# Koi Goldfish hybrids



## RichardJW (1 Apr 2014)

During our unseasonal hot summer last year I was aware of much fishy love going on in the garden pond  - Lo and behold come autumn I noticed lots of small fry . As the temperature started to drop I caught a group and put them in a tank in the cellar . These fry soon put on some size and although they are ( in the main ) more Koi in colouration and pattern they are def more goldfish ( comet ) in shape ie mouth is in middle and not on the bottom . And 50% have comet tails already . Reading up it would seem that these are Goldfish/ Koi hybrids and are almost the perfect pond fish - hardier than either parent and sterile .
As the weather is now warming I intend to return them to the pond along with their non- captive siblings which are smaller and then go through the difficult cull process , some are brown from above with gold sides and seem to big note billy bigger . Apparently the other hybrid marker is that they look good from the side whereas Koi are to be viewed from above . Interesting days ahead , I'll try to get some pictures .


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## REDSTEVEO (26 Jun 2015)

RichardJW said:


> During our unseasonal hot summer last year I was aware of much fishy love going on in the garden pond - Lo and behold come autumn I noticed lots of small fry . As the temperature started to drop I caught a group and put them in a tank in the cellar . These fry soon put on some size and although they are ( in the main ) more Koi in colouration and pattern they are def more goldfish ( comet ) in shape ie mouth is in middle and not on the bottom . And 50% have comet tails already . Reading up it would seem that these are Goldfish/ Koi hybrids and are almost the perfect pond fish - hardier than either parent and sterile .



Hi Richard,

I too kept Koi and Goldfish together for a number of years. I have only just this year sold all the Koi and the huge goldfish because I have completely re-vamped my pond. The only fish I kept are about 20 or so fry from last year and the year before.

My question is about the Koi - Goldfish Hybrids. Last Summer when my fish were really "*gittin it aaawnn" *there was that much thrashing about going on it was impossibe to make out who was doing it with who, but it looked to me as if the Koi and the Goldfish were going for anything that was ready for it (so to speak) So I believe it is possible that I may also have some Koi Hybrids.

I have got one fish which is Orange with some weird markings on its body and head similar to those I used to see on the Koi.

How can you tell for definite and why are they sterile?

Cheers,

Steve.


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## alto (26 Jun 2015)

I'd not depend on sterility in fish, those early GM fish were "guaranteed" sterile


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## zozo (26 Jun 2015)

Here you have the Ancient Goldfish where it all began.. 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crucian_carp

Actualy you still see the simular features.

The Koi is nothing but a bred variety of the ordanair_y Cyprinus Carpio every form is bred in captivity.. Actualy all carps variaty you see in the wild are human bred variaties. Blame it on the Romans, they brought the Carpio with them as consumption fish and introdused it. Now they started breeding and sellecting on the heaviest variaties along with them came the naked ones or the mirror carp. And so those fat pigies they catch you see anglers on pictures with, don't form in the wild like that.. The original Carpio is like a torpedo and doesn't get fat. The introduction with the bred versions are so common today that the history of the carp and the real Carpio is almost forgotten and becoming rare to catch.. Very old privat pools you still find them.  Beautifull strong fish and clever fish. I've seen under wtaer video of them how they interact and care for eachother.. Touching.. But anglers still look with another view to the same video._

_They can interbreed those carps if forced to, but i believe the offspring will be sterile as in most family branch mixing in fish._


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## zozo (27 Jun 2015)

Omg got misleaded again.. I googled translate Giebel and i get sended to the Crucian.. But ir must be the Prussian  Gibel Carp. Sorry for the misinfornation. Who said google is your friend?


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## RichardJW (9 Jul 2015)

In reply to the previous author , Koi and Goldfish are not from a common ancestor they are not that closely related !
Koi are Cyprinus carpio haematopterus & Goldfish are Carassius auratus
, that said there are incidences of them hybridising .
A year on from my original post and the fish I suspected to be hybrids are not ! They are now two year old  and are definitely goldfish - on close inspection , everything about them says there is no Koi in their genetic makeup ! Sorry to disappoint !


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## zozo (9 Jul 2015)

_Never knew the latin name but Carassius auratus gibelio is the goldfish forefather  that's the Prussian Gibel from above, we just call them Giebel. Because the Gibel features are bred out the goldfish name became just Carassius auratus for western scientists. i had Gibels in an aquarium in the past, over here in the early days they could be bought at some places as living fishing bait for pikes and such. Because they were hardy enough to keep living a long time with a hook in their back. (Puke) Till the law changed and life bait isnt allowed anymore. I kinda felt sorry for them and took a few home to give them a good life. They are beautifull fish but real dirt bags and not realy suitable for a regular aquarium. They are much wilder than the goldfish and tend to jump out the tank._

_i still would like to have e few but they're nowhere to be found anymore since the market in bait fish plummeted. Which is a good thing.  _


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