35 gallon peanut pond newbie advise

I have begun my first experimental pond. It is a 35 gallon prefab. I want fish and plants but I need to know...

A. What kind and how many fish are best in this small pond? I got a good pump and filter and plan to use an aquarium heater for the winter. it can get really hot in the summer though and I noticed there are a lot of "cold water" goldfish.

AND

B. What plants would be best? I have a fountain and i heard lilies don't like moving water, I would like a small lily type plant and maybe some kind of grass to hang on the side. Of course the plants would have to be "fish safe"

I've been reading everything I can on ponds and am a little overwhelmed so advise from people with experience is appreciated because I know from gardening the best way to learn is through trial and error.

I'd like to try to skip as much of the error part as possible :D

Another view... A lot of work yet to do but this is a start.

fluterbyte....Because of the size, you will not be able to have koi, which can get to 2 foot in size. 2 - 3 smaller goldfish will be fine. They come in a variety of colors aside from the normal orange. Shubunkins look like koi with their calico colors, as do sarassa which are white and reddish/orange. Also because of the size, I would go with an upright plant, that comes out of the water. Water Iris, canna, horestail rush, and umbrella palm are all good upright plants that add character and texture to your pond, without taking up much of the limited underwater space. Keep them contained in their pots.

Since the pond is small and shallow you may have trouble keeping goldfish in it during the hot summer months if it is located in full sun. Goldfish ideally like a temp of 60-70 F.
The sun can really heat up the water on a 100 day. Normally in a pond the depth will keep the fish cool. Most goldfish ponds should be minimum of 2 feet and 3 is ideal in order to help keep the temp from fluctuating too quickly. You might try some hardy minnows or maybe a couple of fantail goldshish which I *think* can take warmer temps. They probably are not has cold hardy though. Which brings me to the heater. I don't know what you have to use to heat in the winter, but you are likely going to pay a fortune on your electric bill.
The pond is probably not deep enough to ever winter pond lilies. I would try cannas or elephant ears that are potted (those get large and could offer some shade to your fish), and then bring them in to over winter. You can get dwarf cannas that only get 2-3 feet or regular cannas can get 4-7 feet. Common goldfish can get 6 or 8 inches long, so you shouldn't get more than 2 or 3 for 35 gallons.

It's a little late in the season to acclimate pet store goldfish to the outdoors. It might be better to wait until next spring. An aquarium heater will not carry a pond, even a 35 gal one, through a zone 5 winter. Fish in winter need a hole in the ice for gasses to escape. There are deicers sold just for this purpose. Google pond deicers. If you want fish what others are recommending here is correct, 2 to 3 feeder comets at most. If you know someone who has an outdoor pond with already acclimated fish see if they might be willing to give you a couple. By Thanksgiving you will be in winter shut down mode in your zone. That's what you should be preparing for. Pond activity ceases when water temps drop to 40 or lower. For next year for a pond lily you could try Perry's Baby Red. It is one of the smallest water lilys, very attractive and good for tub gardens. It would also provide some shade and shelter for the fish.

Thanks for all the input... I think I will wait for spring now, but at least I have some idea what I can have now.

My boys are eager for fish, they don't care what kind of fish, so maybe we'll set up the tank inside and get some goldfish for the winter and move them outside in the spring.

It's gonna be a long winter! So any more adventures in ponding stories will be welcome!

Prepare your boys for possible fatalities. Feeder comets ( plain orange goldfish) have a certain mortality rate that you can't avoid even with the best of care. They've usually been grown in large outdoor ponds in FL. Then they are densly packed and shipped to the pet store. Then they are put into incredibly crowded tanks in the pet store. Then you buy them and take them home and they go into new surroundings again. That's three different water acclimations in a very short time. For some of them the stress is just too much. What I'm saying is don't name them Huey, Dewy and Louie or something cause your gonna have a funeral or two! Keeping a few goldfish in an inside aquarium over winter will be perfect training for managing your darling little water feature. By spring you'll be pros. Plug in the pump and filter, plop in the fish, plunk in a plant or two and there you'll have it.

Hi Flutter-I live not too far away in Deer Park (by Lake Zurich and Barrington). The top 19 inches of water in a pond/lake freeze when it is at and below freezing. So if your pond is 19 inches or less in depth they will die. Otherwise they hybernate under the 19 inches of ice but still need a hole in the ice to transfer gases and oxygen. It's probably a little more complicated than you initially thought (well, it was for me in the begining as well). If I were you I'd make this pond a nice water feature with some plants and go a little deeper and bigger for a fish pond. Fish really need 3 feet in depth at a minimum around Chicago and there can be a lot of complications-healthwise. Snapple's advice is very good. This is my first year ponding and I have had more than my share of health issues with my koi. If this group dies I will be putting regular goldfish in the pond. This is a very expensive and time consuming hobby. Good Luck. BTW: I have some plants to share if your interested-to get you started. D-mail me if you want some.

I've never had more than 4" of ice in 8 years of ponding! But then I do run two powerful deicers.

May I suggest a small Papyrus? Cyperus prolifer(C. isocladus). I had one in a pot for years. I kept guppies in it to keep the skeeters out. They eat the larvae. I kept it in full sun our 100º weather and they all did just fine.

I read that 19" is the maximum amount of ice. Here in Chicagoland (Chicago and suburbs) we have the weirdest weather (freeze, thaw, freeze) and apparently fish can die quite easily because of the water temperature changes and oxygen depletion. But hey this will be my first year overwintering the fish so I guess I will be learning a lot more!

Just keep a nice large hole open in the ice at all times. If the surface area is large - two holes. You'll be fine.

remember too DONT BUST THE ICE

I already have my deicer, a primary and a backup for when the primary breaks (I read about this happening all winter long on various websites this past winter).

I just buy the stock heaters. It doesn't heat the water, just keeps ahole in it and they are cheaper to buy. BEV
I put a board across the pond so the heater doesn't touch the edge. Have been doing tjis for 28 yrs now.

I use the same heater you do dragonfly62, except with the stainless steel guards to keep the heating element from bumping into anything. I also use two of them( 1500 watts), with a third in reserve for a backup. I tether mine with nylon cord to keep them where I want them positioned. They work about the best of any I've tried.

I thought I might have to cover the pond during the winter to keep salty snow from getting in there???

I put coca shell mulch around it without thinking whether or not it's "fish safe". Does anyone know? The mulch looks like it's molding already after our annual 100 year storm so I may have to replace it anyway...

Guppies are an idea... I can bring them inside when it gets cold. Can guppies and goldfish live together? If I bring the fish in, will I still need a heater so the pump doesn't freeze?

The butterfly koi are really pretty fish... I'm already dreaming up a larger pond for the future.

Mothermole, I would love some plants in the spring AND I wouldn't mind checking out your pond either!!!