08/09/2026
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1K4Ec7Y16b/
We’ve noticed an unfortunate trend on social media of content being shared that shows temperate (and sometimes even tropical) fish being kept in outdoor water features, like patio ponds.
This is illegal – and we would ask the industry not to share (and to remove) any content that promotes this behaviour.
The only ornamental fish that can be kept outside (eg in a pond) are:
• common carp (Cyprinus carpio)
• goldfish (Carassius auratus)
• ide or orfe (Leuciscus idus)
• rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss, other than anadromous steelhead)
All other freshwater fish can ONLY be kept in an indoor aquarium. That includes temperate fish and it’s why fish like white cloud mountain minnows or Japanese rice fish cannot be kept in patio ponds or garden features outside.
You can find a fuller explanation about this on our website where we also link to the Gov.uk site where this information originates. We have also worked with Fish Health Inspectorate to collate this information. https://ornamentalfish.org/can-i-keep-temperate-freshwater-fish-in-an-outside-pond/
It’s important that industry acts responsibly around this issue. Please share this message and you can point customers who ask to buy these fish for this purpose to our information. Otherwise, we risk losing access to popular freshwater fish because regular, frequent breaches of the regulation will inevitably lead to greater enforcement from the Fish Health Inspectorate, with the ultimate sanction being a ban if the industry is being seen to ignore or regularly flout the law.
