If you work in a fish shop, you might get asked this question a lot. “What sorts of fish can I put in my pond?”, “What are cold water fish?” and “which fish do not require a heater?”
There are some native fish such as the Pygmy perch and tandanus catfish. There are imported ornamental fishes such as the various Danios (zebra, leopard and pearl) and White Cloud Mountain minnows. And what else?
I came across the Department of Fisheries’ website on locations of feral fishes (http://freshwater.fish.wa.gov.au/default.aspx?st3) in relation to Perth. From the links provided I was able to find that there is more than the goldfish and koi that you can actually stock in your outdoor pond. I was a little surprised to find that some of the ‘tropical’ fishes can survive our winters.
A list of the various species of feral fishes found in water bodies around Perth include:
- Convict Cichlid (Amatitlania nigrofasciata)
- Pearl Cichlid (Geophagus brasiliensis)
- Common Carp & Koi (Cyprinus carpio)
- Goldfish (Carassius auratus)
- Rosy Barb (Puntius conchonius)
- Silver Perch (Bidyanus bidyanus)
- Mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki)
- Speckled Mosquitofish, One-spot Livebearer (Phalloceros caudimaculatus)
- Swordtail (Xiphophorus helleri)
- Redfin Perch (Perca fluviatilis)
Note that some of the species may be considered noxious and should not be kept, and should be reported. See the list here – http://www.fish.wa.gov.au/Sustainability-and-Environment/Aquatic-Biosecurity/Translocations-Moving-Live-Fish/Pages/Noxious-Banned-Fish.aspx
