240 gallon Ideas

[FishGuy97]

There is a pretty high chance that I am going to build a 4ft by 4ft by 2(somewhere around 2 feet deep) and was wondering what freshwater fish would be good for a 240 gallon. I was thinking of a Jaguar Cichlid..

 

[Backfromthedead]

This would be a small pond right? Not a tank? If its a 4x4 outdoor pond I'm going goldfish, maybe a couple dozen shubunkin. Cichlids are not particularly impressive when viewed from above imo, and if im not mistaken most parachromis prefer hard, warm water which may not be the easiest to maintain in an outdoor pond.

A Jardini Arowana could be interesting if you really wanted to go tropical instead of goldfish, but I've never actually seen one kept in a pond.

 

[Kelly_Aquatics]

4x4 might be a little tight for a jardini if it is a pond a group rice fish or fancy goldfish would be cool and if it’s tropical a group of butterfly fish would look cool

 

[FishGuy97]

This is isn't tropical but what about a yellow perch

 

[Bluesandtwo]

Most fish that we keep on aquariums look rubbish from above (a big exception being arowana). However fancy goldfish look better from above than from the side in my opinion.

I'd get some large fan tail / butterfly tail fancy goldfish. Would look amazing against the black pond liner too.

 

[Bluesandtwo]

 

[duanes]

This is isn't tropical but what about a yellow perchView attachment 1483567

Where do you live? What country? What State? Does it get cold?
Is it an outdoor, or indoor pond?
Here are some carpintus cichlids as seen from above, to help illustrate some comments in posts above.

https://hosting.photobucket.com/albums/i97/dstuer/Herichthys%20carpintus%20complex/.highres/IMG_4827_zpsba5230c2.jpg?width=450&height=278&crop=fill

Below
Some Mayaheros uropthalmus as seen from above, in a Cenote in Mexico

https://hosting.photobucket.com/albums/i97/dstuer/Mexico/Azul/.highres/fractionation082213004_zpsf416e5b0.jpg?width=1920&height=1080&fit=bounds

Now.....the reason certain fish that were developed over centuries, and are chosen for pond viewing from above,

https://hosting.photobucket.com/albums/i97/dstuer/pond/koi%20and%20goldfish/.highres/IMG_3466_zpsb05a8dc8.jpg?width=1920&height=1080&fit=bounds

 

[The Masked Shadow]

Cichlids are not that impressive from above. Small species of Bass or Sunfish would be good.

 

[duanes]

Since the most common danger to most fish in nature comes as a threat from above in the form of birds, this easily explains the coloring strategy of wild fish.
Here is a video of the M uropthalmus in my post above, as seen from the side.
The video was taken also in Cenote Azul in Mexico.