The fish weighs about 14 kg, and is  probably the biggest goldfish in the world.  The fisher, named Raphael Biagini, needed about 10 minutes to get the goldfish ashore.  Before he started fishing that day, some colleague fishers told him there’s a giant goldfish in the pond and that they have been trying to catch him the last six years.

“We didn’t know what bit in our fishing line, but we knew it was big.  The fish was a good fighter, but not good enough…” says Biagini.  Luckily the 30-year old fisher from Montpelier released the fish after a photo session.

I guess this beautiful goldfish’s quiet life is over now everyone knows where he is at…

Transparant goldfish are useful for scientific purposes, offering a realistic alternative for dissections.

Fantails are more common in the far east than in Europe and North America, but they are becoming more popular due to their advantages over other fancy goldfish.

The body of a fantail is shorter and rounder than a common goldfish.  The tail and anal fins are split in two, with the tops of the tail fins closer together than the bottoms.  This gives the tail a triangle shape when viewed from the rear.

The most common colours for fantail goldfish are red and calico.

Not only can fantail goldfish tolerate low winter temperatures in ponds, they can swim fast enough to get their own share of the food when in the same water as fast goldfish.

Also, as they do not have head growths, eye bubbles or nasal growths, they are less prone to bacterial infection than other fancy goldfish.

However, in common with all goldfish that have mis-shapen bodies, they can suffer from swim bladder problems.

Overall, a nice addition to an aquarium that has room for an extra goldfish, without the hassle of making sure it is set up for fancy goldfish.

N.B. There are several goldfish varieties that are known as ‘fantail’ varieties, the bubble eye goldfish being one of them.  However the fantail goldfish discussed here is a variety in itself.  When used to describe a group of varieties, it refers to goldfish that have shorter bodies, short fins and a double forked tail.

Bubble eye goldfish are thought to originate in China a long, long time ago as the result of a mutation being bred into other forms of large-eyed goldfish.  One possible reason for such a mutation being encouraged is that in ancient China, goldfish were kept in jars (aquariums hadn’t been invented).  Therefore the only way to view the goldfish was from above.  This could also explain why, in common with other “fantail” goldfish, there is no dorsal fin, and a split tail fin.

Bubble eye goldfish are available in all the colours any other goldfish is available in: red, yellow, orange, brown, black, blue, white, silver or calico.  (For a full explanation of goldfish colouring see Goldfish Colouring Explained).

Naturally enough, all the major problems associated with bubble eye goldfish are because of the bubbles.

1. They can only see food that is above them.  There are a few ways to get round this problem.  Use slow-sinking food, clip fast-sinking food up the side of the tank, and always put food in the same location.  However, the best way to ensure bubble eye goldfish get proper nutrition is to train them to hand feed.

2. They are extremely poor swimmers.  Even relatively slow swimming goldfish varieties such as the black moor or oranda will beat a bubble eye to food every time.  They are so slow because the bubbles make the fish front-heavy, turning swimming into a real effort.  To make matters worse, the bubbles jiggle up and down, and left to right as the fish swims.  It’s like trying to keep one’s head still while walking with a large plastic bag full of water tied to each ear.  To top it all off, having no dorsal fin reduces stability even more.  As a result of all this, bubble eye goldfish will spend a lot of time resting on the bottom of the tank.  Older bubble eye goldfish will very often give up on swimming altogether, preferring to float around on the current provided by the pump.

3. The bubbles burst easily.  Sharp gravel, pointy plants, ornaments and filters/pumps all present a danger to the bubble eye goldfish’s bubbles.  Make sure there is nothing in the tank that can cause such an injury.  If a pump or filter intake is capable of snaring a bubble, it probably will.  Cover any such hazards with sponge.  If a bubble does get burst, it will likely grow back.  However, it will not be the same size and shape as the one on the other side.  There is also the risk of bacterial infection after a bursting incident.

4. Bad eyesight is widesread in bubble eye goldfish.  It isn’t great to start with, and will probably get worse.

As with all fancy goldfish, the bubble eye can be susceptible to swim bladder problems because of their more rounded body shape.

Overall, the bubble eye goldfish is a delicate fish that is definitely not for beginners.  However, they are happy when healthy and cared for, and although an aquarium will have to be stripped of many decorations that other goldfish can negotiate quite safely, bubble eye goldfish provide their own decoration in sparsely furnished tanks.

Specifically, the oranda is one of the veiltail goldfish.  What this means is that the two layers of the tail fin are separate, nearly as long as the body, and are not deeply forked.  The body itself is deep rather than long in veiltail goldfish.

Oranda goldfish come in many different colours.  They can be red, orange, yellow, black or blue; or a combination of these colours.  They can also be “calico,” which is the technical name for the colours found on shubunkin goldfish.  Another sub-variety of oranda is the redcap oranda, which is all (or almost all) white apart from the growth on its head being vivid red.  The photograph shows an oranda in the foreground, and a redcap oranda in the background.  The extent of the head growth in redcaps is usually less, and generally does not extend below the eyes.

Being fancy goldfish, orandas do not compete well against long-bodied goldfish.  They need to be kept with other slow swimming fancy goldfish to give them an equal chance at feeding time.  They are also sensitive to changes in water temperature, and do not like water that is too cold.

The most common problems experienced by oranda goldfish are unsurprisingly to do with the head growth.  Small particles that find their way into the folds of the growth can end up causing bacterial and/or fungal infection. Also, because of the body shape, swim bladder problems are more common than in long-bodied goldfish (although this is a problem with several varieties of fancy goldfish, not just oranda).

Apart from that, a well managed and carefully monitored tank containing orandas shouldn’t be a problem.  Oranda goldfish are a genuinely visually interesting goldfish variety, and the head growth on non-redcap orandas can give them a facial expression that makes them that little bit different from other fish.  Redcaps of course are visually striking, with their high contrast colours.  No matter what sort of oranda is in a tank, they are sure to be a talking point.

The shubunkin is a single-tailed fast swimming goldfish that is happy enough in either a pond or aquarium, and is an ideal companion for common goldfish and comets.  Like all goldfish, it thrives on a varied diet.

Another advantage of the shubunkin is its liking for bottom feeding.  This helps keep the goldfish tank clean as they will clean up any uneaten morsels that go un-noticed by common or comet goldfish.

They can live up to 10 years and grow to 30cm (12″) in length.

There are three types of shubunkin goldfish, easily distinguished by the tail fin.

London Shubunkin

This shubunkin is actually a variation of the common goldfish, the only difference being the colouring.  They have a compact body and a short tail fin with a shallow fork, exactly the same as the common goldfish.  This is the most common type in the UK.

American Shubunkin

Sometimes called the Japanese shubunkin, this type is shaped like the comet goldfish.  It has a more slender body with longer fins.  The tail fin is pointed with a deeper fork and can grow to the same length as the body.  This type is the most common in North America and are shown in the photograph above.

Bristol Shubunkin

This type was developed by the Bristol Aquarist Society and has a beautiful big heart-shaped tail with two rounded lobes. It’s body shape is more like the common goldfish, but it has longer fins.  The best place to see photos of it is the Bristol Aquarists Society Bristol shubunkin page.

Shubunkin goldfish are an ideal way to break the mould a little bit in a pond or aquarium that has uniformly coloured common and comet goldfish.  Although not to everybody’s taste (a lot of beginners think they are diseased), the different colours – especially blue and violet – can make an aquarium a vastly more interesting place.

The comet goldfish has been around for over 100 years and has a slender body just like the common goldfish. What sets it apart is the long, flowing, deeply forked, pointed tail. In the official standard used for judging goldfish, the tail must be greater than three-quarters of the body length. One other notable feature of the comet goldfish is the single anal fin.

The comet goldfish can be red, red/white, orange, yellow, white or calico (red, white, orange, brown) in colour.

It is a hardy goldfish, and has no problem surviving in a goldfish pond over Winter. As it has a slender body it can swim fast, and therefore gets to food quickly. For this reason it has no problems keeping up with common goldfish, but should not be kept with slower fancy goldfish as it will leave them with nothing to eat.

One other thing to note about the comet goldfish – it can grow over a foot (30cm) long, so make sure there is plenty of room.

On top of all that it is relatively easy to keep and is a good goldfish to start with when moving towards fancy goldfish keeping.

However, there are two major considerations when introducing a Black Moor to an aquarium.

Firstly, as already mentioned it can’t swim fast. This means it can’t dart up to the surface to hoover up flakes of food like more streamlined golfish varieties. Even if sinking food is used, a Black Moor will take its time getting to it. So try to avoid putting them in a tank with faster goldfish.

Secondly, their large eyes are a twofold problem. Not only will they have problems seeing floating food due to poor eyesight, their eyes are susceptible to damage in badly designed aquariums. If there are plants or ornaments that it can hit its eyes against, it will hit its eyes against them. Use soft and silky plants, avoiding plastic ones altogether. Keep ornaments to a minimum, definitely avoiding tunnels for it to swim through and ornaments with moving parts.

As with all goldfish, a Black Moor needs to be fed a healthy diet. Include sinking pellets, shrimp, bloodworms, daphnia, lettuce, spinach, peas and courgettes/zucchini. It is best to use frozen or freeze-dried shrimp, bloodworms and daphnia to help avoid parasitic infection that can come with live feed.

Follow these simple steps to enjoy the beauty and calm of Black Moor goldfish.