Stardew Valley Fish Pond Guide: Materials, Capacity, and Roe
Build a Fish Pond from Robin for 5,000g plus 200 Stone, 5 Seaweed, and 5 Green Algae, add one fish species, and collect Roe daily as the fish reproduce.
To start a Fish Pond in Stardew Valley, buy it from Robin at the Carpenter’s Shop for 5,000g plus 200 Stone, 5 Seaweed, and 5 Green Algae. It takes two days to build and occupies a 5×5 tile space. Add one species of fish, let it reproduce, and collect Roe and other items from the chum bucket daily.
Building the pond
The Fish Pond costs 5,000g plus 200 Stone, 5 Seaweed, and 5 Green Algae. Order it from Robin, and construction takes two days. The pond uses a 5×5 tile footprint, so leave room on the farm before placing it. If you need better tools for gathering materials, check our tool upgrades guide.
Adding fish and raising capacity
You can place fish caught with a fishing rod or a crab pot, plus Green Algae, Seaweed, White Algae, and the various Sea, River, and Cave Jellies. A pond holds one species and up to 10 fish.
| Fish type | Starting capacity | Maximum capacity |
|---|---|---|
| Most fish | 3 | 10 |
| Rare fish such as Sturgeon, Lava Eel, and Blobfish | 1 | 10 |
| Legendary Fish | 1 | 1 |
| Tiger Trout, Sea Urchin, and Coral | 10 | 10 |
Fish reproduce on their own up to the current capacity. When the pond is full, a yellow exclamation point appears and a fish quest starts. Complete that fetch request to raise the capacity, up to a maximum of 10. Legendary Fish stay at 1.
What the pond produces
Each pond produces items in a chum bucket that you collect by clicking. Roe is the most common product. Some fish produce other items instead of or alongside Roe. Higher population makes items more likely; the base daily chance ranges from 23% to 95%, with the formula population x 0.08 + 0.15. Empty ponds never produce items.
Squid and Midnight Squid produce Squid Ink. Roe can be placed in a Preserves Jar to become an Artisan Good: Sturgeon Roe creates Caviar, and roe from other fish creates Aged Roe. For a full breakdown of Sturgeon ponds and Caviar, check our sturgeon and caviar guide.
Where it goes wrong
- Expecting a daily item at low population. A pond with only one or two fish has a much lower base chance than a full pond.
- Leaving Roe unprocessed. Roe is the main product, and placing it in a Preserves Jar creates an Artisan Good.
- Ignoring the yellow exclamation point. If you do not complete the fish quest, capacity stays stuck and the pond cannot reach 10.
- Putting a Legendary Fish in a pond. It is limited to 1 fish, so it never builds a standard reproducing population.
- Forgetting that Tiger Trout never reproduce. A Tiger Trout pond starts at 10 and stays at 10 because no new fish spawn.
FAQ
Does emptying a pond reset its capacity?
Yes. The empty pond menu option resets the pond to a newly built state, so the raised capacity is lost. Catching fish out one at a time with a fishing rod only reduces the population.
Do I need to feed the fish each day?
No. Fish reproduce on their own up to the current capacity after you add the first ones, and the pond does not require daily food.
