I had a fish literally appear out of nowhere and into my ornamental pond. Just a few weeks ago, he/she started out looking not much different than a large tadpole. Now he/she is about four inches long and became a vibrant orange. The head is a bold, vibrant orange and then the body is a lighter shade of orange. I uploaded two pictures but they don't do justice. He/she is quite beautiful and fun to watch...very quick as well. I am just trying to figure out what kind of fish this is. I would like to release him/her somewhere but want to make sure its a good release place as well. Thanks for your help!
What kind of fish is this?!
- Thread starter MySpottedFrog7
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Ruben Miranda
I am so confused
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Hello
Humm not sure it is a gold fish but what specific kind not sure.
But she/he is pretty.
Ruben
Humm not sure it is a gold fish but what specific kind not sure.
But she/he is pretty.
Ruben
It looks like a well fed comet or common goldfish to me but I'm not guaranteeing it. Probably a Sarasa actually.
fishin4cars
True friends just call me Larkin
Honestly I can't tell if it's a Koi or a goldfish. Probably got moved in as an egg in a plant or stuck to a birds foot. It isn't a good idea to release it to the wild. Why would you want to remove it? IIt can be left alone and allowed to eat mosquito's and insects that lay eggs in the pond. As long as there is only one it would probably do fine for some time even in a fairly small pond, if it's a koi it will need a pond of 5-600 gallons or more to really grow after a year or two.
Thanks for the replies so far. I should add that the bold orange coloring does end after the head which is where the coloring turns to a lighter orange. Also, he/she has "grown" this coloring over time. I don't know much at all about fish! 
If this is a koi, my pond is not big enough. I planned to release the fish because my pond freezes in the winter. I haven't been feeding him/her which seems to be fine.
If this is a koi, my pond is not big enough. I planned to release the fish because my pond freezes in the winter. I haven't been feeding him/her which seems to be fine.I should also note that I don't want to kill the poor thing!
A Koi of that size should have a "handlebar mustache" under its mouth. Also, as long as your pond does not freeze solid, that fish can live under the ice. I would keep it, but that's just me.
My guess goes to some varient of comet/goldie, it could just as easily be a koi.
Thanks for the replies so far. Just based on the research I have been doing I am thinking maybe it is a sarasa. The color is very vibrant but seems to keep changing as the fish grows. Also, the mouth is very round. I watched her continuously sucking up a dead worm today and spitting it out. Any other input as to what type of fish this is? Also, she seems to be doing fine on her own but should I be feeding her anything extra? One last question--how long do these fish tend to live in an ornamental pond?
There are some who will say they can live dozens of years in ideal conditions....
I now have a 2nd fish......the first was a tiny thing when it popped out of nowhere. Now another tiny one...what is the liklihood of this? Do they reproduce without another male?