Can you identify this alien fish?

[CountryEscape]

Love that last pic, too, Addy. Anytime there is something different and unusual, it catches my eye. My favorite of the pics is #4. That one is really pretty, love the long forked tail! Looks like most of yours are Shubunkins, which are my favorites. That's why I bought the 3 babies from Wal-Mart. They are really prettily marked, and hoping to get brighter and more colorful babies next year. They are still pretty small now, but in an aquarium they don't grow very fast. Once in the pond, they will be 6" by the end of the season. Amazing how size of environment does that for the fish. Also, now that I will have 3 fantails in the pond, 2 shubies, one with the red spot on head and red spot on each fin, I wonder if I will ever get any baby fantails! That would be so much fun, to see their chubby little bodies wiggling around.

 

[addy1]

laughing country, started out with 1 shubunkin from the very first summer, one of the 4 fish that made it over winter. I added 3 others. ow it was a mix of goldfish. The shubies are cross breeding or their babies are doing better than the goldfish babies, there seems to be a bunch of them.

 

[pondlover]

I love your fish Addy. How big do the Shubunkins get?

 

[CountryEscape]

A lot of the size depends on the size of their environment. If they are in an aquarium, they will stay fairly small, 3-5" probably. But, in a pond, they will really grow. Some people have goldfish that are over 12" long, an I would guess Shubunkins would look longer because of their longer flowing tails.
As an example of size and how fast fish grow, I put a plecostomus (bottom feeder, sometimes referred to as a "sucker fish", tropical fish) in my pond last year. He was probably 5-6" and my friend didn't want him in his aquarium anymore, too "poopy". LOL So, I thought he could stay in the pond and put him in there, then learned he had to come out when the water got below 55. Anyhow, he was in my pond for about 4 months at most! He was about 13" when I removed him! He probably would have been maybe 7" had he stayed in the aquarium!
Size matters!

 

[sissy]

hmmm ok then size matters to country .LOL I wonder what she really is talking about .

 

[CountryEscape]

Why, the pond size, of course, Miss Sissy!!! LOL

 

[sissy]

well he was 13 inches when you removed him and wondered if you meant a fish and poopy at that wrong end country or should I say wrong side

 

[CountryEscape]

Haha maybe we should leave this one for the imagination of the readers .....
And, if you think koi and goldfish are what my local pet store refers to as "poopy fish", you should see plecos! I think they must be worse than koi and goldfish, but maybe not.

 

[pecan]

Well I have been watching this little alien fish and he has by far out grown all the other fry from last year. He is about 4 inches long while all the others are 2 to 3 inches long at best. I have also noticed he has become very shiny, his face is much flatter than the comets and now I can see little barbs on his face. I do believe he is either Koi or part Koi especially since I just added Koi to the pond for the first time yesterday and his face is the shape of theirs not the comets. He must have made it into the pond last year with some plants. I purchase many plants and most of the places had Koi in the tanks with the plants. Here are some pics I took today:

 

[pecan]

Here are a couple better pictures:

This one you can see two of the comet fry from last year, one to the right and one below him. There is a huge difference in size and appearance.

 

[CountryEscape]

Pecan, I'd say you have a baby koi in there! The fact you got lots of plants from other breeders of koi, my guess is either you got baby eggs, or a little fry was in with the plants. Quite a hitchhiker, and odds were against him/her, but it sure did make it! Congrats on your baby.
Now, That goldfish (at least I assume it's a goldfish) with the yellow head and red spot with black in the middle of it, is quite the looker! I would pick that fish out of a tank and buy it hands down! Did you raise that one, or buy it? And, is it goldfish or koi? It's really unique, and I love it!
Haha, and by the looks of your big goldfish, you will be having lots of babies again this year ... the question is, how many will make it big enough to survive!

 

[fishin4cars]

looking at those pics I have to agree with CE, they look like koi and if I'm looking correctly two appear to be butterfly koi. now they can also be hybrid beyween comets and koi. In ponds where the two are kept together this is very possible. If your planning on keeping them then enjoy them for what they look like. most hybrids don't grow to be full size koi which can be a nice thing in smaller ponds, The usually don't breed back and they can be attractive fish in many caes.

 

[fishin4cars]

I have pond mutts, not too concerned as to what kind they are, but they are pretty.

Keeping an eye on this one, the black marking have not changed since last summer. Waiting to see if they stay, It still has the two orange spots on the tail.

Addy, I really like all your shubunkins. The last pic I would refer to as a mutt comet and it's only due to it's body and fin shape. I really like it's color but I'm not a fan of short finned goldfish. It's a personal preferance. I really like the shubunkin with the one orange marke on it's side and half white and half dark. that's unique to me!

 

[pecan]

looking at those pics I have to agree with CE, they look like koi and if I'm looking correctly two appear to be butterfly koi. now they can also be hybrid beyween comets and koi. In ponds where the two are kept together this is very possible. If your planning on keeping them then enjoy them for what they look like. most hybrids don't grow to be full size koi which can be a nice thing in smaller ponds, The usually don't breed back and they can be attractive fish in many caes.

The butterfly koi you I just purchased. The alien fish is the dark one with the white face in the middle of each pic. I showed up in my pond last year with the last years comet fry but has always been different. I think he is a koi now comparing the shape to the butterfly koi I just got and the comets I already had.

 

[addy1]

Addy, I really like all your shubunkins. The last pic I would refer to as a mutt comet and it's only due to it's body and fin shape. I really like it's color but I'm not a fan of short finned goldfish. It's a personal preferance. I really like the shubunkin with the one orange marke on it's side and half white and half dark. that's unique to me!

Thanks fishin, the short tailed ones are probably descendants of the first 4 fish in the pond. One white, one shubunkin, one tri tailed, one gold. I like the longer flowing fins also, but at this point whatever is birthed, grows lives is welcome to stay.