Fish and Livestock for Your Garden Ponds available at Elmer's

Elmer's specializes in healthy livestock for your pond.  We get weekly shipments directly from some of the countries best sources of pond goldfish and koi.  We have been selling and learning about pond fish since 1969.
Fish Tips:
*  Fish provide a colorful accent and necessary function in most ponds
*  Fish help control insects by eating larvae and eggs in the water
*  Fish eat much of the algae, worms, and bugs that would otherwise accumulate in pond
*  A water pump and filter system is important to assure proper oxygen levels.
*  Feed your fish once a day during the summer.  Use a floating pellet such as Tetra Floating Goldfish food sticks
*  Observe your fish during feeding time.  Feed as much as they will eat in 5 minutes.  Do not add extra food
*  Stock new ponds gradually over a 2-4 week period.

Goldfish:  Goldfish come in many sizes.  They get along well together and you can buy them in groups.  Over the course of a few years they will grow to about 12".  If you have them for at least a year or two they will probably breed in your pond in April or May.  Just let nature take its course and many of the young will survive and grow.  Goldfish need lots of oxygen so be sure to have a water pump with a fountain head for aeration.   We stock domestic grown goldfish that are shipped in weekly from specialty farms in North Carolina and Arkansas.   Feed a floating pellet food about once a day.   (Avoid buying goldfish that are sold as feeders- they are not appropriate for ponds.)

Shubunkin Goldfish:  This is a calico variety of goldfish.  They are very popular.

Koi:  Koi can grow to about 18".  They are related to goldfish, and have been bred for color, especially when viewed from the top.  You can mix koi with similar size goldfish, but Koi do best when the entire pond is all Koi.  Koi are very hardy and will survive the winter as long as the pond is 24" deep.  They will often breed in the spring.  Feed a floating Koi pellet food.
Koi like to eat greens, and will often eat  floating plants such as water lettuce and hyancinths.  In specialty Koi ponds algae control can be accomplished with U.V. sterilizers, or water darkening tonics.

Channel Cats:  These very hardy fish are quick growing.  They can reach about 12" in a year or two.  They are very hardy.

Tadpoles:  These are interesting additions to the pond.  In the spring they will graze on algae on the sides of pond.  As they mature and grow legs they will need a lily pad or floating plant to rest on.  If you have some mud on the bottom they will hibernate over the winter.

Snails:  We sale a variety of snails that are pond-safe.  They will graze on algae along the sides, and make a nice addition to the pond.

Mussels:  These freshwater mussels settle on the bottom of the pond.  They help to filter out floating algae.

Black Mollies:  These fish will live during the summer months of June through August.  Other tropical fish that you can put in the pond during the summer are gouramis, white clouds, moons, and swordtails.

[Garden Pond Dept]