Rewilding My Lot

I have no intention of having an elaborate collection of fish in my pond — that’s not its purpose. However, having some fish present might help to reproduce at least some of the biology that naturally happens in streams.

I have added six little Western Mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis) to the pond, chosen because of their diet: zooplankton, small insects and insect larvae, and detritus material.

The procedure for adding the fish was as follows:

• Float the bag supplied by the store in the pond for 20 minutes. I chose to do that in the area where the skimmer/pump is so that I could easily retrieve it again.

• Open the bag and pour the contents through a net into a bowl.
• Transfer the fish from the net to the pond. Discard the store water onto the garden.

I was able to take a couple of quick photos of the fish before they dispersed. They are so small that I may never see them again! Even full sized they will only be 4-7 cm (females larger than males) and there are plenty of crevices among the stones in which to hide.

To provide an additional fish shelter option, I used a piece of 6-inch drainage pipe and some extra stones to make a “fish hide” in the center of the pond. That at least will give them some sun protection.