Gold Fish Varieties

The goldfish (Carassius auratus auratus) is a freshwater fish in the family Cyprinidae of order Cypriniformes. It was one of the earliest fishto be domesticated, and is one of the most commonly kept aquarium fish.

A relatively small member of the carp family (which also includes the koi carp and the crucian carp), the goldfish is a domesticated version of a less-colorful carp (Carassius auratus) native to east Asia. It was first domesticated in China more than a thousand years ago, and several distinct breeds have since been developed. Goldfish breeds vary greatly in size, body shape, fin configuration and coloration (various combinations of white, yellow, orange, red, brown, and black are known).

Varieties of domesticated goldfish

Selective breeding over centuries has produced several color variations, some of them far removed from the "golden" color of the originally domesticated fish. There are also different body shapes, fin and eye configurations. Some extreme versions of the goldfish live only inaquariums—they are much less hardy than varieties closer to the "wild" original. However, some variations are hardier, such as the Shubunkin. The main varieties are:

Common goldfish differ only in color from their closest relative, the Prussian carp. Common goldfish come in a variety of colors including red, orange/gold, white, black and yellow or 'lemon' goldfish.

The Black moor is a telescope-eyed variety of fancy goldfish that has a characteristic pair of protruding eyes. It is also referred to as popeye, telescope, kuro demekin in Japan and dragon-eye inChina.

The small, fancy Bubble Eye has upward pointing eyes accompanied by two large fluid-filled sacs.

Fancy Celestial eye goldfish or Choten gan has a double tail and a breed-defining pair of upturned, telescope eyes with pupils gazing skyward.

The comet or comet-tailed goldfish is the most common fancy variety 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.

The Fantail goldfish is the western form of theRyukin and possesses an egg-shaped body, a high dorsal fin, a longquadruple caudal fin, and no shoulder hump.

The fancy lionhead has a hood. This fish is theprecursor to the ranchu.

The fancy oranda is characterized by a prominent raspberry-like hood or (also known as wen or headgrowth) that encases the whole head except for the eyes and mouth.

The fancy pearlscale orchinshurin in Japanese, is spherical-bodied with finnage similar to thefantail.

The fancy Pompoms or pompon or hana fusahave bundles of loose fleshy outgrowths between the nostrils, on each side of the head.

The fancy ryukin has a short, deep body with a characteristic shoulder hump.

Fancy and hardyJapanese Shubunkins(朱文金?) (translated literally as "red brocade") have single tail withnacreous scales, and a pattern known ascalico.

The fancy telescope eye or demekin is characterized by its protruding eyes. It is also known as globe eye or dragon eye goldfish.

The fancy Japanese ranchu is hooded. Japaneserefer to it as the "king of goldfish".

The fancy panda moorhas a characteristic black-and-white color pattern and protruding eyes.

The fancy veiltail is known for its extra-long, flowing double tail. Modern veiltail standards require little or no indentation of the trailing edges of the caudal fins, as in a wedding veil for a bride.

The Butterfly Tail Moor or Butterfly Telescopeis of the telescope-eye lineage, with twin tails best viewed from above. The spread of the caudal fins mimics butterflies underwater.

Related species

A wild Prussian carp (Carassius auratus gibelio)

A Crucian carp (Carassius carassius)

Goldfish were bred from Prussian carp (Carassius auratus gibelio) in China, and they remain the closest wild relative of the goldfish.Previously, some sources claimed the Crucian carp (Carassius carassius) as the wild version of the goldfish. However, they are differentiated by several characteristics. C. auratus have a more pointed snout while the snout of a C. carassius is well rounded. C. gibeliooften has a grey/greenish color, while crucian carps are always golden bronze. Juvenile crucian carp have a black spot on the base of the tail which disappears with age. In C. auratus this tail spot is never present. C. auratus have fewer than 31 scales along the lateral line while crucian carp have 33 scales or more.

When found in nature, goldfish are olive green. Introduction of goldfish into the wild can cause problems for native species. Goldfish can hybridize with certain other species of carp. Within three breeding generations, the vast majority of the goldfish spawn revert to their natural olive color. The mutation that gave rise to the domestic goldfish is also known from other cyprinid species, such as common carpand tench. Koi may also interbreed with the goldfish to produce a sterile hybrid fish.

There are many different varieties of domesticated goldfish. Fancy goldfish are unlikely to survive in the wild because of their bright fin colors; however the hardier varieties such as the Shubunkin may survive long enough to breed with wild cousins. Common and comet goldfish can survive, and even thrive, in any climate that can support a pond.