Building a fish pond on your farm in Stardew Valley allows you to breed the fish you catch.
You can place the fish you catch from around the valley in these ponds and receive, not just more fish, but a variety of products, including Roe and even Magma Geodes.
Completing capacity quests will allow you to breed more fish in each pond, helping you reap a profit from your fish farming endeavours.
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How to build ponds in Stardew Valley
If you want to build a fish pond on your farm in Stardew Valley, you must first collect 200 Stone, 5 Seaweed, 5 Green Algae and 5,000g.
Stone can be easily collected by breaking stones on your farm, in The Mines or in Skull Cavern.
Seaweed can be found by fishing in the ocean during any season or in the tidal pools on The Beach. These pools can only be reached once you fix the broken bridge on The Beach with 300 pieces of wood.
Green Algae can be found by fishing from any fishing spot, except for the pond on the Standard Farm, during any season. It’s also a rare drop from the Green Slimes.
You can easily find Seaweed and Green Algae by fishing in the river and ocean.
Once you’ve collected all these resources and have raised the cash, it’s time to head to the Carpenter’s Shop. This is located just to the west of the Mountain Lake and open most days from 9am to 5pm by Robin.
Select the ‘Fish Pond’ option from the construction menu and then select where you want it to be on your farm.
Fish ponds take up a 5×5 space, so ensure that you’ve cleared that area for the pond.
It will take three days for Robin to build the fish pond, so use this time to catch whatever fish you’re planning on breeding.
Make sure you’re happy with the placement of your new fish pond.
Ponds in Stardew Valley explained
Now that you’ve built your fish pond, it’s time to fill it with fish.
You can place every fish, except for the Legendary Fish and clams, into a fish pond. This also includes sea urchins and coral, which you can find on the beach.
Each fish pond can only hold one type of fish and the only way to change which type of fish live in a pond is by selecting the ‘Empty Pond’ option from the fish pond menu. This will reset your fish pond, but will also destroy any remaining fish living inside of it, so make sure you save them before choosing this option.
The fish pond menu will also show you how many fish you currently have in the pond, which type of fish they are and allow you to change the appearance of the fish pond.
The fish pond displays the current capacity of your pond, how many fish live there, any capacity quests and allows you to both change the appearance of your pond and empty it.
To begin filling a fish pond, simply throw your chosen fish into the pond, or maybe two so they have a friend, and let them begin to reproduce.
Once you’ve placed a fish within a pond, it will begin to reproduce until its reached the current capacity for that pond. The only exception to this are Tiger Trouts, which cannot reproduce.
The majority of fish will allow you to place three of their number into a pond, before needing to raise the capacity. The exceptions to this, which will only allow you to place one, are Blobfish, Ghostfish, Ice Pip, Lava Eel, Slimejack, Stonefish, Sturgeon, Void Salmon and Woodskip.
When the pond reaches full capacity, an exclamation mark (!) will appear above it. This will allow you to start a ‘Fish Quest’ for a specific set of items. Completing this quest will increase the capacity of the fish point, with the maximum capacity being 10 fish.
A fish pond with a capacity quest.
The difficulty of this quest depends on how rare the fish you’re breeding is. If you’re breeding Lava Eels, for example, you’ll be asked to find an Iridium Bar, which is a lot harder to find compared to the coral Squids ask for.
If you want to easily keep track of exactly how many fish live in each pond, place a sign on top of it. This will automatically turn the sign into a fish counter for that specific pond.
Place a sign post on your pond to keep track of how many fish it contains.
Now that you have a working fish pond, you can harvest the fish one at a time by using your fishing rod on the pond. These fish will always be a regular quality of fish. You’ll also be able to collect a variety of items from the chum bucket next to the pond.
What item you receive depends on what kind of fish you’re breeding in the fish pond and how many fish currently live in the more. This means that if you’re breeding a rare type of fish, then you can expect to receive a rarer resource in your chum bucket.
Best fish for fish ponds in Stardew Valley explained
If you’re looking to make a strong profit from fish ponds, then your fish of choice should be the Lava Eel.
These volcanic eels may be the second hardest fish to catch, just under the legendary fish, and can only be found on the 100th floor of The Mines, but they are most definitely worth the trouble. Especially since you only need one to start your fishing pond business.
Lava Eels live in the magma lake found on Level 100 of The Mines.
Try to reach max capacity for your Lava Eel fish pond as quickly as possible, so you can take advantage of all the benefits. You can also fish more Lava Eels once they start breeding to populate other ponds.
Just be careful when placing the two Mega Bombs for one of the Lava Eel capacity quests – you don’t want to accidentally destroy part of your farm.
Once you have two Lava Eels in a fish pond, they will start producing Roe. Since the base price for a Lava Eel is 700g, the price of Lava Eel Roe is roughly 380g. (Roe price is half of the base price for a fish, then an additional 30g.)
Lava Eel Roe sells for a high price.
Lava Eels will also produce Magma Geodes in the chum bucket, which can make you a healthy profit.
You can take Magma Geodes to Clint the Blacksmith and have them opened for 25g each. From doing this you can receive a variety of resources, including Iridium Ore, and geode minerals, which you can sell for a good amount of money.
Pond capacity quests in Stardew Valley explained
Below you’ll find the various items that fish might require when it’s time to increase the capacity of their pond, along with the population level required for these quests to appear.
These quests will appear every one to four days, until you reach the max capacity for that specific fish pond.
Only Coral and Sea Urchins are exempt from this and will simply reach max capacity, 10 for each, by themselves.
| Fish | Population – 1 | Population – 3 | Population – 5 | Popluation – 7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albacore | 3 Driftwood1 Frozen Geode1 to 2 Seaweed | 2 Clam2 Coral | 2 Aquamarine1 Mussel2 Sea Urchin | |
| Anchovy | 3 Driftwood1 Frozen Geode1 to 2 Seaweed | 2 Clam2 Coral | 2 Aquamarine1 Mussel2 Sea Urchin | |
| Blobfish | 3 Coral2 Frozen Tear2 Sea Urchin | 5 Coffee Bean1 Mayonnaise1 Pizza | 1 Cookie1 Green Tea1 Wine | 1 Rainbow Shell1 Rice Pudding |
| Bream | 3 Acron10 Bug Meat3 Maple Seed3 Pine Corn | 3 Gold Ore1 Maple Syrup5 Mixed Seeds | 1 Crayfish1 Honey2 Jade1 Periwinkle | |
| Bullhead | 10 Bug Meat2 to 3 Clay2 to 3 Green Algae5 Slime | 2 to 3 Common Mushroom1 to 2 Earth Crystal1 Limestone | 1 Mudstone1 Snail5 Wild Bait | |
| Carp | 2 Green Algae | 2 Cave Carrot | ||
| Catfish | 2 Amethyst3 Copper Bar3 Red Mushroom2 Topaz | 10 Bat Wing2 Earth Crystal5 Mixed Seeds2 to 3 Purple Mushroom | 1 Diamond3 Iron Bar1 Mayonnaise1 Pickles | |
| Chub | 3 Acron10 Bug Meat3 Maple Seed3 Pine Corn | 3 Gold Ore1 Maple Syrup5 Mixed Seeds | 1 Crayfish1 Honey2 Jade1 Periwinkle | |
| Cockle | 5 Clay | 10 Bug Meat5 Quartz | 1 Sea Urchin5 Solar Essence1 Wild Bait | |
| Crab | 5 Clay | 10 Bug Meat5 Quartz | 1 Sea Urchin5 Solar Essence1 Wild Bait | |
| Crayfish | 5 Clay15 Fiber | 10 Bug Meat1 Cave Carrot5 Hardwood | 1 Field Snack5 Solar Essence1 Wild Bait | |
| Dorado | 2 Bream2 Carp2 Chub | 2 Bullhead2 Largemouth Bass | 2 Ghostfish2 Sandfish2 Woodskip | |
| Eel | 3 Driftwood1 Frozen Geode1 to 2 Seaweed | 2 Clam2 Coral | 2 Aquamarine1 Mussel2 Sea Urchin | |
| Flounder | 3 Driftwood1 Frozen Geode1 to 2 Seaweed | 2 Clam2 Coral | 2 Aquamarine1 Mussel2 Sea Urchin | |
| Ghostfish | 5 Quartz | 5 Cave Carrot | 5 White Algae | 1 Dwarf Scroll I1 Dwarf Scroll II2 Refined Quartz |
| Halibut | 3 Driftwood1 Frozen Geode1 to 2 Seaweed | 2 Clam2 Coral | 2 Aquamarine1 Mussel2 Sea Urchin | |
| Herring | 3 Driftwood | 1 Coral | ||
| Ice Pip | 10 Iron Ore | 5 Frozen tear | 10 Coal1 Crystal Fruit5 Frozen Geode | 4 Iron bar10 Refined Quartz |
| Largemouth Bass | 10 Bug Meat2 to 3 Clay2 to 3 Green Algae5 Slime | 2 to 3 Common Mushroom1 to 2 Earth Crystal1 Limestone | 1 Mudstone1 Snail5 Wild Bait | |
| Lava Eel | 3 Fire Quartz | 1 Basalt2 Diamond1 Dwarf Scroll III | 2 Mega Bomb | 1 Iridium Bar |
| Lingcod | 2 Bream2 Carp2 Chub | 2 Bullhead2 Largemouth Bass | 2 Ghostfish2 Sandfish2 Woodskip | |
| Lobster | 5 Clay | 10 Bug Meat5 Quartz | 1 Sea Urchin5 Solar Essence1 Wild Bait | |
| Midnight Carp | 10 Bug Meat2 to 3 Clay2 to 3 Green Algae5 Slime | 2 to 3 Common Mushroom1 to 2 Earth Crystal1 Limestone | 1 Mudstone1 Snail5 Wild Bait | |
| Midnight Squid | 3 Coral2 Sea Urchin | 2 Sardine | 1 Ocean Stone | |
| Mussel | 5 Clay | 10 Bug Meat5 Quartz | 1 Sea Urchin5 Solar Essence1 Wild Bait | |
| Octopus | 3 Coral1 Honey1 Oyster3 Refined Quartz | 1 Dried Starfish2 Emerald2 to 3 Omni Geode2 to 3 Purple Mushroom | 1 Green Tea | |
| Oyster | 5 Clay | 10 Bug Meat5 Quartz | 1 Sea Urchin5 Solar Essence1 Wild Bait | |
| Perch | 3 Acron10 Bug Meat3 Maple Seed3 Pine Corn | 3 Gold Ore1 Maple Syrup5 Mixed Seeds | 1 Crayfish1 Honey2 Jade1 Periwinkle | |
| Periwinkle | 5 Clay15 Fiber | 10 Bug Meat1 Cave Carrot5 Hardwood | 1 Field Snack5 Solar Essence1 Wild Bait | |
| Pike | 2 Bream2 Carp2 Chub | 2 Bullhead2 Largemouth Bass | 2 Ghostfish2 Sandfish2 Woodskip | |
| Pufferfish | 3 Driftwood1 Frozen Geode1 to 2 Seaweed | 2 Clam2 Coral | 2 Aquarmarine1 MuseelSea Urchin | |
| Rainbow Trout | 3 Coral1 Honey1 Oyster3 Refined Quartz | 1 Dried Starfish2 Emerald2 to 3 Omni Geode2 to 3 Purple Mushroom | 1 Diamond3 Gold Bar1 Iridium Ore1 Jelly1 Pickles | |
| Red Mullet | 3 Driftwood1 Frozen Geode1 to 2 Seaweed | 2 Clam2 Coral | 2 Aquamarine1 Mussel2 Sea Urchin | |
| Red Snapper | 3 Driftwood1 Frozen Geode1 to 2 Seaweed | 2 Clam2 Coral | 2 Aquamarine1 Mussel2 Sea Urchin | |
| Salmon | 3 Acron10 Bug Meat3 Maple Seed3 Pine Corn | 3 Gold Ore1 Maple Syrup5 Mixed Seeds | 1 Crayfish1 Honey2 Jade1 Periwinkle | |
| Sandfish | 3 Cactus Fruit3 Coconut | 1 Golden Relic | ||
| Sardine | 3 Driftwood1 Frozen Geode1 to 2 Seaweed | 2 Clam2 Coral | 2 Aquamarine1 Mussel2 Sea Urchin | |
| Scorpion Carp | 3 Cactus Fruit3 Coconut | 1 Golden Relic | ||
| Sea Cucumber | 3 Driftwood1 Frozen Geode1 to 2 Seaweed | 2 Clam2 Coral | 2 Aquamarine1 Mussel2 Sea Urchin | |
| Shad | 3 Acron10 Bug Meat3 Maple Seed3 Pine Corn | 3 Gold Ore1 Maple Syrup5 Mixed Seeds | 1 Crayfish1 Honey2 Jade1 Periwinkle | |
| Shrimp | 5 Clay | 10 Bug Meat5 Quartz | 1 Sea Urchin5 Solar Essence1 Wild Bait | |
| Slimejack | 20 Slime | 10 Bug Meat | 1 Algae Soup5 Wild Bait | 1 Petrified Slime |
| Smallmouth Bass | 3 Acron10 Bug Meat3 Maple Seed3 Pine Corn | 3 Gold Ore1 Maple Syrup5 Mixed Seeds | 1 Crayfish1 Honey2 Jade1 Periwinkle | |
| Snail | 5 Clay15 Fiber | 10 Bug Meat1 Cave Carrot5 Hardwood | 1 Field Snack5 Solar Essence1 Wild Bait | |
| Spook Fish | 3 Amethyst3 Coral3 Iron Bar1 Oyster3 Red Mushroom3 Refined Quartz | 1 Dried Starfish2 Emerald1 Granite2 to 3 Omni Geode2 to 3 Purple Mushroom | 1 Diamond3 Gold Bar1 Iridium Ore1 Mayonnaise1 Pickles | |
| Squid | 3 Coral1 Sea Urchin | 2 Sardine | ||
| Stonefish | 10 Copper Ore | 5 Earth Crystal | 10 Coal5 Geode | 4 Copper Bar4 Refined Quartz |
| Sturgeon | 1 Diamond | 1 Jelly2 Maple Syrup1 Pickles | 3 Omni Geode | 1 Nautilus Shell |
| Sunfish | 2 Acorn2 Geode | 1 Amethyst3 Mixed Seeds | ||
| Super Cucumber | 3 Coral1 Honey1 Oyster3 Driftwood3 Refined Quartz | 1 Dried Starfish2 Emerald2 to 3 Omni Geode2 to 3 Purple Mushroom | 1 Diamond3 Gold Bar1 Iridium Ore1 Jelly1 Pickles1 Sea Urchin | |
| Tilapia | 3 Driftwood1 Frozen Geode1 to 2 Seaweed | 2 Clam2 Coral | 2 Aquamarine1 Mussel2 Sea Urchin | |
| Tuna | 3 Driftwood1 Frozen Geode1 to 2 Seaweed | 2 Clam2 Coral | 2 Aquamarine1 Mussel2 Sea Urchin | |
| Void Salmon | 5 Void Essence | 10 Bat Wings | 1 Diamond1 Void Egg | 1 Iridium Ore |
| Walleye | 3 Acorn10 Bug Meat3 Maple Seeds3 Pine Cone | 3 Gold Ore1 Maple Syrup5 Mixed Seeds | 1 Crayfish1 Honey2 Jade1 Periwinkle | |
| Woodskip | 10 Hardwood | 2 to 3 Commum Mushroom2 to 3 Red Mushroom | 1 Oak Resin1 Pine Tar | 2 Jade1 Tea Leaves |
One of the main goals in Stardew Valley is to complete the Community Center bundles or, if you’re corporate minded, you can buy a JojaMart Membership. Fishing is a great way to earn money in Stardew Valley, especially if you decide to use crab pots and ponds. Throughout the year you’ll also be able to take in a variety of festivals, including the Egg Festival, Stardew Valley Fair and the Night Market.
Pond products in Stardew Valley explained
As the population of fish in your pond grows, you’ll steadily unlock a variety of produce that you can find in your chum bucket. As long as you’re above or on the population level associated with an item, you’ll always be able to receive it.
It should be noted that there can be days where your fish pond won’t produce any additional products at all, so don’t be surprised if you find the chum bucket item.
Below you’ll find a list of what each fish produces in the fish pond and at what population level you’ll receive this item:
| Fish | Population 1+ | Population 3+ | Population 5 to 6 | Population 7 to 8 | Population 9 to 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albacore | 1 Roe | 1 Roe | |||
| Anchovy | 1 Roe | 1 Roe | |||
| Blobfish | 1 Roe | 2 Roe | 1 Pearl5 Farm Warp Totems | ||
| Bream | 1 Roe | ||||
| Bullhead | 1 Roe | ||||
| Carp | 1 Roe | ||||
| Catfish | 1 Roe | ||||
| Chub | 1 Roe | ||||
| Cockle | 1 Broken CD1 Broken Glasses1 Driftwood1 Roe1 to 3 Seaweed1 Soggy Newspaper1 Trash | 1 Coral1 Sea Urchin | 1 Beach Warp Totem1 Nautilus Shell | ||
| Coral | 1 Dolomite1 Limestone | ||||
| Crab | 1 Broken CD1 Broken Glasses1 Driftwood1 Roe1 to 3 Seaweed1 Soggy Newspaper1 Trash | 1 Coral1 Sea Urchin | 1 Beach Warp Totem1 Nautilus Shell | ||
| Crayfish | 1 Broken CD1 Broken Glasses1 Driftwood1 to 3 Green Algae1 Roe1 Soggy Newspaper1 Trash | 2 to 3 Mixed Seeds | 1 Mountains Warp Totem | ||
| Dorado | 1 Roe | 20 Bug Meat | |||
| Eel | 1 Roe | 1 Roe | |||
| Flounder | 1 Roe | 1 Roe | |||
| Ghostfish | 1 Roe | 1 Quartz | 3 Quartz1 Refined Quartz3 Pale Broth5 White Algae | ||
| Halibut | 1 Roe | 1 Roe | |||
| Herring | 1 Roe | ||||
| Ice Pip | 1 Roe | 5 Iron Ore | 1 Diamond1 to Frozon Geodes1 Frozen Tear | ||
| Largemouth Bass | 1 Roe | ||||
| Lava Eel | 1 Roe | 5 Gold Ore | 2 to 3 Roe5 Spicy Eels5 to 10 Magma Geodes | ||
| Lingcod | 1 Roe | 20 Bug Meat | |||
| Lobster | 1 Broken CD1 Broken Glasses1 Driftwood1 Roe1 to 3 Seaweed1 Soggy Newspaper1 Trash | 1 Coral1 Sea Urchin | 1 Beach Warp Totem1 Nautilus Shell | ||
| Midnight Carp | 1 Roe | ||||
| Midnight Squid | 1 Squid Ink | 2 Squid Ink | |||
| Mussel | 1 Broken CD1 Broken Glasses1 Driftwood1 Roe1 to 3 Seaweed1 Soggy Newspaper1 Trash | 1 Coral1 Sea Urchin | 1 Beach Warp Totem1 Nautilus Shell | ||
| Octopus | 1 Roe | 1 to 10 Omni Geodes | |||
| Oyster | 1 Broken CD1 Broken Glasses1 Driftwood1 Roe1 to 3 Seaweed1 Soggy Newspaper1 Trash | 1 Coral1 Sea Urchin | 1 Beach Warp Totem1 Nautilus Shell | ||
| Perch | 1 Roe | ||||
| Periwinkle | 1 Broken CD1 Broken Glasses1 Driftwood1 to 3 Green Algae1 Roe1 Soggy Newspaper1 Trash | 2 to 3 Mixed Seeds | 1 Mountains Warp Totem | ||
| Pike | 1 Roe | 20 Bug Meat | |||
| Pufferfish | 1 Roe | 1 Roe | |||
| Rainbow Trout | 1 Roe | 1 Prismatic Shard1 Rainbow Shell | |||
| Red Mullet | 1 Roe | 1 Roe | |||
| Red Snapper | 1 Roe | 1 Roe | |||
| Salmon | 1 Roe | ||||
| Sandfish | 1 Roe | 2 Roe | 3 Roe2 to 5 Cactus Seeds | ||
| Sardine | 1 Roe | 1 Roe | |||
| Scorpion Carp | 1 Roe | 2 Roe | 3 Roe2 to 5 Cactus Seeds | ||
| Sea Cucumber | 1 Roe | 1 Roe | |||
| Sea Urchin | 1 Roe | 5 Roe | |||
| Shad | 1 Roe | ||||
| Shrimp | 1 Broken CD1 Broken Glasses1 Driftwood1 Roe1 to 3 Seaweed1 Soggy Newspaper1 Trash | 1 Coral1 Sea Urchin | 1 Beach Warp Totem1 Nautilus Shell | ||
| Slimejack | 1 Roe | 1 Green Algae | 10 to 50 Slime1 Green Slime Egg | ||
| Smallmouth Bass | 1 Roe | ||||
| Snail | 1 Broken CD1 Broken Glasses1 Driftwood1 to 3 Green Algae1 Roe1 Soggy Newspaper1 Trash | 2 to 3 Mixed Seeds | 1 Mountains Warp Totem | ||
| Spook Fish | 1 Roe | 1 Treasure Chest | |||
| Squid | 1 Squid Ink | ||||
| Stonefish | 1 Roe | 5 Copper Ore | 1 Diamond1 to 5 Geodes30 Stone | ||
| Sturgeon | 1 Sturgeon Roe | 2 Sturgeon Roe | |||
| Sunfish | 1 Roe | 1 Solar Essence | |||
| Super Cucumber | 1 Roe | 1 to 3 Amethyst1 to 3 Iridium Ore | |||
| Tiger Trout | 1 Roe | 2 Roe | |||
| Tilapia | 1 Roe | 1 Roe | |||
| Tuna | 1 Roe | 1 Roe | |||
| Void Salmon | 1 Roe | 5 to 10 Void Essence | 3 Roe1 Void Egg | ||
| Walleye | 1 Roe | ||||
| Woodskip | 1 Roe1 to 5 Wood | 5 Hardwood | 5 to 10 Wood | 1 to 5 Acorn1 to 5 Maple Seed1 to 5 Pine Cone |
If you want to know more about the Fishing Skill in Stardew Valley, then check out our dedicated fishing, crab pot and treasure chests guides!
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