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The best fish for a Fish Pond in Stardew Valley depends on what you want from it: choose Sturgeon for the direct route to Caviar, or Lava Eel for Roe plus chances at extra resources. Neither choice is established as a universal profit winner. For other fish, compare the specific pond output and your goal rather than assuming one species is best overall.
Which fish should you choose?
| Goal | Fish to consider | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Make Caviar | Sturgeon | Sturgeon produce Sturgeon Roe, which a Preserves Jar turns into Caviar. |
| Get Roe and possible extra resources | Lava Eel | Its pond produces red Lava Eel Roe; population thresholds can also make other items possible. |
| Prioritize another species, item, or appearance | Choose based on the specific output you want | Outputs and chances vary by species and pond population, so these examples do not rank every fish. |
Choose Sturgeon for the Caviar route
Sturgeon reproduce in a Fish Pond every four days and produce Sturgeon Roe. Put that Roe in a Preserves Jar to make Caviar. This is the supported choice when Caviar is the goal; it does not establish that Sturgeon has the highest value per day.
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| 1 |
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Choose Lava Eel for Roe and possible extra items
Lava Eel reproduce every five days and produce red Lava Eel Roe. At a population of three, Gold Ore becomes a possible pond output. Further valuable drops are listed as possible from a population of eight. These are possibilities, not guaranteed daily rewards, and the available figures do not establish their drop frequency.
How Fish Pond output works
- Fish generally reproduce until the pond reaches its population limit; Tiger Trout are an exception and do not reproduce.
- Possible products and their chances depend on the fish species and the pond’s population.
- Click the pond to collect its output. If you leave an item uncollected, it may remain into the next day, but new production can replace it.
- A Golden Animal Cracker can be applied once to a pond to double that pond’s normal product output.
How to make the choice for your farm
- Decide what you want: a processed product such as Caviar, Roe, secondary resources, or a pond chosen for appearance.
- Check the species’ pond outputs: distinguish regular output from items that only become possible at a particular population.
- Account for processing: Sturgeon Roe needs a Preserves Jar to become Caviar.
- Collect output regularly: clicking the pond prevents a later day’s production from replacing an item you meant to collect.
The available mechanics support these goal-based recommendations, not a complete profit ranking across every fish, processing route, profession, and other modifier. A universal winner cannot be named from these comparisons alone.
Quick Recap
Best Value
Rank #4
- You’ve inherited your grandfather’s old farm plot in Stardew Valley. Armed with hand-me-down tools and a few coins, you set out to begin your new life.
- Now with Multiplayer! Invite 1-3 players to join you in the valley! Players can work together to build a thriving farm, share resources, and build relationships with townspeople or each other.
- New Single Player Content! Including the new Winter Market Festival, more collectibles, added character cut-scenes and even hats for your horse!
Rank #2
- Create the farm of your dreams: build your farm from the ground up on 1 of 5 map layouts suited to your play style!
- mmaster your branching skills: raise animals, grow crops, start an orchard and build useful machines!
- become a part of the local community: get to know all 30+ residents of Pelican town!
- customize your farmer: there are hundreds of character customization options to choose from!
- settle down and start a family: share life on the farm with 1 of 12 characters you can date and marry, and even have children with!.explore vast, mysterious caves! Encounter dangerous monsters and valuable treasures!.spend a relaxing afternoon at one of the local fishing spots: the waters are teeming with seasonal varieties of delicious fish. Craft bait, bobbers, and crab pots to help you in your journey toward catching every fish and becoming a local Legend!.
#1 Best Overall
- For 1 to 4 players
- Ages 13+
- About 45 minutes per player
- A cooperative board game
- Based on the hit video game
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