With the 1.4 Stardew Valley update, we were introduced to the fish pond. This building can be placed on your farm to raise a variety of fish. There are dozens of fish in the game, so it can be hard to decide which fish should be placed in the pond. Fortunately, we are here for you.

In this guide, we will go over some of the best fish to place in the pond. The fish below will produce expensive goods, as well as rare items that are difficult to get. First, let's take a quick look at what a fish pond is and how to build one.

Updated February 12, 2024 by Jacqueline Zalace: Still looking for the perfect fish for your fish pond in Stardew Valley? We've updated the formatting of this guide so you can populate your fish ponds as quickly as possible.

What Is A Fish Pond?

Fish ponds are small, rectangular ponds where you can raise fish. Every fish can be placed inside one of these ponds, but depending on the fish, you will receive different items.

Every day, there is a chance that the fish will produce an item, which will be placed in the bin on the bottom right side. Above, you can see that some fish ponds produced an item, while others did not.

How Many Fish Are In A Pond?

You can place between one and three fish in a pond, and the fish will eventually start multiplying. There is a limit to the amount of fish you can have, but you can raise the cap by doing quests for the fish.

If you bring the item to the pond and throw it in, your fish will be happy and reproduce.

In total, you can have up to ten fish per pond. Some fish will produce more items if there are more of them in the pond.

What Fish Produce Roe?

A majority of fish will produce Roe. These are fish eggs that can be placed in a preserves jar to make aged roe. Aged Roe sells for twice the amount of the unprocessed roe. The price of unprocessed Roe depends on the fish, but overall, roe sells for the base price of the fish divided by two, plus 30.

For example, if a Carp has a base price of 30g, the unprocessed roe will sell for 45g. Once aged, the Roe will sell for 90g.

Legendary Fish cannot be placed in a fish pond, which means that they will not produce roe. Additionally, the following creatures that can be placed in a fish pond will not produce roe.

• Squid
• Midnight Squid
• Coral

How To Build A Fish Pond

Before placing fish, you will need to build the pond. Fortunately, it's quite simple. Building a fish pond will take the following materials.

• 5,000g
• 200x Stone
• 5x Seaweed
• 5x Green Algae

The fish pond will take up a 5x5 area, and will take two days to build.

Sturgeon

If you plan on having multiple fish ponds, at least one of them should always be filled with Sturgeon. This is the only fish in the game that produces the type of roe required to make caviar. To make Caviar, you will need to put roe taken from a Sturgeon and process it in the Preserves Jar. Roe from different fish will only produce Aged Roe.

Caviar is needed to complete the Missing Bundle and will sell for 500g. With the Artisan profession, this price will jump to 700g. With several ponds filled with Sturgeon, you can create a Caviar empire.

Item Produced:

• Roe

Lava Eel

Lava Eels are very tricky to catch, but it will definitely be worth it. If you are looking for a great money maker, then you need to stock a fish pond with Lava Eels.

This eel has a base price of 700g, but its price will greatly increase based on quality and profession. With the Artisan profession, you will be able to sell their Aged Roe for 1,064g.

To make some quick money, you can also remove some Lava Eels to sell them. An iridium-quality Lava Eel will sell for 1,400g.

Items Produced:

• Roe
• Gold Ore
• Magma Geode
• Spicy Eel

Blobfish

Spawn Location:

This ugly fish can only be caught during the Night Market on the submarine for fishing tours. With a base price of 500g, their roe sells for a decent amount of money. Raising a Blobfish in a pond will also give you the experience of feeding weird junk food to an even weirder-looking creature.

Somehow though, Blobfish produce Pearls, which are very valuable and hard to come by. They sell for 2,500g and are a universally loved gift. Try to have a Blobfish pond to cash in on their roe and pearls.

Items Produced:

• Roe
• Pearl
• Warp Totem: Farm

Rainbow Trout

The Rainbow Trout is a relatively common fish, and it doesn't sell for much. Their unprocessed Roe will sell for just 62g, which isn't a lot either. When placed in the fish pond, Rainbow Trout have a chance to produce Rainbow Shells and Prismatic Shards.

Items Produced:

• Roe
• Rainbow Shell
• Prismatic Shard

Ice Pip

Similar to the Lava Eel, this fish can only be found in the Mines. Ice Pips sell for a base price of 500g, making their Aged Roe with the Artisan profession sell for 784g. This is a great deal, but they are also a good source of Iron Ore and Frozen Geodes.

Items Produced:

• Roe
• Iron Ore
• Frozen Geode
• Frozen Tear
• Diamond

Spook Fish

The Spook Fish is another fish that can be caught at the Night Market. Their aged roe sells for a fair amount of money, but you will want a Spook Fish for their chance to produce a treasure chest.

With a fish pond holding at least nine Spook Fish, you will have a 0.3 percent chance to get a treasure chest. This item will sell for 5,000g, so you will definitely want to have a Spook Fish for a chance to earn extra gold.

Items Produced:

• Roe
• Treasure Chest

Super Cucumber

Lastly, we have the Super Cucumber. This strange creature produces roe that's fairly average, coming in at a high of 434g. The Super Cucumber really shines in its ability to produce Iridium Ore. If you don't have a steady supply of this ore type, a Super Cucumber fish pond will have a five percent chance to produce one at a population of nine or ten.

Items Produced:

• Roe
• Iridium Ore
• Amethyst