How To Pick A Good Goldfish | Which Gold Fish Types Can Live In A Garden Pond?

Goldfish Varieties and their suitability for placing in a garden fish pond

So what exactly is a goldfish and what does it look like. Ask ten different people and you will more than likely get 10 different answers. The goldfish comes in many forms and appearances. Some species of goldfish are so different to other goldfish varieties that you would assume that the fish belong to a totally different species altogether.

The common goldfish originally started off as a rather dull, brown coloured fish that was seen as a meal rather than as a pet.

Its first real change was a change in colour to a yellowish colour. This did the goldfish no harm as instead of being seen as just food it was now seen as a colourful pet that could be kept and admired.

Modern goldfish varieties come in a myriad of colours, sizes and appearance. Who would think that a Lionhead goldfish shares much of the same genetic make up as a Comet goldfish? At first glance you would certainly see no connection.

What is even more amazing is that each one of these weird and wonderful varieties of goldfish can be interbred to produce even more baby goldfish varieties. The diversity is truly amazing.

Opposite ... Shubunkin a truly colourful goldfish.

Goldfish breeders have succeeded in altering the physical appearance of goldfish.

Every possible change in appearance has been experimented with at some stage. Classic examples of the changes and mutations can be seen in the goldfishes eye shape, colour, body shape, tail length, number of tails, fin shape etc. Contrast the Blackmoor goldfish with a Calico fantail for example.

Amongst the many varieties of goldfish some are hardier than others. Some varieties will live happily and thrive in a garden pond environment (including winter) with other fish species such as Koi and sterlets for example. Other gold fish varieties on the other hand are not happy in the tough environment that a pond can be. Instead they are far more at home living in an aquarium indoors or only living in a pond during the warm spring and summer months.

Fancy goldfish as the less hardy varieties of goldfish are referred to in the trade are generally displayed for sale in aquaria rather than open topped troughs and tanks.

Which Gold Fish Types Can Live In A Garden Pond?

When making this decision there is a general rule of thumb that comes into play. If the particular goldfish variety resembles the overall typical shape of a goldfish, but has a different colour or larger fins then it is more than likely able to survive in a garden pond environment such as those found in northern Europe and the colder northern states of the USA. Many of the fancy goldfish varieties are too slow compete for food with koi, orfe and other fish species in a fish pond.

Examples of goldfish suitable for garden ponds...

Common Goldfish - Typically a very evenly pigmented fish with short and sturdy fins and tail. Often available in a number of different colour variations where other colours such as white and black appear on top of the original golden colouration.
Comet Goldfish - They have been bred so that they have a really long tail fin. In large fish the tail may be half as long as the body. A uniform, singular colour is unusual in Comets. They regularly have red and white patterns that can be seen more easily from above. Furthermore, the comet's colour is typically red rather than gold.
Shubunkin - Compared with the other previous goldfish varieties, the Shubunkin is extremely distinctive in its colouration, with much variation occurring between individual fish. Rather than the typical gold colour associated with many goldfish varieties the Shubunkin is blue with a black and orange mottling set on top of this blue base. At first glimpse the colour is somewhat strange and makes the fish appear as if it is disease ridden.

Fancy gold fish that are not suitable For Fish ponds

These are more distant relatives of the goldfish and have been bred to exhibit some extreme physical mutations. These fish are so in-bred that they often lack the physical survival abilities of the common goldfish, Comet and Shubunkin. They will die if placed in a fish pond and left over the winter period; particularly in the colder climates of the world.

Orandas - When viewed from above, their double-tail looks like a butterfly. They can adopt a variety of colours, including calico, which resembles a Shubunkin.
Blackmoor - Similar in shape to an Oranda, this black fish has bulbous eyes that project from the head. I personally used to keep these fish in an aquarium. They lasted for several years quite happily with tropical fish species. They are in fact my favourite goldfish variety, despite their quirky and somewhat ugly appearance.
Lionheads - These have a development on their head similar to the mane of a male lion. They too have a twin tail, but lack a dorsal fin.
Bubble Eyes, Pom-Poms and Celestials - These are all fancy goldfish in the extreme where breeders have selected for wild variations in head and eye developments.

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