CichlidFish.com - Fish That Think.

i have finished a 2500 gallon pond. fire newts and frogs moved in on their own and i have added half a dozen goldfish sized from 4 inches up to 6 inches. couple of weekends ago, my neighbor asked if he could house one of his oscars, this one being 8 inches, in my pond to give his lungfish a break. sure i said. now i'm liking the idea of this other kind of fish living in my pond and would like to know from others out there if this is a common practice, and what are some of the things i need to know to habitate other kinds of fishes into this enviroment.

I've kept cichlids and other fish in outdoor ponds along with goldfish on occasion. Unless the goldfish are of a size the Oscar might take to be food it should be OK. Just keep an eye on temperature, and be sure not to put fish that need tropical temps in a pond that's subject to temperature drops, or you're likely to end up with dead tropicals. Don't know much about Oregon, but it's a lot further north than my ponds were (Florida and Georgia). If the pond is deep enough, and sunken into the ground you should be OK during the summer months. Better to be early than late moving them inside during the Fall.