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sunshine9_gw

Can you tell what kind of fish?

sunshine9
11 years ago

Hi,

We recently purchased a house with a small pond with 6 goldfish. We had it professionally cleaned and got the filtration fixed so it is appropriate for the size of the pond. I can finally see my fish! They are soo beautiful. 5 seem to be various colored comet goldfish. But I can't figure out what kind of goldfish this other fish is. He is black which almost shimmers blue/purple in the sun. His belly may be a tan color. His fins are shaped a little different and he has a different swim pattern. I have attached two pictures. They aren't great but there were the best I could get since he is super fast. He is the slowest to get use to me sitting around the pond.

Thanks!

Comments (16)

  • sunshine9
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Here is another picture.

  • gardengimp
    11 years ago

    Welcome to ponding and to the forums! Fish are so much fun.

    Are you by chance in Florida? Your black fish looks a bit like a plecostomus which could probably overwinter in central Florida. I'm no expert though. You might make a trip down to the fish store and see if you can find something that looks similar.

    Dianne

  • waterbug_guy
    11 years ago

    I think it's a Comet Goldfish. They start out orange or black/brown/bronze and turn red or white and white then sometimes turns to red. Could also be a Sarasa Comet in which case the final color would be red and white. When they change colors it can happen pretty fast, couple of weeks. They can stay in an in between state for a long time. And some seem to stay black/brown/bronze for what seems like forever, and maybe they do.

  • mammasue
    11 years ago

    I have a black/blue fantail that is at least 5 years old and never turned. It is possible that he is a "goldfish" and will stay black. Personally my black fish is my favorite.

  • diggery
    11 years ago

    Looks like two dif fish to me, goldfish & pleco respectively. Are you certain it's one & the same fish? Difficult to tell from the pics.

    A pleco is tropical, & tho fairly adaptable, won't survive cold temps for extended periods. As gardenimp indicated, your zone would be helpful here. (and if you plan on hanging out here, I'd suggest you edit your profile to include your zone - you'll get more accurate feedback;)

    blessings,
    ~digger

  • annedickinson
    11 years ago

    Your picture looks very much like my Molly (black fish) and Ito (comet). Not sure what the black ones are called. Molly started out black, stayed that way for 5 years until her death.

    {{gwi:181512}}

  • sunshine9
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Thanks everyone! They are definitely the same fish. Oh and I am in MA.

    That last picture looks exactly like my fish! Maybe it is a black comet with long fins. I don't mind if he stays black, he is beautiful!

    This weekend, we are getting a couple of shubunkins to add to the crew. I'm soo excited!

  • buyorsell888
    11 years ago

    It is a comet goldfish that never changed to orange.

  • diggery
    11 years ago

    Yeah, the location is helpful, doubt a pleco would overwinter there. I have three blackies, two of which are beginning to show color this year. Hopin the third won't follow suit. They are lovely. Have fun with your shubies this weekend!

    blessings,
    ~digger

  • frankielynnsie
    11 years ago

    Don't forget to quarrantine them so they won't bring an illness to your other fish.

  • Clay Swisher
    11 years ago

    Hard to tell from the pictures, but how big are the fish & do they have barbules ("whiskers" like carp) at the corners of their mouths? If barbules koi (butterfly koi have longer fins), if not goldfish (as others have said, probably comets).

  • Calamity_J
    11 years ago

    I thought your fish looked like a shubunkin! Lovely long flowing tail! A Beaut!

  • sunshine9
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Sorry, I haven't been back, work has been crazy. We got 3 shubunkins and 1 red and white comet. They are beautiful!! Unfortunately, I had a Great Blue Heron around a few days later. I tried scaring him away. I hadn't seen him in a LONG time. I went to work and sadly, I think he came back and got the largest shubunkin and the little red and white comet. Of course those were our two favorite additions :(
    As for the black comet. Since I started this post, I have seen some orange/gold popping through on his lower fins. It hasn't spread yet but perhaps he is starting to turn. Regardless, he is beautiful! His fins are so long and flowing! He doesn't have barbles and is about 6-7 inches so I do believe he is a comet.
    Our UV filter was turned on a couple of weeks ago and the water has been getting soo clear. I can now see him so much better. I will try to get some good pics of my pond and the fish again :)

  • buyorsell888
    11 years ago

    Keep in mind that the heron can see them better now too....

  • garyfla_gw
    11 years ago

    Hi
    Odd about solid black GF seem to be the rarest of adult colors, for some reason. My original fish were black,spotted as well as orange white spotted .Ended up being solid white white with spots and solid orange no black at all. yestaerday I noticed about a dozen new fry
    and the majority are black and orange,solid black not a white in the bunch!! Can already see various types of fins developing though only one of the adults has long fins but is solid white!! Obviously black is recessive but why no white?? Will be interesting to see if they all change color again. gary

  • waterbug_guy
    11 years ago

    Black is common in Goldfish breed to be black, like Black Moors.

    Comets and Common Goldfish were breed to be red or white. As with most fish, birds and mammals juvenile coloration is different from adult coloration. For Comets and Common Goldfish the normal juvenile coloration is orange or bronze (brown, olive, and some people call it black).

    Most people think the juvenile orange is the same as the adult red, but side by side the difference can be seen. Changing to adult coloration can be fairly late in life for many fish especially in poor water quality.

    And of course feeder fish can be a mix of different Goldfish types so coloration can be different.