Fish are great pets but believe it or not, your pond could get a little crowded, causing an imbalance in water quality. Think of it this way: the more fish you have, the more you feed your fish, the more waste (poop) is produced and the harder your plants and filtration system has to work in order to get rid of that produced waste.
Generally speaking, the maximum amount of fish you should keep in your pond is calculated by allotting for 1” of fish for every 10 gallons of water.
How to calculate the gallon size of your pond:
The calculation for actual gallons of pond water is as follows:
Ponds with rocks and gravel: Ponds with NO rocks and gravel:
Length x width x Average Depth x 3 Length x width x Average Depth x 7.5
If your pond was installed the Aquascape way and/or by the Dreamscapes install crew, the breakdown should look like this:
Size: Gallons Max Inches of Fish
4'x6' 300 30"
6'x8' 400 40"
8'x10' 500 50"
11'x11' 700 70"
11'x16' 1000 100"
16'x16' 1500 150"
16'x21' 2000 200"
So now what?
The best part about pond fish is feeding them!

BUT DID YOU KNOW that fish waste fertilizes more algae growth which requires more maintenance? It's true! If you find you can't keep up with the water balance, consider cutting back on how much or how often you feed your fish! Click here for more information about pond algae.
REMEMBER: the more you feed them, the quicker they increase in size and the more waste they produce-- so give yourself some room to grow or be prepared to up your maintenance obligation.
Koi fish and goldfish will be available at Dreamscapes Watergardens Aquatic Center mid-late April this year! For more questions or to check on availability, contact Dreamscapes today!
Dreamscapes Watergardens | 2155 State Route 343, Lebanon PA | 717-272-6555