The fantail goldfish is a fancy goldfish, but it has more in common with non-fancy varieties.  It can survive and compete successfully alongside common, comet and shubunkin goldfish in ponds and aquariums.  It is also easy to breed, and an ideal fancy goldfish for beginners.

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.

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