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This is a list of goldfish varieties and their characteristics. Currently, there are about 200 breeds of goldfish recognized in China. [1]
Selective breeding over centuries has produced several color variations, some of them far removed from the "golden" color of the original fish. There are also different body shapes, fin, and eye configurations. Some extreme versions of the goldfish live only in aquariums—they are much less hardy than varieties closer to the "wild" original. However, some variations are hardier, such as the Shubunkin. The vast majority of goldfish breeds today originated from China. Some of the main varieties are:
Single tailed varieties have a single caudal fin and anal fin. They have long, streamlined bodies and are faster swimming than shorter egg-shaped goldfishes. They all come from common goldfish, but rare egg-shaped varieties like nymph goldfish are developed from egg-shaped goldfish. They have no telescopic eyes, celestial eyes, nor bubble eyes. They have no headgrowths like orandas, lionheads, and ranchus, narial bouquets like pompoms, or curled gills like curled-gill.
Double-tailed or "fancy" goldfish. Fancy, in goldfish, meaning they have double caudal fins and anal fins. They are the most popular and the most expensive types of goldfish. There are two types of fancy goldfish:
Egg-shaped goldfish is the most popular type of goldfish, they have two types:
Most goldfish varieties are capable of living in outdoor ponds. Goldfish that are not capable of living in ponds include telescopes, celestial eyes and bubble eyes, because of their fragile eyes.
Single tail types
Double tail types
Other tail identification
Sometimes a fancy goldfish have an angled tail peduncle which its type may also be included.
There are three main color pigments of goldfish, but some are just a reflection that reflects a color other than these three color pigments.
These are the color combinations and appearance of the three main color pigments above.
Shubunkins are a hardy, single-tailed goldfish with nacreous scales and a pattern known as calico. The Shubunkins are of Japanese origin.
Calico goldfish are goldfish of any breed that have a type of scale that is intermediate between the metallic type of scales and the transparent type. These scales have a slight sheen that produces a pearly appearance. The name "calico goldfish" came about because the first fish that were introduced with this type of scales had a mottled calico pattern with several colours.
The Bubble Eye is a small variety of fancy goldfish with upward-pointing eyes that are accompanied by two large fluid-filled sacs. It is a dorsal-less fish – good specimens will have a clean back and eye bubbles that match in color and size. Their bubbles are quite delicate, so the fish should be kept separately from boisterous types, as well as sharp tank decor. Although the bubbles will regrow if punctured, an injury could leave the fish prone to infections. The bubbles can disadvantage the fish as it is not a strong swimmer, with a seemingly low bobbing head at times; bubbles are infamous for being sucked into filters and siphons in an aquarium.
The telescope eye is a goldfish characterised by its protruding eyes. It was first developed in the early 1700s in China, where the trait was referred to as dragon eyes.
The ryukin is a short deep-bodied fancy goldfish with a characteristic hump in the shoulder region.
An oranda is a breed of goldfish characterized by a prominent bubble-like "hood" on the head. The headgrowth or hood may be a prominent growth on the top of the head or may encase the entire face except the mouth.
Flowerhorn cichlids are ornamental aquarium fish noted for their vivid colors and the distinctively shaped heads for which they are named. Their head protuberance is formally called a nuchal hump. Like blood parrot cichlids, they are hybrids that exist in the wild only because of their release. Flowerhorns first emerged for sale on the aquarium market in Malaysia in the late 1990s and soon became popular in many countries in Asia. They are commonly kept by hobbyists in the US, Asia, and Europe. Numerous cast-off flowerhorns have been released to the wild, especially in Singapore and Malaysia, where they have become an invasive pest animal. Their importation is banned in Australia.
The Fantail is a goldfish that possesses an egg-shaped body, a high dorsal fin, a long quadruple caudal fin, and no shoulder hump. It is similar to the Ryukin, and is relatively common in western countries.
The lionhead is a hooded variety of fancy goldfish. This fish is the precursor to the ranchu.
Pompoms, pompon or hana fusa are a type of fancy goldfish that have bundles of loose fleshy outgrowths between the nostrils, on each side of the head.
Coldwater fish can have different meanings in different contexts.
The Ranchu is a hooded variety of goldfish native to China. It is referred to as the 'king of goldfish" by the Japanese. Maruko more commonly refers to the egg-fish goldfish.
The veiltail is a type of goldfish known for its extra-long, flowing double tail and high sail-like dorsal fin.
Celestial eye goldfish or Choutengan is a double-tailed breed of fancy goldfish that has a breed-defining pair of telescope eyes which are turned upwards, pupils gazing skyward. When the fry hatch, the eyes of young Celestials are normal but gradually protrude sideways, as in the Telescope eye goldfish, but unlike the telescope, which has eyes facing outwards on each side, the eyes of the celestial eye turns strictly upwards within a period of six months of development. This process is entirely governed by genetics, though early sources perpetuated the myth that the fish were bred and kept in narrow-necked clay jars and the eyes turned upwards seeking the limited source of light.
The Pearlscale is a spherical-bodied fancy goldfish with doubled finnage similar to the fantail.
The Butterfly telescope goldfish is a variant of telescope goldfish that is distinguished by the butterfly-shaped caudal fins when viewed from above. It is a variety that has only recently been deemed a major lineage by a few published works. The tail conformation is commonly bred into the telescope eye goldfish, the term "butterfly tail" is just short for the many names this variety has such as Butterfly Tail Demekin, Butterfly Tail Black Moor and Top view Telescope (TVT), and many other goldfish varieties.
The Curled-gill or Reversed-gill goldfish is another uncommon variety of fancy goldfish that has been developed by specialist enthusiasts. It owes its name from the out-turned appearance of its gill covers. This fish resembles a Ryukin. For the appearance of this goldfish, it has a fantail-shaped body with long finnage all round as well as a deeply forked tail; the color is typically metallic orange.
The Goldfish is a freshwater fish in the family Cyprinidae of order Cypriniformes. It is commonly kept as a pet in indoor aquariums, and is one of the most popular aquarium fish. Goldfish released into the wild have become an invasive pest in parts of North America.
The wakin is an intermediate twin tailed goldfish variety that has been originated from Japan. It is believed the wakin gave rise to fancy twin-tailed goldfish, including the ryukin, ranchu, oranda, fantail pearlscale, and many more twin-tailed goldfish. It is also the second oldest variety, developed from the common goldfish.
The jikin goldfish, also known as the peacock tail goldfish, is a breed of wakin-like goldfish developed in Japan.