Fancy Goldfish Trending Now
written by Mike De Olivera
The fancy goldfish has always been the classic beginner fish. Many fish-keepers have been introduced to the hobby by winning a pet goldfish at a carnival or inheriting one from a friend or family member as a gift. It is unfortunate for the goldfish that people think they can be kept in a bowl. We encounter many customers who visit our store under these false pretenses. Here at Absolutely Fish we try our best to make our clients’ fish keeping endeavors a successful and fulfilling one.
To start, these fish get quite large. They can live for twenty years or more and can be quite messy. Over-filtration is key to keeping your goldfish healthy and happy. It is best to go with a filter that is rated for twice the size of your aquarium. Whether it’s a power filter or canister, bigger is always better and will help you from having to do such frequent water changes. Preferably you should dedicate 20 gallons of water per 1 goldfish. Goldfish also prefer well-oxygenated water so adding an air pump and bubbler is always a good idea. The bulk of their diet should be a sinking pellet food. There are many available that are designed specifically for goldfish. To vary their diet you should also feed them some veggie-based foods such as dried seaweed or spirulina enriched brine shrimp. The desired pH range is anywhere from 7.0 to 7.6. We love using aquarium salt with our goldfish because it helps with gill function and is a great way to naturally keep down disease. We also dose Microbe-lift’s Thera-P to all of our goldfish tanks at Absolutely Fish. Thera-P is an all natural probiotic bacteria that works as an immune-stimulant and will out compete bad bacteria found in your aquarium and in the gut of your fish.
We believe this sets our fish apart from the rest. With this knowledge we hope you can enjoy the pleasures of owning these lovely fish. The amount of different varieties of fancy goldfish is truly astounding. No longer do you just see tanks full of plain orange fish with a flowing tail. Nowadays you can choose from multiple varieties and color variations. It is truly amazing to think that all of these fancy goldfish originated from the standard carp. Here are some photos of the different varieties of goldfish we bring in to the shop.
Black Moor / Telescope Eye – Moors are known to be one of the hardier varieties. This is the classic black moor but we do get them in Red or a combo of Black and Red colors. You can easily identify them by their bulging eyes. (Photo by Absolutely Fish)
Bubble Eye Goldfish – Known to be one of the harder to keep fancy goldfish. Recommended to be kept in a tank with smooth gravel and decorations and concealed filter intakes to avoid damage to their fluid-filled sacs under their eyes. (Photo from wikipedia.com)
Lionhead Goldfish – These fish originate from China and look very similar to Ranchu goldfish, which come from Japan. Both fish lack a dorsal fin. The Ranch goldfish are known for being a better quality fish with more of an arched back. (Photo by Absolutely Fish)
Ryukin Goldfish – These goldfish have a triangular body shape and were bred in Japan from regular fantail goldfish. They tend to be strong swimmers, which makes them a hardy goldfish. (Photo by Absolutely Fish)
Oranda Goldfish – Originating from China this fish is characterized by a fleshy headgrowth. (Photo by Absolutely Fish)
Panda Moor Butterflytail – One of the most popular breeds available right now. (Photo from Javed Fisheries)
Pearlscale Goldfish – Another slower swimming goldfish. Should only be kept with other slower swimming goldfish like ranchus, lionheads or bubble eyes. (Photo from The Fish Doctor)