Exotic fish for outdoor pond uk

[Plecostmus 1234]

I am interested in making an exotic fish pond I live in the uk so I will bring them inside in the winter but what can live outside in the winter also I may add a heater outside if requires please feel free to share any ideas all help is appreciated

I am yet to decide on the pond size so for any fish/other creatures that you suggest could you tell me what size pond they would need

 

[Fishman Dave]

Here in the uk it does very much depend where abouts in the country you are vs the severity of the weather. That said, most winters will at some point get below 10 degrees, often well below and it’s not uncommon to have frozen water. As such, keeping anything tropical outside is a no go unless you plan to spend an absolute fortune on heating, and then why would you when you could build the same pond inside a building and heat the building.
As for what could live outside in a UK summer (4-6 months of the year probably max) then there are a number of options, although I would probably stick to temperate fish rather than tropical ones as even with a heater, the weather cannot be trusted.

 

[Plecostmus 1234]

Ok thanks

 

[duanes]

I used to live in Wisconsin where even summer temps fluctuate wildly, and kept many species outside spring thru fall.
That said, I found species from northern Mexico, or southern S America (Uruguay, Argentina, southern Brazil) were the safest bets temp wise, because these places have similar temp swings. (85'F one day, 60'F the next).
Fish from Korea, or China would also work, although I have little personal experience with those.
The larger and deeper the pond the easier to maintain stable temps.
I also had problems with raccoons, so pond at least 2 ft deep, with sheer sides was needed.

One thing to consider is most wild type fish, become nearly invisible in ponds, and is the reason colorful koi and goldfish were developed.
They can actually be seen.

above Uruguayan cichlid in a pond (the photo was torqued (edited) quite a bit to bring the cichlid into view)
Below koi and goldfish.


In the shot above, there are perhaps 50 cichlids in the pond.

 

[Fishman Dave]

Great advice.

Good weeks in the area of uk I live, can see day temperatures of 82 degrees and night temperatures of 60 degrees however these are the odd good weeks. More usual temperatures in the 4-6 “summer” months have day temps of 72 and night temps of 50 degrees. That’s not that the water will drop to 50 over one night of course (in a pond).
But these are the temps I am thinking for visible pond stock (other than the obvious cold water fish) but I struggle to think of many visible choices for this range which can be brought in and housed happily in tanks over winter.
If the op is in the south the temperatures may be a little higher.

 

[Plecostmus 1234]

If temperatures fluctuate lots then is there any sort of exotic coldwater fish I could have

 

[Deadeye]

If temperatures fluctuate lots then is there any sort of exotic coldwater fish I could have

Sturgeon is pretty cool but you are going to need quite a large tank/pond.

 

[Plecostmus 1234]

What size would you be thinking could you give me pond dimensions and litre also could anyone give me information about sterlet(basically sturgeon) and axolotl also I would like to have the tank filled with slightly odder fish so what could live with these fish in a pond also if I were to go through with the plan I would like it to be above ground

 

[The Masked Shadow]

Starlet need to be fed 3 times a day. thebiggerthebetter would know more.

 

[Fishman Dave]

Sterlet will grow to around 3ft in 5 years and the largest I have seen to date in the uk was 4.5 ft. As for pond size you will need something around 10ft x 10ft to house some long term and around 1800 UK gallons(minimum) in my opinion.
As for feeding, mine are fed once every couple of days with sinking pellets.
Sterlet are of course ideal for the uk weather as they like cold water, in fact they don’t want water too warm.
Albino sterlet tend to grow slightly slower and smaller but not much.