Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
cowgirl_kitkatt

starter fish

cowgirl_kitkatt
11 years ago

what are the best fish to start out with? (low budget)

Comments (10)

  • annedickinson
    11 years ago

    How big is your pond and how deep? I see you are in Oklahoma so your area is probably HOT AND DRY. You will want depth and shade to keep fish alive.

    Shubunkins (white background with red, blue, black, yellow splotches) and comets (orange with white fins) are good starter fish. Fan-tailed goldfish are great too.

    They are colorful and it is fun to feed them. They run anywhere from $4.00 to $8.00 for young fish depending on where you shop for them.

    Trust me, you don't need to start with very many. They reproduce easily!!!!!!!!! I started with 2 and had 40 that survived the winter.

    You can get feeder goldfish for about 10 for $1.00 or even cheaper. However they are not always very healthy and some will die. Some people have been very happy with their feeder fish.

    If you have a really large pond, Koi are fun to have - they do need lots of space. And you can get them for under $10 at most pond places. They will be small to start with but will grow. For fun watch Cliff and Joann's videos on YouTube. They are so much fun to watch and show Koi in action as well as an ideal pond.

    Good luck

    Here is a link that might be useful: Cliff and Joann on YouTube

  • monet_g
    11 years ago

    This year, I had to restock my pond due to a malfunction. I shopped around the the local aquarium stores as many of them carry pond fish during the summer. Look for price and HEALTH. I was able to find 3-4 inch koi for about $6. Within a month they have nearly doubled in size. My pond is about 3,000 gals and I do feed the fish well.

  • aladatrot
    11 years ago

    If you like livebearers, I'm really digging my Creamsicle Mollies. They are Orange and stand out against the dark bottom and sides as goldfish do. That means they are easy to see. I bought three, and they had already produced babies the first afternoon I put them in the pond. I don't mind the whole livebearer thing though because I can fish out my babies and give them away or let them go live in my big ponds. Mollies are native to my area, although not the pretty Orange ones.

    Another neat livebearer I saw at the watergarden supply was a sailfin Molly. Had irridescent markings that really caught your eye in the pond. Plus, they sell males only so you get all the pretty without any of the population boom.

    Cheers
    M

  • adriennemb2
    11 years ago

    Geez, wouldn't that be great if you could always buy just either all-female or all-male goldfish....

  • diggery
    11 years ago

    Lol @ adriennemb.
    I hear ya!

  • cowgirl_kitkatt
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    i got two guppies and hope they reproduce. the water stays about a foot deep so im hoping to find something that i can bring in in the winter and will reproduce

  • buyorsell888
    11 years ago

    a foot deep? that is awfully shallow for fish even tropical fish as it will get extremely hot in summer....

  • cowgirl_kitkatt
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    i bought 2 little guppies a month and a half ago and now i think i have 200!!! have to find a tank for winter now

  • annedickinson
    11 years ago

    LOL Cowgirl they sure can reproduce!!!! They are fun to watch though. Glad you are having fun with your new pond.

  • garyfla_gw
    11 years ago

    Hi
    Wouldn't it be even better if you could tell the boys from the girls with GF??
    Aladatrot Don't get your hopes up. Recently read some documention of live bearers actually changing sexlol Not only changing sex but changing back . The study was on swordtails . had always suspected that but was never able to prove it lol gary