Surfaces

Use the top-right circle to switch between the pond and the rain-on-glass window. Double-click it, or use the ambient button, to toggle the soft background bed.

Window mode includes a rhythm studio for glass loops you can save and play quietly under the pond later.

Controls

Most pond actions use left click or right click. Turn a tool button on first when it has an on/off state. Net, rainbow catcher, and fish picker replace each other: only one of those three can be on at a time.

• Fish food on: left-click or hold to grow a pellet, drag while holding to sling it, release to drop it.
• Fish food off: left-drag across the pond to carve temporary currents. Food throws and current carving never share the same gesture.
• Pet: right-click a fish, frog, helper, or visitor. Hold and stroke for a longer pet. Some creatures need many pets before they change.
• Net: turn the net on, then right-click or right-drag to scoop floating food into the stash.
• Rainbow catcher: turn the catcher on, then left-drag a small circle around a rainbow fish to catch it.
• Fish picker: turn the picker on, then right-drag to lift smaller fish or tow larger ones through the water.
• Food stash: click a saved pellet to arm it, then left-click the pond to place it. Right-click cancels an armed pellet.
• Settled gold: hold right-click on a gold fish or gold helper to collect spendable gold.
• Lake debris and soft plants: right-drag to move them when debris looks are on.
• Croc or alligator snout: right-click the snout a few times to scare it away.
• Pond / window: top-right circle switches surfaces. Double-click it, or use Ambient, for the soft background bed.
• Hide menus: top-right eye button, or press U. Escape also toggles immersive view when no panel is open.
• Guide: top-left book button.
• Looks, market, registry, save, and tunes: bottom-left and nearby buttons open those panels.
• Volume and drop sound: bottom-left corner controls. Drop sound cycles the splash tone style.
• Window rhythm studio: open in window mode to tap glass loops, then play them quietly under the pond with Tunes.

Basics

With fish food on, hold on the pond to grow a pellet. Drag while holding to sling it. Release to drop it in. Larger pellets make deeper splashes and lower tones.

Turn fish food off to carve temporary currents instead: left-drag across the pond. Food throwing and current carving never happen in the same gesture.

Right-click a fish to pet it. Petted fish close their eyes and drift calmly for a moment. Some creatures need many pets, or a long stroke, before they change.

Food floats for a while, then sinks. Larger food sinks sooner. Floating food can be scooped with the net (right-click while the net is on).

Food and growth

Ordinary brown food grows fish. Fish that grow past a threshold can turn predator: they keep their species look and habits, hunt smaller fish, eat food, and get faster with each food bite.

Special pellets appear rarely, or from the market and stash:

• Gold food: turns a fish gold. It settles on the lakebed. Hold right-click on settled gold to collect spendable gold.
• Rainbow food: creates a very fast rainbow predator. Late in a cycle it can challenge the end visitor, then leave so the pond restocks.
• Pink and breed food: blush a fish. Two pink fish can make young.
• Grower food: surges a fish far past normal size.
• Hero food: turns a fish into a hero that hunts smaller predators.
• Green food: grows uncommon pond ornaments, sometimes a carved wooden fish.
• Platinum food: unlocked later. Makes a glowing, resilient platinum fish, and helps open moon and crystal looks.

Fish roles

Heroes hunt evil fish. Evil fish can cannibalize smaller predators. Petting can soothe evil fish back into heroes. Very large fish, monsters, and biome predators need more pets to tame.

Frogs, tadpoles, reptiles, night visitors, crystal visitors, whales, and other rare guests can arrive on their own timers. Petting and feeding change many of them.

Tools and menus

• Looks: shore stones, plants, debris, sun, moon, crystal, frogs, hats, and more.
• Fish food button: on throws food with left click, off carves currents with left-drag.
• Net: right-click scoop for floating food. Scooped food lands in the stash.
• Stash: choose a saved pellet, then left-click the pond to drop it.
• Market: unlock with gold, then buy tools and special food.
• Rainbow catcher: left-drag a circle around a rainbow fish to catch it.
• Fish picker: right-drag to lift or tow fish once unlocked.
• Stronger currents: market upgrade that makes carved currents pull harder.
• Registry: records fish and pond pieces you have met.
• Save progress: store this pond in the browser, or download and upload a save file.
• Tunes: play window-made loops under the pond.

See Controls above for click and drag details. The top-left book button opens this guide (with a spoiler warning first).

Sound and feel

Clicks, bites, pets, and rare events all drive procedural sound. Pitch and fade follow the same physics as the ripples you see. Use the volume slider and drop-sound cycle in the corner controls.

A note on spoilers

This guide lists systems, not every secret timing or ending path. If something surprising happens, that is working as intended. Feed, pet, rearrange the shore, and see what the water does.