Green Tench – Tinca tinca
Description: The Tench, is a very popular pond fish and has been a staple of the garden pond for many years. The Green Tench (commonly just called a Tench) is a beautiful olive green colour with red ‘teddy bear’ eyes. A bottom feeder it prefers weedy natural ponds where it can graze at its leisure. The Tench is one of the few fish that can be sexed by it’s fins alone with the males developing large spoon shaped ventral fins.
Maximum Size: Upto 24″ but on average 12-16″ when mature. Tench are an extremely slow growing species and can take 3 years to reach 6-7″.
Environment: The Tench is a very robust fish. It is tolerable to very poor water conditions (not advised!) and low oxygen levels. They best in ponds with a muddy substrate (more natural ponds) but can be kept in large koi ponds. Tench readily adapts to pellets and will often surface feed in the same way as a Koi or Carp. Tench have been known to breed where an abundance of weed growth is present.
Water Conditions: Tench require a pH range of 7-8.5, Ammonia and Nitrite to be virtually 0ppm and dissolved oxygen saturation to remain above 4ppm. They are tolerable to lower oxygen saturation values than a lot of fish, although this is not recommended. Tench can be sensitive to certain pond treatments so please seek professional advice before treating your pond.
As with any pet, please fully research for yourself to ensure that you can accommodate a fish of this type in your home.