the alocasia and papyrus and they have done a good job of keeping the containers clean. They might even be responsible for the miraculous fact that they survived a New England living room winter.
I don't know if they're invasive, nor do I have any idea at all how they got into the containers (the containers are far from the creek). Maybe they came over when I bought the plants from the water garden store.

I thought fish might make for a happier ecosystem in the containers (the other containers aren't fully deployed but some will be buried in the ground and some perched around the yard in garden beds.)

I'm going to build a larger pond this summer and in that case would dig beneath the frost line so I think fish would survive, but would still need to keep an eye on overpopulation unless predators naturally kept the population in check.

Anyway: the container gardens are in dappled sun or shade. Plenty of delicious mosquito larvae to eat.

Zone 5b, Western MA. Master Gardener, fish novice. Organic gardener.

Hello there!

Minnows sound like they'd be great for your pond. Minnows are some of the best fish for all types of ponds, because of a) how small they are, and b) they can handle warm water temperatures. Largemouth Bass and obviously Koi are other great options, but not for a small pond. Perhaps when you make your bigger pond you could add some of those into there, or if you're not wanting fish that big, you could go with some bluegill. All three work great if you have water deeper than two feet.

Thanks Johannian.

Anyone know a source for small native fish?

EmpressOfIndia said:Anyone know a source for small native fish?

If you mean native to your area, then I would say a nearby pond/lake which you know has minnows would be a great source. Straight from the wild is great.

Not native here, but here is my story.
How large are the containers, about how many gallons? Years ago I picked up Paradise fish/Macropodus opercularis for our small pond. They are tough little fish and can take a bit of a cooler temperature. And they are Anabantids, meaning they don't need super aeration, they take the oxygen from the air. I took them inside in the Fall into an aquarium. Very pretty fish too, blue and red.
Nowadays we have a ca 700 gallon pond in the backyard, I started the fish population with my grandchildren's pet fish/a 50 cent feeder fish from the store. We added a pretty red Comet and have now a good population of red and gold mixed Goldfish. They have overwintered outside with the help of a heater for 5 years, I think. I have a screen over the pond, without it they would surely be dinner for the animal population here.

Ursula said: Not native here, but here is my story.
How large are the containers, about how many gallons? Years ago I picked up Paradise fish/Macropodus opercularis for our small pond. They are tough little fish and can take a bit of a cooler temperature. And they are Anabantids, meaning they don't need super aeration, they take the oxygen from the air. I took them inside in the Fall into an aquarium. Very pretty fish too, blue and red.
Nowadays we have a ca 700 gallon pond in the backyard, I started the fish population with my grandchildren's pet fish/a 50 cent feeder fish from the store. We added a pretty red Comet and have now a good population of red and gold mixed Goldfish. They have overwintered outside with the help of a heater for 5 years, I think. I have a screen over the pond, without it they would surely be dinner for the animal population here.

Good info, Ursula! I'm the old-school type, I just grab some popular pond fish, throw 'em in the pond and hope it works out, lol.

Johannian, we did that one year, before the goldfish, we threw in a few small Sunnies. We never saw them, super shy! I thought they had died over the Winter. But no, they were totally fine. We moved them back out to the local river.

I know its almost a year since this was posted, but I'd like to add my take.

Adding fish back into native streams after you've had them in a pond would most likely be frowned upon by your Fish and Wildlife officials. You could be introducing them to diseases and parasites from your plants which would then get into your stream. Even taking fish out live (which is illegal in NJ, unless you have a permit) and keeping them for a summer and returning would be questionable. Ursula's idea of the Paradise Fish is much better. I use White Cloud Mountain Fish. I bring them into an aquarium over winter. They don't need heat over winter in any home. They should breed for you as well as long as you have floating plants like Hornwort or Ceratophyllum.

Ohh, those are cute little Minnows!
In retrospect, the Sunnies were not a good idea! But in our defense, the pond had been totally empty and scrubbed out that Fall.
Unfortunately nowadays we can't empty and scrub the pond any longer every Fall as we used to do. The Goldfish population got a bit too large, I wish someone would pick some up for they own private pond. This was a couple of days ago, I like to feed them from the deck/upstairs, so I can observe them better.




I just found my old thread....
The thread "A new pond" in Ponds and Water Gardening forum

Now I am curious @EmpressofIndia - did you find your fish and add them?

Looks like she hasn't been online in six months, unfortunately.