Picture of Koi & Goldfish.
Water Gardens & Features Q & A
Q: I have many different types of fish in my water garden. Most were given to me by my friends. I think they are koi but how can I tell the difference between a koi and goldfish? – Troy of Kansas
A: I remember when I first got into water gardening not only did I not know what the heck a water garden was, but pretty much every koi or goldfish I saw in a water garden was a goldfish to me. So how do you tell the difference? Is it by size? shape? Hopefully the following will be able to help you become a basic koi and
goldfish identifier!
Koi and Goldfish are related but not closely. Colors, patterns and body structure are the most distinctive differences between the two fish types.
Colors & Patterns: Did you know that koi varities are named by their color patterns?
Here are some of the most common koi varieties. See the pictures to the left to help identify them:
- Kohaku, white koi with red patterns;
- Sanke, white koi with red and small black “stepping stone” patterns;
- Showa White, red and black patterns fit together;
- Bekko Solid color koi with black spots;
- Ogon Solid color in with regular or metallic scales just to name a few.
Just like koi there are many varieties of goldfish. Common goldfish found in water gardens are:
- Sarassa, red and white patterns;
- Shubunkin, “Calico colored” bluish tint with red and black spots;
- Commons, Orange, yellow, red, brown, or black
Body Structure: A koi’s body is tapered at each end with pointy noses, barbells/whiskers like a catfish and flat bellies. Koi fins can be well defined (called standard koi by retailers) or long fins (called butterfly koi) shown in the pictures on the left. Scale quantity and placement may vary on a koi as well. Some koi have scales on just a few parts of their body while some may have no true scales at all.
Goldfish tend to be more rounded with a blunt nose and do not have barbells. Goldfish may also have butterfly fins or fan tails. Fan tail fish have divided tail fins that form a triangle shape or fan shape when viewed from above. Scales on a goldfish are more evenly distributed and located all over the fish.
If you would like to know more information about these and other fish types check out the Book The Hobbyist’s Guide to Pond Fish. It’ll make you an expert in no time!
Filed under: Koi & Goldfish, Water Gardens & Features | Tagged: bekko, common, goldfish, kohaku, Koi & Goldfish, ogon, sanke, sarassa, showa, shubunkin
I was told years ago that the fastest easiest way to tell the difference between goldfish and koi is koi have whiskers and goldfish don’t.
Denise,
Sorry for the confusion, I had to reread just to make sure, but the “barbells” are referring to whiskers. I will add “/whiskers” to it to eliminate the confusion. Great comment!
I have Koi and goldfish in my 3,000 gallon pond. They are about 4 inches long. They have been there for 1 year. I added 3 new 2 inch Koi to my pond 5 days ago and they have not come up to eat and I have not seen them. What do you think happened? I have not found them floating dead or in the skimmer.
Karen Spangler,
What happens some times when adding new koi is they can become a little skittish and hide as you approach your water garden. This is because it is a new environment that they are not used to. This post on Acclimating Your Koi & Other Fish should be helpful to you. Thanks for the Question!
Thanks for the post! I have a mixture of comets and koi and I am always trying to tell which are which. I do look for barbels but they are not always easy to see. I recently lost several fish that I thought were comets to a pH crash. It was only under close examination after I removed the dead ones that I was able to see small barbels.
Have you ever noticed that pictures of koi always seem to be taken from overhead and pictures of others (like in your post) are taken from the side? This makes it hard to really compare them, especially since most of us who have ponds never get to see our fish from the side. Do you have any pictures that show direct comparrison from a top view of the different kinds of fish?
Jill,
Yes I have noticed that =). My apologizes. Most of the reason is because the goldfish are taken in an aquarium where you can see them from the side while the koi, a majority not all, are taken top down since they are in a blue tank in a koi show. Once we get our goldfish in our retail store, I will try and get some better pictures uploaded.
Thanks for your comment!
Do goldfish and koi need protection against low temperatures in an indoor pond–which in winter sometime goes below 60 degrees?
Sid, Koi and Goldfish are pretty hardy and can survive freezing temperatures. If your water temperatures are staying around 50-60 degrees, they will be just fine. If you notice that your fish are starting to slow down in the cooler water temperatures, you may want to switch to a Wheatgerm based fish food like Pond Logic® Spring and Fall Fish Food so that they can digest easier in the cooler temperatures.