Bumping, for the fish’s sake.

most likely it's a koi and it wouldn't surprise me if there are others. they're beautiful fish and very sought after for back yard ponds. i suspect they've been existing on whatever insects have hit the water surface and also whatever algae is growing beneath the water surface. it doesn't look like there is any sort of aeration or water movement/filter system so unless you decide to keep this pond, it would be best to find him/them a good home.

if you use facebook or have a local "swap shop" sort of option, i'd advertise there. you could also call any nearby aquarium shops or landscaping facilities. they may know of people who keep ponds.

I know nothing about fish, so i don't plan to keep them. But i also don't want to hurt the fish of course. Do aquariums or shops come out and retrieve the fish? I wouldn't even know how to handle the fish myself.

If the pond is without filtration or aeration then my guess is it's a Goldfish. If you're bent on removing the pond then post on a local FB page to see if there are any takers. How cold are the winters where you are? Nice set of water lilies there.

It definitely doesn't look filtered, as there's moss all over and i see no signs of a filtration system. There's a pump, but it looks to just be for a little waterfall the previous homeowner made. I just tried to carefully move around the liliepads to see if I could find the fish, but i had no luck. That guy is hiding good! It must only be the one in there.

There may be some type of filtration medium under the top rock of the waterfalls. The pump may also be attached to a pre-filter to help prevent clogging. What's the diameter of the pond? No more than 6 feet I'd guess. The depth?

Probably 5ft diameter max. Probing around, it got no more than 12-15" deep max

So, your pond is about 300 gallons. I’m assuming you probably don’t have really cold winters where you are and don’t have to worry about the pond freezing over. If so, that simplifies the maintenance issue. There are several FB groups where you can get info for your questions. This is one, https://m.facebook.com/groups/659090447938908?group_view_referrer=search

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Thanks. I'll look into that group.

I'm in the Philly area. It definitely gets below freezing here in the winter. The pond may not turn into one solid block, but I'm sure the top will freeze in the coldest days of winter.

If you live in a metro area you probably have a koi/goldfish supplier/retailer. If not, then you could search Craigslist or Facebook to find someone interested in taking the fish, and the lilies, if you aren't keeping the pond. Someone on our local CL is selling lilies for $15 each.

I had a 12' fish pond in one of my previous homes and when we moved I found a home for all my fish thru my local fish supplier. I had 20+ large goldfish that were over 8" long.

If you intend to keep the pond and lily pads, I'd just leave the fish where it is and buy some fish food, and keep the pump running. You don't need to feed much, or too often, since that can cause overgrowth of algae. And I'd also have someone check the pump to see if there's a filter that needs cleaning/replacing.

Goldfish are hardy little guys and if it's just one or two they should do fine if the pond doesn't freeze over in the winter. If someone comes out to catch the fish, keep in mind they may damage the lilies in doing so. We had to partially drain my fish pond and remove the lilies in order to catch all the fish.

Looks like a fairly healthy pond.....don't expect it to look as clear as a fish aquarium without lots of extra filtration. Who knows, you may come to enjoy it after you've lived there awhile. :)

We have water issues in our basement and this pond is up against the house. The back yard where this pond is located is graded towards the foundation and there's a drainage swale running right next to the house, starting at this pond. Basically the pond must go because we need to tear up the entire back yard and regrade it all.

See if there is a pond maintenance company near you. They may be be to help you drain the pond and rehome the lilies and whatever fish. I agree with another poster, its probably a goldfish.

“Nextdoor“ is another social site where you might get resources to help you.

Contact the original owner. Find out how many koi there are. Some koi are VERY expensive. (VERY!). Find out what you HAVE. Then, please re home them ASAP so they don’t die.

That's going to be pretty hard, because the original owner died in March 2020

Yep. It sure would be difficult to contact the original owner, then. Still…as has been suggested, contact someone in your area who sells Koi and have them assess what you have. Good luck with re-homing them. If they are Koi, then can have a life expectancy of up to 40 years.