“Koi” in a fish tank. Help please!?
November 17, 2010 by KOI Section
Filed under Koi Facts
I bought a very small fish yesterday, approximately 1.5 inches long including the tail. It has the color of a koi fish (white and a little gold) but it looks nothing like a koi. It was labeled koi at the pet shop but the more research I do the more I am convinced that it was mislabeled. I was not aware how big koi fish can get until after I already purchased the fish so now I am wanting to determine whether or not I have a koi. I have looked up baby koi fish and they are times as big as the one I have. Also, my fish does not have whiskers like koi fish and its body is rounder like my small fantail goldfish instead of long and more slender-like. Also, I mentioned that I have a fantail goldfish and when I put my new fish in with it while I set it’s other tank up I noticed that it looked exactly like the goldfish except for smaller. In fact if you weren’t there when I put it in the tank then you would never know that my goldfish didn’t just have a baby. So if anyone can help me determine whether I have a koi or a type of goldfish I would greatly appreciate it.
A picture would help.
But koi start life small. It could just be a baby. I would take it back, and not chance it. They are supposed to grow up to 4 feet long, and can not live in an inside aquarium. Only large koi ponds.
Even fancy and common goldfish needs BIG tanks. Fancies reaching 10-12 inches, and commons/comets/feeders reaching 14-18 inches.
if it looks like a fantail goldfish chances are it is one, could be a koi though, take a picture of it and post it up on some fish keeping forums, they’ll help you
well you could have
a baby koi
a fancy goldfish
a common goldfish
kois get anywhere from 2 to 4ft long
fancies upto 6″ sometimes 12″
commons 18″ or bigger