How To Keep The Goldfish|Goldfish Varieties

How To Keep The Goldfish

Selective breeding over centuries has produced several color variations, some of them far removed from the "golden" color of the originally domesticated fish. Goldfish may also lose their "golden" color, or rather any goldfish color, by being kept in a dark room, which causes the scales to turn white. There are also different body shapes, fin and eye configurations. Some extreme versions of the goldfish need to be kept in an aquarium — they are much less hardy than varieties closer to the "wild" original. However, some variations are hardier, such as the Shubunkin.

The main goldfish varieties are: Black Moor, Bubble eye, Butterfly tail, Calico, Celestial eye, Comet, Common, Fantail, Lionchu, Lionhead, Oranda, Panda Moor, Pearlscale, Pompom, Ranchu, Ryukin, Shubunkin, Telescope eye, Veiltail

Chinese classification

In Chinese goldfish keeping, goldfish are classified into 4 main types, which are not commonly used in the west.

• Dragon eye - goldfish with extended eyes, e.g. Black Moor, Bubble Eye, and telescope eye
• Egg - goldfish without a dorsal fin. E.g. lionhead (a bubble eye without a dorsal fin belongs to this group)
• Wen - goldfish with dorsal fin and a fancy tail. e.g. veiltail ("wen" is also the name of the characteristic headgrowth on such strains as oranda and lionhead)
• Ce (may also be called "grass") - goldfish without anything fancy. This is the type that is usually used in Japanese carnivals, especially for "goldfish scoops".
• Jikin and wakin - goldfish with double tails, but with the body shapes of comets.

Rare varieties

• Tosakin or curly fantail or peacock tail goldfish
• Tamasaba or sabao
• Meteor goldfish
• Egg-fish goldfish
• Curled-gill goldfish or reversed-gill goldfish

New varieties

• Azuma nishiki - a nacreous-colored oranda
• Muse - a cross between a tosakin and an azuma nishiki with black eyes and white translucent scales
• Pandora bubble eye - a cross between a bubble eye and willow
• Aurora - a cross between a shubunkin and an azuma nishiki or between a calico jikin and a tosakin
• Umagyo - a cross between a calico and an comet with spotted scales and a fork tail fin
• Willow - a long and willowy telescope-eyed comet or shubunkin
• Dragon eye ranchu or squid ranchu - a telescope eyed ranchu variety
• Kintama - a cross between a black moor and an bubble eye
• Singachu or sakura singachu - a ranchu variant

Revived varieties

• Osaka ranchu - a ranchu relative
• Izumo nankin - a ranchu-like variety