Fish ponds are a great way to passively get resources to sell in a marketplace and craft new items in Stardew Valley. However, some fish are better than others, depending on what they produce and how much population you have in your pond. These are some of the best fish you can keep in a Stardew Valley fish pond.
What is the best fish for fish ponds in Stardew Valley?
It’s important to note that fish will have quest icons on their fish ponds at different times that you’ll need to complete. If you don’t follow them, you can’t increase your population, so be sure to check your ponds every few days to see what they need you to do. These quests consist of giving the fish a particular object.
puffer fish
Puffer fish are great for fish ponds as they produce a decent amount of eggs when you have six of them in a pond. They also have a chance to drop Distortion Totems, which teleport you straight to your farm, or they can produce Pearls, which you can sell for 2500 gold. You need to have at least nine Blobfish in a pond to craft the rarest items, which will take you some time to acquire.
You have a limited time window to catch a Blobfish. You can only catch them by attending the Night Market, a winter 15-17 beach event. While you’re at the Night Market, be sure to jump in the submarine. This leads him to deep sea fishing, giving him the rare opportunity to catch various rare fish. If you find a Blobfish, bring it home and add it to your fish pond to begin reaping the benefits.
Here are the potential quests for Blobfish that spawn every four days to increase their population:
- A population: three corals, two frozen tears or two sea urchins
- Three populations: five coffee beans, a mayonnaise or a pizza
- Five populations: a biscuit, a green tea or a wine
- Seven populations: a rainbow shell or a rice pudding
midnight squid
Like the Blobfish, the Midnight Squid is another type of fish you can catch at the Night Market. You can find it during the underwater walk during this event from winter 15 to 17.
Midnight squids are desirable as they can produce squid ink. The more population you have in the pond, the more chance you have of getting squid ink. When you have 10 Midnight Squids in your pond, you can drop two Squid Inks simultaneously. You can use squid ink to dye clothes, make sewing, and create meerschaum pudding.
Here are the potential Midnight Squid quests that spawn every three days to increase their population:
- Population three: three corals or two sea urchins
- Five population: two sardines
- Population eight: an ocean stone
ghost fish
Another fish you can catch on the Underwater Walk in the Night Market is the Spook Fish. Like midnight squid and puffer fish, you can only catch it on the 15th and 17th during the night market.
In particular, there is nothing too particular about what Spook Fish produces in your pond. It reproduces reliably like any other fish, even with a single population in the fish pond. However, it stands out from the rest because it has a small chance of producing a treasure chest when you have a population of nine or more Spook Fish. The treasure chest contains various valuable items that you can sell in the market for high prices.
Here are the potential quests for Spook Fish that spawn every four days to increase their population:
- Three populations: three amethysts, three corals, three iron bars, one oyster, three red mushrooms or three refined quartz
- Five populations: one dry starfish, two emeralds, one granite, two omnigeods or two purple mushrooms.
- Seven populations: a diamond, three gold bars, an iridium ore, a mayonnaise or a pickle
Sturgeon
Sturgeon is probably the easiest fish to catch on this list. You can find them during the summer and winter months outside the cave entrance, along the river from the mountain. Try to find a place to cast your line deep in the water and away from shore. They’re hard to catch even if you know the best place to look for them, but they’re worth adding to a fish pond.
A sturgeon does not offer the same variety as other fish that reside in a pond. They do, however, drop Sturgeon Eggs, which you can craft into Caviar. No other fish can turn their eggs into caviar, making them a must-have for any farm in Stardew Valley. You can sell each piece of caviar for 500 gold.
Here are the potential missions of the sturgeons that appear every four days to increase their population:
- A population: a diamond
- Three broths: one Jell-O, two maple syrups or a pickle
- Five Population: Three Omni Geode
- Seven populations: a nautilus shell
empty salmon
Another scary fish to add to your farm is the Void Salmon. You can catch it at any time of the year. However, you must first complete the Dark Talisman quest to access the Witch’s Swamp. The quest will be available once you complete the Community Center Packs or Joja’s Community Development Form.
You can find the Witches’ Swamp on the east side of the train station, north of town. To complete the Dark Talisman quest, you need to talk to the wizard about getting magic ink from his ex-wife’s house, but you need to talk to Krobus about using a dark talisman to access it.
Void Salmon is a great fish to add to a pond if you are looking to buy Void Essence regularly. You have to wait until you have more than eight inhabitants, and it’s a small chance, but it can happen. You can also loot Void Eggs and spawn some, which is always good. You can use empty eggs to create an empty chicken to create even more empty eggs or use them in various recipes.
Here are the potential Void Salmon quests that spawn every four days to increase their population:
- One population: five empty essences
- Population three: 10 bats
- Population five: a diamond or an empty egg
- Seven populations: an iridium mineral
lava eel
The Lava Eel is potentially the least useful fish because it does not produce beneficial resources. Instead, the Lava Eel can craft Eggs, Spicy Eels, Gold Ore, or Magma Geodes. Several other fish we’ve listed give you rarer ingredients, but the Lava Eel income makes it a great way to earn regular cash should you need it.
To catch a Lava Eel, you’ll need to dive into the mines past the 100th floor or visit the forge atop the Volcano Keep on Ginger Island. When you reach these places, throw your rod into the lava and wait to catch it. The Lava Eel is the only fish you can catch in lava, so it’s a bit easier to spot, but it’s unlikely to spawn.
Here are the quests the lava eel has the option to request when you are in a fish pond to increase its population:
- One Population: Fire Quartz
- Three populations: 1 basalt, 2 diamonds or 1 dwarf scroll III
- City Five: 2 Megabombs
- Seven inhabitants: 1 iridium ingot
Any fish you catch in Stardew Valley can go live in your fish pond. Take a look at all the different strains to find the right mix for your needs to produce the best farm you can produce in Stardew Valley.
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