Amazingly, our pond temperature is already up to 54°F! Looks like the weather is going to cool down a bit over the next three days, but I'm pretty comfortable the water temperature in the pond will stay above 50°F and then start warming up pretty dramatically.
I have two groups of black banded sunfish I got from Frank last fall. One group is in the pond and spent all winter in there, but the other group has been in an aquarium in my fishroom. It may be time to add the second group to the pond, or perhaps hold back a pair in the aquarium to see if I can get them to spawn.
Also, some Asian fish, like Badis ruber, are pretty comfortable with temperatures down to 60°F, so I need to start thinking about which non-native fish to move in the pond.
My pond's staying in 50's already, too. Koi got their 1st feeding & a big h2o change yesterday.....they're so happy! ;-)
Been thinking of getting some bristlenose to add so they can breed thru the summer, perhaps some of the reds.
Was going to add Apistos to my 15g tub, but it seems to have become the permanent residence to a pair of frogs. Not sure if they'd be able to catch & eat fish, but taking no chances.
Btw, whenever my dog happens to bark while standing near the pond, the male frog has taken to "barking" back--cracks me up every time!
Diamond tetras would work well in ponds too
Definitely Badis. Such pretty fish.
Thanks for the suggestions!
I'm sure barbs would do well in the pond. I thought about putting some Odessa barbs in last spring, but decided against it, mostly because I thought they might intimidate some of the smaller fish in the pond.
Odessa Barbs, Gold Barbs, Rosy Barbs, White Cloud minnows