Question: are koi born with barbels?
Answer: So the ones you think are Koi that are black on the backs are probably Goldies. The ones that are already colored up are probably Koi, since Koi are usually born with colors. ... The ones with barbels are most likely Koi since the hybrids usually are barbel-free. That being said, Koi would have barbels then, Goldfish not.