Goldfish, sometimes overshadowed in the pond by the bigger Koi, is every bit as beautiful and exciting to watch. They may even be just a bit hardier although they generally do not live as long as a well-kept koi. Goldfish will live 20 to 30 years while a well-kept koi will live about 50.

Comets are single-tailed goldfish and are considered the most hardy of all pond fish. There are three common classifications of the comet, Pond Comet, Sarasa Comet and Shubunkin.

A "Pond Comet" is a totally orange-red fish. When small, it may be sold as a feeder fish but a larger one will add a beautiful color to your pond.

A "Sarasa Comet" is a red and white fish. Many times a sarasa comet will have red spots on a white body. The reds on a sarasa comet tend to be truer than the orange-red of the pond comet.

The "Shubunkin" is a calico fish that has black spots that look like freckles. The body of the shubunkin may be a soft blue and the reds that appear on this variety are usually deep red, a color that any koi would be proud to wear.

Fancy Goldfish is a term we use for any variety of goldfish that isn’t single-tailed. They are commonly called "fantails" but come in a slew of varieties. Their bodies are fatter, to the point that you may think they are bloated. These fish are more delicate than the comet or koi simply because their tail fins prevent them from swimming fast. (away from predators!) They will appear in red, red and white and calico just like the comet but you may find extra colors such as solid black and brown.

Some varieties of Fancy Goldfish can be kept in a pond along with comets and koi as long as you are not experiencing a predator problem. The only two that we would "allow" in a pond is the Ryunkin and the Oranda.

Probably the most common and hardiest of the fancy goldfish is the Ryunkin. He is basically a comet with a fat belly and a fancy tail. The longer and more elegant the tail fins are, the better and the more hunchback he is, the better.

Orandas are those precious fat fancy goldfish that have what appears to be a head full of bubbles — not to be confused with the bubble-eyes. You would definitely know the difference if you’ve ever seen one!

There are so many breeds of fancy goldfish we cannot cover them in this short article. There are pom-poms that have what looks like pom-poms for eyebrows and there are telescope eyes that seem to pop right out of the head. There are the famous bubble-eyes that have delicate sacks filled with water around their eyes and cannot be placed in a pond with koi or comets as they are much too delicate and require a quiet aquarium setting. There are ranchus and lionheads that have no top (or dorsal) fin.