Poisonous Plants

Poisonous Plants Around Ponds

When you create a water garden around a pond, you will of course use plants that do well under home conditions. The selection of plant life is even more critical if you have fish in your pond. A pond is a small ecosystem and plants are a valuable part of this environment. Plants provide an important source of food for aquatic creatures; however, some plants are toxic to fish because they contain poisonous chemicals. If these toxic substances fall into the water, they can poison the fish.
Do you know which plants are poisonous to Koi and Goldfish? To provide just a few examples, water plants, such as Cardinal flower, Yew, Oleanders, Taro, Aloe leaves, and Yellow Star Thistle, may be toxic to fish. There are many more, so do your homework before choosing plants to surround your pond. The plants you choose to surround your pond should harmonize with the environment, and help balance the ecosystem; they should not add toxins to the water.

Trees

Trees can also be hazardous to fish, especially deciduous trees, so skip the deciduous trees near a Goldfish aquarium or a Koi pond. Depending on which direction they are located in relation to a pond; deciduous trees may be able to shed their leaves, berries and pollen into a pond from far away. Stay away from messy trees. Anytime a tree casts off leafage into a pond, there is a risk that the ecological system may be overloaded. Tress that can be hazardous around fish ponds, include the Rhodendron, Oleander, Yew, Poplar, Maple, and Oak.


Points to Remember

When you create a water garden around a pond, the plants you choose should balance the ecosystem and harmonize with the environment; they should not add toxins to the water. Never position poisonous pond plants next to your pond. If you think that you may have accidentally planted any type of poisonous growth, get rid of it immediately, and watch your fish keenly for a few days.