Common Ornamental Pond Fish Identification Guide

Use this guide to determine what types of fish you want to have in your new Ornamental Pond!

(Keep in mind that these fish may be called by different common names by different people.)

Comet: This is a type of very hardy goldfish. It has a long, single tail fin and can grow up to 14 inches long. They can be bright metallic orange, but more commonly, they are orange and white.

Common Goldfish: This is also a very hardy fish and it an also grow to lengths of up to 14 inches. It has a shorter, less flowing tail fin than the Comet. Generally, it is a golden-orange color.

Fantail Goldfish: This type of goldfish has a larger girth than that of the common goldfish. The body shape is more round, almost egg-like. The long tail fin is split into two lobes, making it appear very full and flowing. The colors range from almost red metallic to bright orange to mottled (white, orange, and black). This fish is also hardy and grows to lengths of about 14 inches.

Shubunkin: This fish looks like a comet in that it has a single, slightly flowing tail fin, but the fish can be several colors mottled together. The colors resemble a calico pattern in all colors from red, orange, gold, white and black. The shubunkin is shorter and usually has a thicker girth than the comet. It usually grows to about 10 inches long.

Koi: This is a Japanese cousin of the Goldfish. Koi's are beautiful, colorful and have longer tails than goldfish. Colors range from bright orange to white to gold or even mottled (white, orange, and black). An average Koi can grow to lengths of 14 to 16 inches, although some koi are capable of growing even larger.

Butterfly Koi: This is a Koi with a very, very long and flowing split tail fin, which gives the effect of a wispy tail. Most of these Koi are several colors mixed together (white, gold, orange, and black). However, sometimes they exist as metallic white or bright red-orange. Butterfly Koi's can grow to lengths of about 16 inches. Sometimes this type of Koi is referred to as a "fancy-tail."

Catfish: There are many species of catfish. In the Northeast United States, the most dominate species is the Channel catfish. Most species grow to be very large, but the size of the fish is determined by the size of the body of water it lives in. Catfish in a lake may grow to several feet, but the same species of catfish living in a 10' pond may only grow to 18 inches long. Most catfish are deep gray-brown in color and have a sharply forked tail. Also, channel catfish and some other species have a sharp barb located near their mouth. They are very, very hardy and lurk near the bottom of the pond. Although they are not very aesthetically pleasing, they help keep the pond from getting too murky because they are bottom-feeders.