No. The Import of Live Fish Act governs what freshwater ornamental fish can be kept and how in England and Wales.
The only fish that can be kept outside – and only in a garden pond – are:
- common carp (Cyprinus carpio)
- goldfish (Carassius auratus)
- ide or orfe (Leuciscus idus)
- rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss, other than anadromous steelhead)
- grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella)
- sturgeon (Acipenser and Huso)
All other freshwater fish must ONLY be kept in an indoor aquarium. That includes temperate fish. Please do not keep any other fish than those mentioned above outside of your house, even during the summer.
There is a good reason for this. Certain freshwater fish have the ability to survive in UK waters if they’re released or escape (eg because of flooding). While tropical fish would not survive because of water temperature they may be carrying diseases which could infect native fish.
You can check which freshwater fish are allowed to kept in indoor aquariums here on the Gov.uk site (go to the Licence to introduce and keep non-native freshwater fish (ILFA licence) section and download the Freshwater fish that can be kept for ornamental, scientific research or conservation purposes excel spreadsheet).
