Pond fish - What are pond and river fish?

Pond fish - What are the pond and river fish? Several types of pond fish can be listed, and some of them are only found in certain climates. Wondering how to recognise the different kinds of pond fish? This article will introduce you to the freshwater pond fish you are most likely to come across.

Updated on 1 November 2026 — The Foudebassin experts

⭐ Handy: download the identification chart for free to recognise fish at a glance! You can even print it and keep it close at hand!

⭐ You may also be interested in: we explain how to look after the pond after winter

Stocking a pond: what you need to know

One of the first things to remember when you want to stock a pond with fish is to make sure the pond is properly balanced. So before introducing fish into a new pond, we recommend carrying out a water analysis.

Generally allow several weeks (often 3 to 6, depending on the water temperature) before introducing the first fish, and check with a test that nitrites have dropped back to zero. In terms of water volume, each fish needs at least 5 litres of water per centimetre.

⭐ This may help: below, the diagram of the nitrogen cycle

How to recognise pond fish?

For a pond enthusiast like you, being able to tell the different fish apart remains essential.

Here, we have focused on the fish found in a natural pond. As a result, a few favourites are missing, such as the minnow and the ides. Likewise, notropis and other increasingly popular fish species are not yet on this list, but that won't be long!

In France, ponds, lakes and other still waters mostly fall into the second fishing category (waters dominated by cyprinids). Cool, fast-flowing watercourses, where salmonids such as trout dominate, are generally classed in the first category: so you often won't find the same fish there.

Otherwise, it is harder to find trout in a pond. If you are used to walking along the riverbank, you may have noticed that the water there is often cooler and more suitable for certain fish species.

Trout need cool, highly oxygenated water all year round: if the subject interests you, read our article how to keep trout in a pond.

⭐ You may also be interested in: the prerequisites to consider before putting fish in a pond

Without further ado, here is the non-exhaustive list of pond fish:

The bleak

Generally small, the bleak is a silvery fish that can also be found in watercourses. Known scientifically as Alburnus alburnus, it moves in shoals and likes watercourses with slow currents.

Where to find bleak? You can find them in rivers but also in calm spots in still waters, often in zones warmed by the sun.

The eel

The eel has been a threatened species for many years. It is a diadromous migratory fish, able to move from fresh water to salt water. An eel can even manage to cross a wet meadow.

The black bass

This is a predator that likes temperate waters. It is found in lakes and ponds in the south of France. It can grow up to 60 cm. It is found in lakes and in rivers.

The bitterling

This is a small fish weighing about 10 g. It can live up to 3 years. There is a curious detail about its reproduction. A female lays her 100 to 500 eggs inside a swan mussel. The male fertilises the eggs in the same way.

The bream

This is a bottom-dwelling fish. It frequents calm waters with a muddy bottom. It lives in shoals. It breeds in summer. It is a fish with a lot of very sticky mucus, slimy to the touch.

The pike

This is a predatory fish. The pike is a species of predatory freshwater fish. It is nicknamed the shark of the pond.

The crucian carp

Did you know that the crucian carp is a cousin of the goldfish: both belong to the genus Carassius, but they are distinct species.

The carp

The carp is a bottom-dwelling fish that lives in the sludge. When it is hot, it can be found at the surface.

The chub

This is a fish that lives in fresh water. It is found in Europe. It lives in second-category waters (see the explanations above). It is also called the chevin.

The stickleback

Lacking scales, the stickleback instead bears bony plates and a pointed snout. It is generally found in the cool, flowing waters of rivers, but just as well in still waters and "static" water bodies.

Although it is undemanding, the stickleback is a fish that many consider a pest. And with good reason, as it feeds on the fry and eggs of other species.

The sturgeon

This is a fish that is increasingly found in well-oxygenated ponds. Its head and body are covered in bony plates. Depending on the species, it can reach 3 m in length and a weight of 200 kg.

The ruffe

With a rounded snout and small spiny scales, ruffe are fish that like to live in cool, calm waters. When temperatures drop, they prefer to move into the depths.

This fairly stocky fish generally has a spotted back. It is often found in well-oxygenated waters, in lakes or rivers. The ruffe is also known for liking places with dense vegetation.

The nase

Nase are fish found in shallow waters, but they enjoy fast currents. Known scientifically as Chondrostoma nasus, it is also called the common nase.

Nase are known to be fairly resistant to disease and adapt quite well. However, in a pond environment, it is advisable to find out properly about their various needs.

The roach

Probably one of the most common freshwater fish, roach are generally small. While it can perfectly well be found in cold zones, it can also be encountered in eutrophic or warm zones.

In general, roach appreciate environments with rich vegetation. This allows their fry to hide, and also feeds the young roach.

The gudgeon

Known scientifically as Gobio gobio, the gudgeon is a freshwater fish known for its high sensitivity to water pollution. It tends to live in shoals and is often found in fast but clear waters.

A lover of shallow banks rich in organic matter, the gudgeon can also be found in lakes spared from pollution.

Golden orfe

The golden orfe is the golden or orange ornamental form of the ide, a fish typically found in rivers. Golden orfe are also appreciated because they are very visible fish: you often see them at the surface of the water.

These fish are popular in ponds and are known to tolerate winter well. Golden orfe have a fairly high oxygen requirement. Using a pump or a pond fountain is often recommended to meet their needs.

The perch

The small fish we commonly know as the perch can be found almost everywhere in the world. Known scientifically as Perca fluviatilis, this fish is a small predator.

The European perch adapts easily, but particularly appreciates well-oxygenated, shallow, cold waters. Likewise, perch particularly like places where vegetation is thriving.

Bullhead catfish

Together with wels catfish, bullhead catfish make up the order Siluriformes. Their common name comes, as you might guess, from their barbels. That said, not all Siluriformes have feline whiskers.

Bullhead catfish are very popular fish, in gastronomy and farming as well as in the aquarium hobby. They are found in fresh waters, whether still or turbulent.

The zander

The zander is a freshwater fish, much sought after by restaurateurs. At Foudebassin, we are rather in favour of preserving the species and of catch-and-release. With almost nocturnal activity, this gregarious fish feeds by hunting together with its shoal.

With an elongated body covered in rough scales, the zander likes calm, deep waters. It is therefore found in lakes and in waters with a gentle current. It feeds on worms and injured fish, and can reach a length of 1 metre.

Wels catfish

The wels catfish is a scaleless freshwater fish. There are 16 different species of wels catfish, which can be found in ponds as well as in slow-flowing watercourses. The Silure Glane (European wels) likes hollowed-out banks, weed beds and deep holes just as much.

Originating from Central Europe, the wels catfish can reach a length of 3 metres. This voracious predator sometimes travels several dozen kilometres on its annual migration. Its role in water bodies is debated: some see it as a regulator of fish populations, others as an introduced predator that can upset the balance of an ecosystem.

Tench

Tench are found on the bottom of calm waters, practically next to the sludge, but also where vegetation is rich. It is a stocky fish with coppery skin that lives on the bottom.

The tench lives just as well alone as in a group. Among other particularities, during the winter this gregarious fish buries itself in the sludge and adopts a slowed-down way of life.

The criteria for identifying a pond fish

Without being a specialist, a few details are often enough to find your way. Observe the fish calmly, in the water or in a bucket, without handling it for long.

• The position of the mouth: turned upwards in fish that feed at the surface (bleak), downwards in those that root around on the bottom (carp, bream, gudgeon), forward-facing and widely split in predators (pike, zander, perch).
• The barbels: present in the carp, tench, gudgeon, wels catfish and bullhead catfish; absent in the roach or bleak.
• The body shape: deep and flattened in the bream, stocky in the tench, elongated in the pike, very elongated in the eel.
• The fins: the perch and the zander have a spiny dorsal fin; the stickleback has isolated spines on its back.
• The colour: useful but misleading, as it varies with age, water and season. Always cross-check several criteria.

Table of the 21 pond fish: size, diet and status

A dash means the data is not given in the sources consulted. Sizes are adult orders of magnitude, taken from the DGRNE (Walloon Region) fact sheets, the ONEMA fact sheet on the bullhead catfish, WWF Switzerland for the nase and the sizes given in the paragraphs of this article (black bass, zander, wels catfish, sturgeon); they vary with the water and the food.

Protected, regulated or invasive species: caution is required

Who lives with whom, and who eats whom?

In a natural pond, fish do not live side by side without consequences: the predators (pike, perch, zander, wels catfish, black bass) eat smaller fish, and the stickleback attacks the fry and eggs of other species. Bottom-dwelling fish such as the carp, tench and bream root around in the sludge.

In a modest water body, avoid combining predators and small fish: choose open-water and bottom-dwelling species instead, and introduce only a few fish at a time. The details on quantities can be found in How many fish to keep in a pond and How to stock a pond with fish.

Stocking mistakes to avoid

• Introducing the fish too early. Allow several weeks (often 3 to 6) after filling the pond and wait for nitrites to reach zero.
• Exceeding the water volume. Allow at least 5 litres of water per centimetre of fish, as stated above. Find our pond calculators.
• Putting predators with small fish in a modest water body.
• Taking fish from rivers or releasing a pond fish into the wild: this is not recommended and is often regulated.
• Forgetting oxygen in summer. Warm water holds less of it: see how to oxygenate pond water.

Which fish for which water body?

A natural pond of several hundred square metres and a garden pond of a few cubic metres do not suit the same fish. Large predators, in particular, need a lot of space and prey.

In a garden pond, favour tried-and-tested ornamental species that are undemanding and suited to the volume. Our article on the lifespan of pond goldfish gives you an idea of the commitment. In a natural pond, the balance between "forage" fish and predators builds up over several years: introduce only a few fish at a time and observe.

As for feeding, adapt the food to the species and the season: our article how to choose food for my fish gives an overview.

Our fish food collection

Frequently asked questions about pond fish

Read also: Natural pond: the guide to healthy water all year round · How to stock a pond with fish · How many fish to keep in a pond?

Sources

• DGRNE (Walloon Region), "Poissons d'eaux calmes" — sizes, diets and habitats of 13 species
• ONEMA and GT IBMA, fact sheet "Ameiurus melas, poisson-chat" — size and habitat of the bullhead catfish, an invasive alien species
• WWF Switzerland, information sheet on the nase (April 2007) — size, diet and status of the nase