I started out with a 50 gal pond which my goldfish outgrew. Then came a 250 gal pond which they outgrew. This was followed by a 1000 gal pond where they now live. I still have a couple of the original feeder goldfish. I no longer have room for expansion. Need birth control. Even last summers fry are a good size. I would recommend a couple of minnows/mosquito fish for a half barrel. Less of a temptation for the herons too. Of course the danger is that you will be bitten by pond addiction.

I really think that smaller the pond, the harder it is to keep healthy fish. Raccoons maybe more of a threat than the herons with a barrel pond.

hi
What would be your winter plan?? I would be afraid the pond woulld freeze solid?? While many species of fish tolerate cold none can survive that.
A good choice for small ponds are "Rosy red minnows"
Stay under 3 inches will tolerate both cold and heat
. Since they are small can easily be brought in for winter
and kept in a smaller tank.. or use one of the other methods for keeping the water open.
You can find these at the chain pet stores. They come in several color varieties . good luck gary

The pond bug is something that is quite addictive. We started out with a 90 gallon walmart pond, graduated to a 1100 gallon pond and now are at just under 5000 gallons.

Goldfish can get quite large - when I had goldfish, they topped out at 10-12". These were the regular fantails that I bought at Petco.

One thing about goldfish is they are quite prolific. They bred for me at least once a month from April to October every year. It did not take very long to be overrun by goldfish.

The other thing as Gary mentions, is the winter care of your fish. In our zones, we need to put a deicer into the pond so that the pond does not freeze over and a hole is left in the ice for gas exchanges. Of course, you can always bring them inside - many people do.

Oh - one other thing - herons can be quite pesty. I don't know if they would bother a container, however they can be a bother to a pond. I live between 2 rivers and the herons fly from one river to the other. I have a sprayer sensor that seems to do the trick.

Oh - one other thing - herons can be quite pesty. I don't know if they would bother a container, however they can be a bother to a pond. I live between 2 rivers and the herons fly from one river to the other. I have a sprayer sensor that seems to do the trick.

I kept white cloud mountain minnows for a few years. They reproduced like crazy, but then slowly died out.

I'd go for a huge pond with koi if there was room, but all we can fit / afford is a container. I wouldn't mind bringing them inside if they were small.

I kept goldfish in a half whiskey barrel for 3 years. I had 4 feeder fish. They stayed healthy as long as I changed the water very frequently. About twice a week I would do a 50% water change. I also had an aerator in it. 3 of the fish eventually died and I was left with just 1. He lived just fine all by himself with very minimal care. I just built a 300 gallon pond that he is now in along with 3 new friends. If you are going to do it, I wouldn't put more than 2 in it, and get an aerator, or a small pump with a spitter. I also had a couple of plants floating in mine too.