Goldfish are one of the most popular fish to keep as pets. Their bright colors, unique shapes, and lively personalities have captivated aquarium hobbyists for centuries.
Today, through years of selective breeding, there are many different fish breeds and varieties to choose from.
While the common fish with its golden-orange color is probably the fish that most people picture, there are actually over 125 different captive-bred goldfish varieties.
From the cute, round bubble-eye goldfish to the elegant butterfly tail goldfish with its dual forked tail, goldfish come in a spectacular range of shapes, sizes, colors, and fin types.
Knowing the differences between types of fish can help you select suitable tankmates, determine proper care guidelines, and pick the fish varieties that appeal most to you.
Here is an overview of 13 types of goldfish and tips on how to care for them.
13 Types of Goldfish
Single-Tailed Goldfish
Single-tailed goldfish have one caudal (tail) fin. They tend to be longer-bodied and faster-moving than fancy goldfish breeds with double tails or other physical traits. Common single-tail fish types include.
Common Goldfish
The traditional common goldfish has a slender, streamlined orange-and-white body shaped like a torpedo. Its caudal fin is moderately forked.
They are very hardy and affordable, and they make excellent starter fish for beginners. They come in a rainbow of colors, like orange, red, yellow, and white.
They grow quite large, reaching 10–12 inches, and are best housed in spacious pond enclosures instead of aquariums. Provide them with the maximum space possible.
Filtration should be robust, as they are big waste producers. Sexing can be difficult until females become noticeably plumper than males during spawning periods.
Comet Goldfish
Comet goldfish have stocky orange and red coloration with long, deeply forked tails. Selectively bred to be pond fish, they are hearty, fast-growing, and better swimmers than fancy fish.
Provide Comet with at least 20 gallons per fish. Give them areas to freely swim back and forth. As prolific pond fish, they readily spawn in outdoor water gardens each spring.
Comets may reach a mature length of around 12 inches with proper space and water quality.
Shubunkin Goldfish
Shubunkins are single-tailed fish prized for their nacreous skin covered in blue, red, black, brown, and white spots called calico coloring.
They have broad tails and rounded egg-shaped bodies. Growing 8+ inches long, shubunkins need at least 50 gallons with hiding spots and bottom foraging opportunities.
Selectively bred from common goldfish, Shubunkins are one of the hardest fish breeds but require excellent water quality and frequent partial water changes as they produce lots of waste.
Unlike messy common feeder goldfish, their appearance and charm make Shubunkins popular koi pond companions.
Double-Tailed Goldfish
Double-tailed goldfish breeds have two distinct lobes or forks comprising their caudal fin. The paired lobes give the fancy double-tail a distinctly iconic fish shape.
Varieties range from just an inch or two for the smallest fancy breeds to six inches for larger types. Popular double-tailed fish include.
Fantail Goldfish
Fantail goldfish have wide triangular tailfins forming a dual-lobed fantail spread horizontally behind them. Their finnage is short and paired. The body shape is uniformly round, like a golf ball, with no elongated parts.
Egg-shaped fantail fish come in metallic, nacreous, and calico color variations. Avoid varieties with odd positioning of eyes, fins, or buoyancy problems.
Due to the heavy fins, providing open space for strong water flow, the substrate can hamper movement. The size reaches 6 inches, requiring a minimum 20-gallon aquarium.
Ryukin Goldfish
Ryukins are a short, deep-bodied Japanese goldfish breed with a signature humped back. They have a very elongated, veiled tail and a pointed head crest.
Stunning calico color mixes of red, black, white, brown, and orange Koi-like patterns make them prized.
Give mature 5-inch Ryukins 20+ gallon tanks with smooth gravel bottoms that won’t snag their trailing fins and plenty of resting spots near the surface.
Ensure good water movement around the tank too. Sensitive to cold, Ryukins thrive in temperatures between 70 and 74 °F.
Veiltail Goldfish
The veil tail has a hugely exaggerated caudal fin, forming a delicate, dual-tailed, veiled appearance.
Tail fin rays can extend three times body length! Veiltails occur in metallic and nacreous forms up to 5 inches long.
Slow, graceful swimmers, due to their heavy fins, provide veiltails with a fine gravel substrate and decor with no sharp edges. Give them pristine water conditions as trailed fins pick up debris.
Though beautiful, avoid overbred specimens with severely hampered swimming abilities.
Pearlscale Goldfish
The pearl scale Goldfish is a spherical egg-shaped fancy breed encased with white matte crystalline raised domed scales resembling embedded pearls.
As one of the most uniquely textured fish breeds, their glittery armor-like scales shine under light.
Pearlscales have paired veiled tailfins and compact oval bodies growing over 4 inches long. They are slower swimmers, needing ample resting areas and a smooth substrate.
Provide pristine water conditions between 68 and 72°F to avoid buoyancy issues and clouded-over scales prone to poor water quality.
Egg-Shaped Goldfish
Egg-shaped fancy goldfish breeds have round, ovular bodies lacking a streamlined shape. Their compressed bodies accommodate their deformities from selective breeding, like telescoping eyes, bubble skulls, celestial eyes, and egg-shaped bodies. Popular egg-shaped fish species include.
Black Moors
The telescope-eyed goldfish, often called the black or red Moor fish, is a lovely fish that can be identified by its tiny body and popular eyeballs.
These fish take a little longer to eat because of their presentation, which makes their eyesight poor, and they are more likely to sustain scratches and tears on their delicate conjunctiva.
To prevent eye injuries, be sure to carefully select the décor for your tank when keeping this fish.
Bubble Eye Goldfish
Extremely buoyant bubble-eye goldfish have fluid-filled sacs below each eye nearly the size of their egg-shaped body.
Bubble eye fins are paired. Colors range from golden orange, and tricolors, to completely white. The bubbles sway as they swim slowly about.
Bubble eyes require specialized care given their delicate eye bubbles, which are prone to popping and fin-nipping from tankmates.
Provide smooth, rounded decor and tanks specifically for bubble eyes. Ensure water movement does not buffet them, and give them resting areas and clean water in the 70–74° range.
Celestial Eye Goldfish
Celestial goldfish are chief attention-getters, with their eyes pointing skyward. Selective breeding causes fish to lack the dorsal musculature supporting the eye in place inside the skull. Thus, eye orbits rotate dorsal-ventrally, facing up.
Telescope-eyed celestial fish have metallic or nacreous coloration in elongated, egg-shapes. Ensure tankmates do not nip trailing eye tissues or buccal mouth regions.
Give them clean 70°F water with gentle filtration and a smooth substrate; stunted celestial fancy fish are prone to swim bladder disorders.
Telescope Eye Goldfish
Telescope eye or deer head goldfish have large, rounded, protruding eyes extending beyond the head’s outline. Intensive breeding to enlarge eyes leaves telescopes virtually blind.
Colors range from black, white, orange, red, and calico mixes. Provide a fine gravel substrate and smooth decor to prevent eye injury.
Though telescopes grow 12 inches long, most captive fish reach just 6 inches. Ensure water movement does not buffet them; they are very poor swimmers.
Pristine water quality helps prevent secondary eye infections and clouding of the cornea.
Egg-Shaped Twin-Tailed
Twin-tailed, egg-shaped fancy fish combine physical traits like round bodies, protruding eyes, and paired caudal fins. They’re very slow-moving and specially bred for their unique appearance. Popular varieties are included below.
Oranda Goldfish
The oranda is the quintessential “fancy” fish with a raspberry-like hood encasing its head, known as a wen. They have twin tails and telescope eyes.
Provide smooth decor, resting areas, and optimal water flow around its 7-inch deep body.
Colors range from solid metallic colors to brilliant red, white, and calico mixes. Monitor the growth so that it does not overtake the eyes or face.
An overfed orchard may require trimming if excessive growth affects buoyancy or sight.
Ranchu Goldfish
Ranchus resemble tiny bowls swimming about. They lack a dorsal fin and have a pronounced fat belly bulge and chubby cheeks.
Deep telescoping eyes and paired caudal fins give them a unique charm.
Growing to just 4-6 inches, provide ranchus with smooth substrate, rounded decor, moderate water movement, and clean 68–72°F water.
Avoid housing with faster fish that may nip at long, trailing eye tissues. Monitor buoyancy issues in overfed fish.
Care
They require more space than typically thought, with fancy varieties needing a minimum of 20 gallons and single-tailed types needing 29+ gallons, providing 10 extra gallons per additional fish.
Use long rectangular tanks to allow swimming room. Custom ponds over 6 feet suit giant fish. Maintain cool water at 65–74°F. Heavily filter tanks at 6–10 tank turnover rates per hour with an oversized external canister model.
Rinse filters weekly. Do 25–50% weekly water changes and use a dechlorinator. Feed a variety of pellets and treats in small amounts a couple of times daily.
Goldfish produce ample waste, so excess food pollutes the water. House similarly sized fast swimmers together as slow telescopes get harassed and small species get eaten or outcompeted.
Select a fine gravel substrate and smooth decor to prevent injuring protruding telescope eyes. Buoyancy issues plague overfed or poor-quality fish.
Following specialized fish care guidelines ensures they remain vibrant and captivating for years.
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