Goldfish Species

Cometfrom the common, the shubunkin and its brother
A mainstay of any goldfish setup, the comet is athe comet, are two of the hardiest fish to raise.
delightful and characterful addition. Slender, athleticThey will thrive so long as they are kept wet and
body, flowing fins and tail and powerful, directfuldo very well in ponds, reaching up to 40cm with
swimmers, the comet is a social variety and isenough space and food. We highly recommend a
very hardy. You can maintain a comet in a tank,shubunkin or three for any tank and for any level
among other goldfish or in a pond, with very goodof goldfish keeper, from beginner to advanced.
success. In a pond, Comets are reputed to reachBubbleye
over 40cms in length, so long as food and spaceIt doesn't get a lot more interesting than this! The
are available.bubbleye gets its name from the odd looking
Black Moortransparent eye sacks that hang on its face. A
Of the telescope eyed fish, the Black Moor isdelicate species, they are generally not
arguably the most common, and hardy. Anrecommended as a first fish. They can suffer
interesting looking species, it finds favour withfrom water bourne disease frequently, and
those who want a different looking addition, withrequire water that is very clean, very areated
out the maintenance required with some of theand is kept at consistent temperature. Bubbles will
more delicate goldfish species. Black Moor's areoften suffer from food competition and will not
quite antisocoal, and will, given enough room, stickfare well with the likes of comets, shubs and
with their counterparts. Moors are hardy and willcommon goldfish. If you wish to keep bubbles, try
survive in a pond, however they are best suitedthem with fantails and moors, and you will be on
to a indoor aquarium for the greatest success.the right track. Bear in mind, the bubble, although
With the poor sight that the bulbus eyes provide,fragile looking, can be an aggressive species and is
the Moor will sometimes be susceptible tobest kept with fish of its own size to avoid them
competition for food, and will overeat is food isattacking anything smaller than themselves.
plentiful, often to death.Oranda
FantailThe Oranda is a very desirable goldfish variety
Don't let their flowing and fins tails put youdue to the berry-like bubble growths that form on
off-most people have a great time raising fantails.the crown of its head. Its stocky body, deep and
They are surprisingly hardy given their porcelainplump, with gorgeous flowing fins, make it a very
looks, and are quite social. The egg shaped bodyattractive species. Combine this with the many
is stocky and has a pronounced hump on thedifferent colour combinations that are possible,
shoulders/back. A slower swimmer however, theand the Oranda becomes something many
fantail will suffer from being grouped withkeepers will wish for! Be cautious of fluctuating or
common goldfish or comets, as their pretty finslow water temps and competition from other
don't allow them to reach food nearly quickgoldfish species when deciding whether or not to
enough, most of the time. Apart from this, nokeep and Oranda.
decent gold fish setup is said to be completeVeiltail
without a couple of fantails, as their stunning looksAnother fancy species, the Veiltail is a popular
ensure goldfish lovers all the world over includeaddition to a tank of fancy species. The deep,
them with growing regularity.plump body culminates in a glorious long and
Shubunkinflowing tail, giving its name. Colour combinations
A funny name, and equally funny paintjob, theare large, and can either have normal or pearly
shubunkin is a colourful addition. Mixed speckledscales. They will reach 20+ centimeters in ideal
colours and broken patterns make them greatconditions. Beware that due to the flowing tails
eye candy, from the smallest tank to the largest.and fins, the Veiltail is a poor swimmer and can
The scales on the Shub have a lovely pearlysuffer from food competition with other faster
appearance and this variety origantes from Japan,species. It is also not suited to cold water, under
where it is also referred to as the 'Calico'. Aside55deg F.