Identifying Baby Fish: Goldfish Fry vs. Koi Fry

Color Clues

Goldfish fry are drab brown/gray for 6 months to 2+ years. Koi fry show color (orange, white, black) within weeks.

Koi have two pairs of barbels (whiskers) at the mouth corners. Goldfish have none. Use a magnifying glass on a captured fry.

Koi × goldfish hybrids are rare but possible. They're sterile and show mixed traits.

Goldfish breed at 2.5 inches; koi usually >6 inches. If your adults are mixed sizes, goldfish are the more likely parents.

Pond and Water Gardening: Koi, Goldfish, and Carp Hybrids: Identification and Pond Management; Koi-Goldfish Hybrids? Baby Colors & Winter Survival; Stunted Growth in Small Aquariums: Myth vs. Reality for Koi and Goldfish; Overwintering Koi and Goldfish: Pond vs. Indoor Tank; Goldfish Dying, Koi Fine in 10,000-Gal Unfiltered Pond; Tiny Tadpoles in New Pond: Mosquito Larvae or Fish Fry?; When a Koi Swallows a Goldfish: What to Do; Identifying Baby Koi vs. Goldfish and Overwintering Tadpoles; Why Turtles and Goldfish Should Not Share an Aquarium; Koi Dying, Goldfish Fine: Red Worms in Filter, New Pond Syndrome

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