How to Identify Pond Fish
- 1). Check out the pond plants. There's a lot that can be learned from what types of plants a pond has at the surface. Because the two main types of pond fish goldfish and koi, have different diets,what's growing on the pond surface is a good indicator of what you may find in the water. Goldfish live around and under the protection of pond plants such as water lilies, willow moss and reeds. A pond that has a lot of these types of plants would indicate that goldfish are present. Koi, on the other hand, eat a majority of the plants that grow in ponds; therefore you'll find less foliage on a pond that has koi.
- 2). Look at the size and color of the fish. It's amazing how many pond fish are at least partly orange in color. Koi, more often than not, tend to be either completely orange, or at least dappled in orange spots. They are also very large. In fact, Koi can grow to be over 20 pounds over time. Goldfish are fairly small, normally no larger then a pound, but often much smaller. And like their name, they are gold (though occasionally you'll find them with a white pigmentation.
- 3). Look for fish that don't resemble either a koi or goldfish. Just because these are the two major types of pond fish, doesn't mean that you won't find other species. Mosquito fish, which are silver with a flat dorsal area; Sarasha comet, which have an undulating orange and white pattern, and the American Flagfish, which is named because of its resemblance to a striped flag, are three other fairly common species of pond fish you may encounter.
