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| Veiltail goldfish |
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| Country of origin |
| United States |
| Type |
| Veiltailed |
| Breed standards |
| BAS |
The veiltail is a type of goldfish known for its extra-long, flowing double tail and high sail-like dorsal fin. [1] [2]
The veiltail has a modified deep-and-round ryukin-shaped body, though without the dorsal 'hump' characteristic of ryukins. The hallmark of the breed is its lengthy and graceful double tail which is square-edged and without any forking or indentation between the lobes.
It also has a high, prominent and well-developed dorsal fin. The anal fins are paired and are quite well developed as well. The term 'veiltail' is commonly and erroneously applied to any goldfish displaying a long caudal, but true veiltails must have all the characteristics described above. Veiltails are available in many colors and may have either metallic or nacreous scales. They can grow from 8 to 12 inches (20 to 30 cm). They are not good swimmers but can be kept with other fancy goldfish. Veiltails will not accept temperatures below 55 °F (13 °C). [3]
The veiltail, a name coined by William T. Innes, originated in the United States in the 1890s when Franklin Barrett of Philadelphia crossed a Japanese-bred fringetail ryukin to a telescope eye goldfish that exhibited a short, square-edged caudal. According to William Seale [4] this fringetail was one of many imported by the Wisconsin State Fish Commission for the World's Fair. However, these fish became sick with fungus and were not shown in the 1893 fair. Mr. Seale saved 5 or 6 of these fish and returned home to Philadelphia with them. Mr. Seale then sold one of these fish to Franklin Barrett for $15 and this was the fish Barrett used to cross to a short but square tailed telescope eye goldfish. The telescope eye goldfish used for this cross were obtained as imports by John Cugley of Philadelphia. This resulted in a strain of fish soon to be known throughout the world as Philadelphia veiltails. [1] [2] [5] Although some have suggested that Philadelphia Veiltails died out in America, [6] a man named Al Thomma was able to obtain stock from a John (Andy) W. Anderson of Philadelphia who possessed fish from the original Barrett line. [7] Mr. Anderson worked for Innes Publishing as advertising editor and publisher of The Aquarium Magazine. Through the work of Al Thomma and Al Foster. [8] The Philadelphia Veiltail still exists today.
Apart from those bred and developed in the United States, there are now also Chinese and English strains. They can also occur with normal or telescope-eyes. [1] [2]
The long and trailing tail of the veiltail is delicate and can be easily damaged. Veiltails are also susceptible to low water temperatures. Telescope-eyed veiltails have difficulty competing for food with more active goldfish. [1] [2]
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 comet or comet-tailed goldfish is a single-tailed goldfish bred in the United States. It is similar to the common goldfish, except slightly smaller and slimmer, and is mainly distinguished by its long deeply forked tail. Comet goldfish tend to have a diverse variety of colors, unlike the common goldfish.
The telescope, telescope goldfish or 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.
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 Fantail Goldfish is the base for many fancy goldfish species.
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.
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.
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 Tosakin (土佐金) or curly fantail goldfish is a distinctive breed of goldfish with a large tail fin that spreads out horizontally behind the fish. Though technically a divided tail, the two halves are attached at the center/middle forming a single fin.
The Meteor goldfish is considered the rarest breed of goldfish. They are a tailless form thought to have been developed by goldfish breeders during the late 19th or early 20th century. The meteor goldfish lacked a tail fin, but had a well-developed anal fin in its position. The other fins of the meteor goldfish were elongated, and it was a competent swimmer despite its lack of a tail. Few swim like other normal goldfish and few swim straight ahead like a rocket, the rocket swimming being rarer. Whilst rare the meteor is also one of the hardest to breed, they can be very weak and in low temperatures sicken easily.
The egg fish goldfish is a fancy goldfish breed which lacks a dorsal fin and has a pronounced egg-shaped body. They look like ranchu but lack the "hood" or wen commonly found on ranchu goldfish, they also tend to have longer bodies.
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 jikin goldfish, also known as the peacock tail goldfish, is a breed of wakin-like goldfish developed in Japan.