fish selections

Question
I HAVE A 100 GALLON POND AND WAS WONDERING WHAT KIND OF FISH TO PUT INTO IT. I DONT REALLY LIKE GOLDFISH AND KOI AND WANTED SOMETHING A LITTLE DIFFIRENT AND WANTED TO KNOW IF YOU HAD ANY SUGGESTIONS.

Answer
Hi CJ,
Thanx for your question.  If you live in a frost-free area, there are some varieties of aquarium fish that might survive outdoors such as mollies and other small minnow-like fish that are native to Florida and the Gulf Coast.  If you are collecting wild specimens, make sure it is legal to do so and that you are not endangering local populations.  If you live in colder areas of the country there are some colorful native fish you might consider using (provided it is legal, check with your State Dept. of Natural Resources) like sun fish, but bear in mind, these fish can be very aggressive and don't often get along with other fish.  Golden orfes are a common pond fish in Europe with limited availability here in the U.S.  I have had them before and find them (in my opinion) to be rather finicky and sensitive to temperature changes and environment.  I happen to live in a part of the country that has extreme temperature fluctuations so Orfes aren't a good bet here.  That's about it.  I hope this helps.
Tom